I-Team: Parents concerned about man with gun at school bus stop
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
SEVERN, Md. —
Parents are concerned about a man who is regularly spotted carrying an AR-15 semi-automatic rifle at a school bus stop in Severn.
Jamie Sparrow, a Severn Elementary School parent, recorded a cell phone video Wednesday showing the man with an AR-15 in his hands at the bus stop where his 6-year-old daughter gets off. Parents said the man, J'den McAdory, has been there for drop-offs for weeks.
"They train to hide if this thing enters their school, and it's right there," said parent Michael Haley. "How can they not be a little nervous about that? How can it not give them anxiety?"
Haley said his family had guns growing up. Still, he's been driving his three kids home from school using a different route recently, so his kids don't have to see the man standing there.
Sparrow said he has seen the man there for three weeks.
"I feel like if we don't do something about it now, then we'll be talking again, and it'll be too late at that point," Sparrow told the I-Team. "I think that lives could be lost (or) people could be harmed."
McAdory said what he's doing is not about scaring parents or children -- it's about protesting the recent gun control measures Gov. Wes Moore signed into law.
"Guns can be safe if it's controlled by the right person," McAdory said. "I really wasn't coming out here for the kids. I was coming out here to show people that this is legal."
Moore's office provided a statement, saying, "To stem the tide of gun violence and create safer, stronger communities, we need partnership - not shallow acts of cowardice and intimidation. Scaring our kids and threatening our communities won't help make Maryland safe. The governor won't allow these tactics to stop his administration from taking common-sense steps to protect our communities. He condemns this behavior and will keep fighting to build a safer Maryland."
One part of the new law, which takes effect Oct. 1: It prohibits someone from carrying a gun in areas "for children or vulnerable adults," like a school or health care facility.
As McAdory spoke with the I-Team, drivers stopped to react. Some cheered, while others shouted complaints.
"You (are) a clown," one person said.
"I really want people to understand," he said. "I mean no harm to no one. I'm actually a deterrent away from the crime we always have here."
| VIDEO: "I guess you're the bowling ball if we're the bowling pins."
He also said his local neighborhood pays for a police officer to park in the area most nights to deter crime. But McAdory said he and other neighbors can do that for free.
Anne Arundel County police said in a statement that McAdory is permitted to do what he's doing under Maryland law, and that officers "are in the area to help ease growing concerns between students and parents."
Haley says McAdory has made his point and wants him to stop what he's doing.
"I wouldn't want my kids walking by someone holding a couple of meat cleavers in their hands, either," Haley said.
Sparrow said McAdory made a concerning comment when he walked by Sparrow and his family recently.
"(McAdory) said, 'You guys are looking at me like a bunch of scared bowling pins,'" said Sparrow. "Wow, I guess you're the bowling ball if we're the bowling pins."
Anne Arundel County Public Schools spokesman Bob Mosier sent a statement to the I-Team, saying: "We delayed dismissal at Severn Elementary School on Monday and have been working with police and other agencies this week. The school's principal sent a letter today (Thursday) to families about the situation and provided an update on actions taken."
Severn Elementary School Principal Isaphine Smith wrote in her letter that police are increasing their presence in the vicinity of the school's bus stops to help alleviate fear and anxiety.
She offered the following tips:
- Parents and guardians are asked to increase their presence at bus stops.
- Advise children that they should ask the man to leave them alone and walk away from him if they are approached by him.
- Report any interactions with the man to the school or police as soon as possible. Any safety concern can also be reported anonymously to the Safe Schools Maryland Tip Line at 833-MD-B-SAFE. That line is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Callers to that line can remain anonymous.
- School counselors are available for students, especially if a child needs to share how he or she feels about this or any other incident. Students who have such a need are asked to seek any staff member for assistance.
McAdory said that earlier Thursday, he came to an agreement with school officials to no longer publicly protest during school pickup or drop off times.
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Tonight on @wbaltv11: A man with an AR-15 has been showing up for weeks to a school bus drop off for local elementary school students.
Parents say their kids are afraid, the man says he's protesting @GovWesMoore's new gun control law. You'll hear from both sides at 5+6pm. pic.twitter.com/rpdJXAkVh4
— Tolly Taylor (@TollyTaylor) May 18, 2023
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Open carry in a populated area is already dumb. People understandably get freaked out when they see some random dude walking about with his gun out. Doing it around kids - on purpose - is just moronic.
I feel like if you need to be told this, maybe you shouldn’t have a gun.
Video is available at the source.
“Open carry in a populated area is already dumb.”
In what world is ‘open carry’ an appropriate strategy? Not in any world any reasonable person could comprehend, unless one yearns for revisiting the wild wild west.
I mean, if you’re hunting, or even just hiking in the back country somewhere, it’s probably smart to have a firearm. But in town? At the mall? People who pull that shit are just assholes, imo.
Why? I presume it's for dealing with hostile wild animals... but... seriously?
The only use for a firearm capable of shooting more than three times without reloading is too kill lots of people quickly.
Why? Do you presume that it should only take three shots to kill a hostile wild animal, no matter the situation, or that hostile wild animals only run in packs of three?...
Correct.
Normally, I wouldn’t credit the Star Wars franchise with any kind of accuracy, but one thing they do get right is that under pressure, people are terrible shots.
Hostile wild animals? Do you know the statistical likelihood of such an occurrence in the United States?
No. Please enlighten me.
Do you?
While you’re doing your due diligence, consider also the statistical likelihood of surviving (or just escaping unscathed) an attack from something like say, a bear or a mountain lion.
201 people are killed each year in the US by animals including dogs and other domestic animals.
We should probably move on from this discussion and find an alarming issue to discuss.
201 people who didn’t have a gun.
How many people are packing enough to take down a bear? It's iffy if my 325 grain 45 round will take one down.
Do as you will. If you want to go into the woods with zero protection, I won’t stop you.
Wild animal attacks? There is no doubt that domesticated animals are a grave threat.
Nah, it would probably take down a black bear but depending on your aim in that situation it might take more than three,.. so your fucked.
That's ok at least I feel like Daniel Boone when I carry it.
Would you call a pack of dogs that drag someone down and kill them domesticated?
How do you mean?
Would you argue that wild animals justify 30 000 gun deaths every year? Seriously?
Therefore we should allow 100-shot magazines?
Or maybe we should not give firearms to people who can't shoot straight?
Thirty thousand deaths every year because people DO have guns
Thirty thousand gun deaths.
I think that the gun fatality count in 2021 was 48,000, what does 30,000 mean?
It was only 30,000 jusr a few years ago...
Gunshot is now the #1 killer of US youth!
Sorry... Gun deaths are piling up so fast that I just can't keep up.
Over half are the result of suicide. Are you against assisted suicide?
Damn - when are you going to learn how to tell the truth?
Suicides have long been a driver of firearm-related deaths. More than half of all gun deaths in 2020 were suicides, according to a 2022 Pew Research Center report .
Suicide is the third leading cause of death among children and young people ages 10 to 24, according to the CDC.
Gun suicide soars as cause of death among teens; rate at highest point in 20 years: Report
Now - where's your link to PROVE your statement - you've got mine.
Yeah - we know - we'll wait and wait and wait and wait.
Yes and gunshot fatalities of our youth are unlike adults in that homicide accounts for 60 of these deaths were adults it's a majority suicide.
Here in the nation's Capital, homicides are up 11% so far this year compared to the same time in 2022, and violent crime is up 14%. 7 of this year’s 84 homicide victims were younger than 18.
As of last week, 43 juveniles had been shot, double the number at the same time last year.
Many deny the increase in crime.
Therefore straw man arguments are bullshit.
2/3 of those are suicides. If you want to debate based on numbers, at least be honest.
Exactly, many here are fact challenged.
If you ever lived in Alaska you would know why having a high powered rifle capable of firing multiple rounds is important. There's bears there. Big, angry bears looking for something to eat
Opinions will vary.
I'd forgotten why answering you is a waste of time...
Ummm............. to suicide with a gun, the candidate needs a... gun...
Suicides aren't dead?
That's sarcasm, right? You would never justify "machine -guns for all" with Alaskan anecdotes, right?
You do realize there is a very distinct difference between a high powered rifle capable of firing multiple rounds and a "machine gun" don't you? How you make the equation is baffling.
I never said machine guns. I said high powered rifle. There's a big difference in the two. I'm thinking a .773 caliber on a semi automatic rifle. Semi automatic means one shot per pull of trigger.
If one has to shoot a bear to defend one's self, one does not want to use a high caliber machine gun. You want to save that meat for later not tear it all up
Your argument is that those people are dead because of the gun. They aren’t. People commit suicide all over the world without guns. Several countries - countries where it’s extremely difficult to get a gun - have higher suicide rates than the United States.
You also don’t need a modern gun to commit suicide. High capacity magazines and fast reload do nothing to facilitate suicide. A flintlock is just as effective.
Go with a 185 grain +P+ hollow point.
I understood what you meant.
My point is that your "solution" to a rare problem is used by the crazies to justify absurd armaments for anyone.
But OK... three-round magazines are justifiable. No more than that.
Look at comparable countries. The availability of guns makes "sudden decision suicide" an easy option.
Here is a hint Bob, nobody cares what you find justifiable,
What is your correlation of suicide per capita and firearm availability?
I don’t know what you would consider a “comparable” country. I don’t even know why that would matter.
So does a handful of sleeping pills or a bottle of Drano. Or traffic - just walk in front of a bus. If you have your own car, you can just drive it off a cliff. Easy Peezy.
Also very effective are hanging and jumping from a high place. These are the most common methods of suicide in Japan, which has a suicide rate 2-3 times higher than the United States.
In South Korea, which has an even higher suicide rate, they also employ hanging, but prefer poisoning - usually by pesticide, but also carbon monoxide.
Several European countries have higher suicide rates than the United States. Hungary, Belgium, Finland, France, Austria, Poland, Czech Republic, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Germany all have higher suicide rates. They also tend to favor hanging or jumping among several options.
Guns aren’t making people kill themselves. Where guns are unavailable, people simply choose another method.
Will we be putting that limitation on police? Because nobody can empty a gun like a cop.
And those are the rounds that actually hit him. The investigation shows that they fired over 90 rounds. Trained cops shooting at an unarmed man hit less than 2 out of three shots. Just imagine if the guy was shooting back, or it was some animal charging. The reason guns come with multiple rounds is because even trained people who practice have trouble hitting their target when it matters.
Since you never cite a source, it's impossible to know where you went wrong.
You went wrong.
https://worldpopulationreview.com/country-rankings/suicide-rate-by-country
Cops with a license to kill are a problem. A monstrous problem. Not the same problem.
Your link went 404. No help.
Never let it be said I don’t supply links. I didn’t in that one post, but I do all the time. I have found that suicide numbers can vary a bit depending on the source and the year. But here are a few if you really need it. (you could have done that yourself, though)
Suicide Rate by Country 2023
(2005 data) World suicide rates by country
(2004 study) Comparative study about methods of suicide between Japan and the United States
Suicide in South Korea
List of countries by suicide rate
Look at all those and you’ll see different data and rankings.
You know what you will not see? Any data supporting the notion that suicide in the United States is higher than other places because of guns. Do people commit suicide with guns? Of course. But as I said, suicide can be committed without a gun, and it is done all over the world, very often at a greater rate than in the United States.
The US has literally more guns than people. If there were some kind of correlation or causation between gun ownership and suicide, we’d have tens of millions of suicides by firearm every year, not the 20,000 or so that we actually have. Incredibly, in a country with 400 million guns, only about half our suicides are accomplished with one.
There's a search box on that 404 page. Type "suicide".
I don't know why the link is wonky.
What bizarre/nutty behavior.
And this individual is making himself an "open-target." For instance: Consider that the taker of the video which became the snapshot had bad intentions with a firearm in mind for this man. . . . This is vigilantism plain and simple. Makes me wonder why police are paid to serve on his 'block' when this roaming 'satellite' is free of charge.
Moreover, this is escalation. So now bus stops are in need of protection a ways from the schools, themselves? This man is putting himself out. What comes next? Kids escorted door to door? Oh the manpower. . . oh the multiplied guns in service that would require. All free, of course!
I guess it is what someone is protesting about that matters
What is this asshat protesting? He is the poster child for responsible gun owner restrictions.
The article says " it's about protesting the recent gun control measures Gov. Wes Moore signed into law."
I can accept that he has a right to open carry, but I could question the wisdom (PTSD?) of open-carrying around 'centers" where children congregate. Guns in the hands of anyone in public (especially a stranger) can have a chilling effect. And as others (amateurish/professional) get in on the model. . . what is the likelihood of accidental shootings. . .it goes up proportionally. Parents have yet another issue to be concerned about: the good guy with the gun on patrol.
Moreover, what does society do when the mentally unstable and mentally ill decide on any given day to patrol around town and bus stops? Such people have rights too-up to and touching the first unjustified shot/s fired!
A more peaceful protester than some
If you mean rioters and protest marches that get out of hand. Different context. As who is to say that this form of "protest" or is it "protection (vigilantism)" won't degenerate into out of hand and innocent people get injured or killed. And who will keep stock of how this scheme draws the attention of angry or mentally ill people (to it)?
To be clear, I get it. But guns on public streets, atknown around children. . . is creepy and haunting. Moreover, having 'won' over the children/neighborhood's trust - what happens the 'day' he does not appear as 'defender' of the peace? Who substitutes? What is the protocol that is being put in place?
He is bring attention to his cause.
He is making some uncomfortable
He is not breaking any laws
Carrying the rifle gets more attention than walking around with a sign.
I recall some saying things like that are a part of protesting, Other protests scare people, have the potential to get out of hand and cause injury, disruption and property damage. I guess it depends on what the cause is. .
His "cause" he announced. It is to push-back against some policy-making done by Gov. Wes Moore's gun policy. The bus-stop "squatting" is a platform. Yes, he is certainly getting attention. Now when others join him-they, wherever they pop-up will get attention too!
Question is, how is this good for the short and/or long terms of children on those stops.
To be clear, I am just putting this forward as food for thought. I get he is 'trying' to do. . . well, something.
Still, if anything "backfires" I hope he is prepared to "assume the position" of a lawsuit, hospital stay, or have his house in order.
My answer is; it is about as good as other protests are for the people and property around the protest.
That standard should apply to all participants of all protests.
I hope everything about this stays peaceable
Yet, those other protests do not involve these students or their backpacks, lunches, and buses, eh? Why conflate this? Doing so with give you an emergent discussion which is new and not about this one!
The short-term/long-term effects on these children will start with 'childhood' memories of the man who had a 'big' gun walking around nearby us. And how it made each child feel.
Again, I am not 'citing' the man with any foul play. Just pointing out that his trying to get 'after' the Governor using this approach-can potentially end up with grave consequences (or not).
Me too. The nation's kids are traumatized enough already, by not knowing who they can trust with a gun. After-all, a few classmates, the adults around them, a certain gun culture political party, even the police are all "suspects" of causing violence, mayhem, and death. These kids don't talk about it, but it could be interesting to see (hear them out) about how they understand the issues surrounding them today.
What about the effects on children who were exposed to protests that turned into violent riots?
Different 'area' of discussion. Can we break down: Parents are concerned about a man who is regularly spotted carrying an assault rifle at a school bus stop. Making note of this fact that no other protests are occurring in the vicinity of his patrol.
What about the price of tea in China?
I don't know about in China; but, a pot of tea was $1.99 at the local Chinese buffet. Was a nice lunch.
Is his protest worse than other protests or do protests not happen in this area?
His protestation is about a right to open carry a gun at school bus stop for purposes of punching up at the state Governor's policy on guns. In such a case, this school bus stop is a pretext. "Worse" is not an outcome of merely marching back and forth in a random or repeating set of steps. More could be written about what he is doing—but why?
Do you think protesters should have to stay out of nice neighborhoods and away from kids?
Isn't the purpose of protests to bring attention to your issue? and sometimes annoy the other side?
Many protesters pick a location to get attention and be annoying.
Maybe he could protest somewhere else but is what he is doing illegal?
.
It seems the purpose of a protest is to gain support for the issue you are protesting about. I am not sure carrying a gun near a school bus stop is the best way to gain support. If anything he may be making people feel they are choosing between open carry law and the safety of their children. I have a feeling he may be getting more support for the law going into effect than supporting his view.
This reminds me of when protesters tried to damage paintings in Europe. I remember the incident but forgot what they were protesting about and sure as hell would not support a cause they were trying to get support for.
The same goes for any protesters that think blocking traffic is the way to gain support. It may get them 15 seconds on TV but that is about it.