Sheriff accidentally leaves his gun at a school; the gun doesn’t get up and shoot anyone

Shepherd Middle School in Michigan’s Mecosta County wasn’t a gun-free zone for a day last month, and it was the fault of none other than Mecosta County Sheriff Michael Main. Main had used a school bathroom stall to change from his uniform into civilian clothing – for whatever reason – and thought he had put his gun in his bag before he left the stall. He hadn’t, and the fate of civilization hung in the balance:

Isabella County Sheriff Michael Main apologized after leaving his backup gun at Shepherd Middle School last month, calling his mistake inexcusable. Main said he used the school locker room to change from street clothes into uniform. Main said he believed the gun was in his bag, but a sixth grader later found it and told a teacher. The Morning Sun of Mount Pleasant reports the gun was found on a bathroom stall toilet paper holder.

Look, I don’t want to minimize the seriousness of leaving a loaded gun unattended, whether it’s in a school or anywhere else. It’s a serious thing and you don’t want to see it happen. It could have resulted in a terrible accident. But the far more likely result is exactly what happened. A student found it and told a teacher about it, and it was dealt with safely and responsibly. No one fired it. No one was shot with it. Nothing bad happened at all, except that the sheriff had to admit to a rather embarrassing mistake. That’s because, for all the hand-wringing about keeping guns out of schools, the fact of the matter is that a loaded gun’s presence in a school does not represent a threat in and of itself. Some random student is not going to pick up that gun and say, “Hey! Here’s my opportunity to commit mass murder!” The threat to schools comes from highly disturbed people who make decisions to commit mass murder, then find a way – legal or illegal – to follow through on the evil act they’ve decided to perpetrate. The gun didn’t get up and go around firing itself at people because guns don’t do that. Its presence may have presented a slightly elevated risk that someone would get hurt – and for that reason it clearly shouldn’t have been left sitting there – but the random presence of a loaded gun in a school is very unlikely to result in anyone being shot with said gun. By contrast, the desire of a human being to commit murder is likely to result in that person doing so, even if he doesn’t have a gun. He will find a way to get one, or to get something else that will permit him to get the job done. Next time be more careful, Sheriff Main. We want you carrying your gun in case someone else shows up carrying one with the intent to use it.