84-Year Old Retired Cop Has Guns
Seized After School Safety Comment
By Cam Edwards. October 14, 2019
An 84-year old retired police officer, military veteran, and school crossing guard in Massachusetts has had his firearms seized and was fired from his job after someone overheard a conversation at a diner and reported him as a threat to the local school.
Stephen Nichols says he was talking with a friend at a local restaurant on Martha's Vineyard when the subject of the local school resource officer came up. Nichols was upset that the officer, in his opinion, was "leaving his post" by going to get coffee at a nearby convenience shop instead of remaining on campus to protect students, and said that somebody could "shoot up the school" in the officer's absence.
Based on nothing more than that simple remark, Nichols' life was turned upside down and the Tisbury police have a lot of questions to answer.
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An egregious example of where things are these days with the "Red Flag" approach, such that a totally innocent remark can result in a firearms seizure and no due process. This is illustrative of the dangers inherent within over-zealous attempts to remove guns from any law abiding person even remotely considered a 'risk', even if instigated by a misinterpretation or even a disgruntled neighbor.
