According to Complete Colorado and The Daily Wire, a 16-year-old student at a Loveland Colorado high school was banned from attending school pending an investigation of a Snapchat post. In the post, he appears to show pictures of guns and highlight his excitement about what was reported to be an upcoming trip to the shooting range with his mother.
Nathan Myers and his Mother Justine Myers stated that they took the Snapchat video with the guns while preparing for their Tuesday trip to the shooting range. The caption on the video “Finna be lit” was an expression for Nathan’s excitement about ‘hitting the range’.
SEE SNAPCHAT VIDEO BELOW:
Another video was posted showing that they were actually at the shooting range as can be seen below…
SEE SHOOTING RANGE VIDEO BELOW:
It appears as though an anonymous tip sent in to “Safe-2-Tell” prompted the suspension and investigation by the Thompson Valley School District. This “Safe-2-Tell” system is alarming has striking similarities to that of the ‘Red Flag’ laws already enacted in some states and being pushed by politicians such as Texas Rep. Dan Crenshaw. The loosely defined ‘Red Flag’ gun confiscation laws have already had some devasting effects such as Maryland man who died in the process of a ‘Red Flag’ confiscation.
Complete Colorado (link below) reports that during their investigation of Nathan Myers Suspension, they sent the Snapchat video to Weld County Sheriff Steve Reams without context and asked him how he would interpret the video. His response was that it appeared to him someone got a new gun and was excited to shoot it. A quote from the Sheriff also cites the ‘Red Flag’ law correlation:
“This is exactly the mechanics of the Red Flag Law,” Reams said. “Someone filed an anonymous complaint, without the other person knowing it was being filed, but instead of him being deprived of his Second Amendment rights, he’s being deprived of his ability to go to school without due process.”
Red State.com reports on the story as well. Apparently, the morning after the shooting range trip was when the family found about the suspension via a voicemail that read:
The voicemail informed Justine that a report had come in claiming Nate was a threat to the school and he was not allowed to return until further notice. The report presumably came through Safe 2 Tell. There are reports that a school wide email was also sent to parents about the “threat”. Justine immediately contacted the school assuming she could easily clear things up, especially since the police had already assessed the situation and realized no one had done anything wrong or made any threats. She was wrong. The school not only refused to provide her with more information about the “threat”, but they refused to provide Nate with schoolwork so he doesn’t get behind.
They also reported that while the school system is within their rights to investigate, Nathan has been cleared by the police on this issue.
From Complete Colorado:
Rocky Mountain Gun Owners, a Northern Colorado-based Pro Second Amendment organization, posted on Facebook that it would supply the family with legal representation if the student’s story “bears out as first reported.”
Politics Elections found a tweet from twitter handle “Firearms Policy Coalition” also claiming to want to get in touch with Nathan Myers so they could help him. (typo left in the quote)
“PLEASE RT: We need your help connecting with Nathan Myers, who wss banned from school in Loveland, Colorado for posting a non-threatening Snapchat video w guns, & his mother Justine Myers. We have experience litigating #1A issues and would love to help them!
hotline@fpchq.org “
SEE TWEET FROM @gunpolicy BELOW:
PLEASE RT: We need your help connecting with Nathan Myers, who wss banned from school in Loveland, Colorado for posting a non-threatening Snapchat video w guns, & his mother Justine Myers. We have experience litigating #1A issues and would love to help them! 👉 hotline@fpchq.org pic.twitter.com/6Zwcipeio2
— Firearms Policy Coalition (@gunpolicy) August 30, 2019