by Jack Lee
Gary Tedesco, a Willows High student, was permanently expelled because he had two unloaded shotguns inside his locked pick up truck parked off campus. He was on a public street, but unknown to him, he was within 1000 feet of the school and this is a
technical violation of the “gun free” zone. Principal Mort Geivett expelled Tedesco for this techicality and refused to consider any reasonable mitigating circumstances. This case brewed in a battle royale’ between the school, the Tedesco family and the NRA who supported Gary.
Geivett did not take into consideration that Tedesco was a duck hunter and he had been duck hunting just before coming to school and this was the only reason for the unloaded shotguns in his truck and why Gary parked off campus.
Willows is a small, rural farming community where people have been legally duck hunting for many decades, it’s a real common activity.
The situation began when a campus police officer was patrolling with a police dog when the dog alerted to the scent of gunpowder on Tedesco’s vehicle. Tedesco was called to the scene and freely admitted he had two shotguns locked inside. He voluntarily opened the vehicle for inspection. However, he was unaware the public street he had parked on fell within the 1000 feet zone. The guns were seized and he was taken to the principals office.
But, after a full explanation, why would the principal at Willows High have imposed such a harsh penalty for an act that was otherwise completely legal and understandable given the whole circumstance? Geivett was appointed to his position after being released from his job at a Sacramento area continuation high school known for gang activity. Geivett’s mindset was still in Sacramento and he could not get passed the troubles he had with firearms and thugs he dealt with at this continuation school. Arguably he should have because Willows High is nothing like his former school, but his bias was so strong it influenced his judgment. This case gained national publicity before the Glenn County Board of Education voted unanimously to overturn the expulsion.
ER editorial, “This wasn’t the case of some powder keg waiting to blow. This was the case of a kid who went hunting — lawfully — before school.
Of the dozens of school shootings in our nation’s history, we don’t know of a single case where a duck hunter just snapped. The fact is, hunters are responsible firearms owners. They have to take a hunter’s safety class that includes ethics and the safe use of firearms. You’re a lot safer with three Willows High students in a duck blind than you are with three gang-bangers armed with pistols driving around Los Angeles. That’s just the way it is. Tudesko wasn’t a threat.”
What is troubling here is not just the principal’s poor judgment in overreacting, but it was his refusal to back down even after a reasonalbe explanation. He allowed this situation to rise to national attention and involve so many people, attorney’s were hired, money and scarce school resources were misallocated to fight a losing battle. It took the entire Glenn County Board of Education to tell Principal Geivett he was wrong and that is very troubling.
There is a lesson to be learned here and it has to do with arrogance and bias. Geivett was so self assured and held such a bias to firearms, any firearms, under any circumstance that he refused to listen to his own community. If a school principal doesn’t have good judgment then he doesn’t belong in a position of leadership, it’s that simple. Maybe the next time Willows High goes shopping for a principal they will consider hiring someone who understands the community and community values.
Speaking as a retired police officer, the law works best when its applied with discretion, and this is so fundamental to the job that it’s taught at the police academy on day one. We’re told we’re not robots blinding enforcing the law, we are here to use descretion whenever the situation allows and sometimes the letter of the law says guilty, but the spirit of the law says otherwise. This is why this case was so obvious to me and I had to say something about it because we so too much irrational response to fear these days. Don’t believe me? Then just go to any airport and see what we must all endure thanks to 9/11.