Know Where You Carry Because They’ll Use It Against You

A recent incident in Indiana got me thinking about how much different one might be treated just because they carry a gun.

An Indiana woman, upset by an assignment given to her sixth-grade daughter concerning same-sex relationships, was recently arrested for possession of a firearm on school property and harassment, after showing up on campus to complain, then allegedly threatening the teacher, who happens to be a lesbian. 

Carrie Rivers, 48, was unhappy to discover her daughter’s lesbian teacher, who keeps a pride flag in her classroom and a picture of her wife and daughter on her desk, had given her Valley Mills Elementary School class an assignment involving same-sex relationships. Rivers went to the Indianapolis school to speak with the teacher, and that’s when Decatur Township school police officers were called to respond to an “irate parent.”

According to an affidavit, officers arrived on campus, ultimately letting Rivers leave with her daughter, but not before noticing something on her waistband that looked like a firearm.

“Carrie Rivers stated that she did have a gun as I was removing it from her person… I advised Carrie Rivers on the law in regard to having a firearm on school premises and that it was an arrestable offense. She understood and stated that she didn’t even realize that she had it on because she is so used to wearing it and has been on school property with it before,” according to Officer Tabetha Emenaker in the affidavit. 

At this point, it is apparent that Rivers was not making any threatening gestures with the firearm, and her behavior must have been such that police did not see it necessary to take the mother into custody, calling into question the report of an “irate parent.” Rivers stated she was withdrawing her daughter from Valley Mills Elementary in favor of homeschooling and allegedly called the teacher a lesbian slur, according to the affidavit.

“No threats were made against students or staff at that time. The police suspected that the parent had possession of a concealed handgun on her person and escorted her out of the building. At that point, they took possession of the weapon from the parent without incident outside the school. The parent stated that she forgot to remove the handgun before arriving on school property,” the district said in a statement.

I couldn’t care less that Rivers carries a firearm as part of her everyday routine, as it is her right, and I feel the authorities handled the incident fairly, although I would not have taken her firearm as she was not acting hostile or threatening. I would have expected the school to engage in a conversation with the mother rather than going straight to the authorities. But it seems these days, especially post-COVID, that “educators” believe they operate with a level of omniscience and infallibility, and that merely questioning their judgment or curriculum is worthy of a set of handcuffs. 

The affidavit continues, however, by alleging that Rivers sent threatening messages to the teacher twenty-five minutes later, an action that would ultimately lead to charges being filed for possession of a firearm on school property and harassment.

“After the incident, it came to our attention that the parent then sent harassing and threatening messages to her child’s teacher. A warrant was filed for her arrest, and she is not permitted on any Decatur Township school property. We are committed to ensuring a safe learning environment for students and staff, and are grateful for the quick action of the office staff and school police in handling the situation safely,” the district statement continued.

Rivers had expressed earlier that she disagreed with the assignment, accusing the teacher of “trying to push her personal agenda in regard to sexuality on her daughter,” according to the affidavit. The ensuing messages sent contained statements that authorities and biased media organizations like NBC News are now choosing to interpret as threats, but are they? What did she say in those messages that made the authorities change their mind and have a warrant issued for the mother’s arrest?

The messages sent by Rivers contained statements dressing the teacher down for telling “precious innocent kids that it’s ok to be in same sex relationships,” with accusations and statements such as, “Your a child predator,” and “god will condemn you to hell,” and “say ur prayers and kiss ur kids goodbye and goodnight u never know when god says its our time so be prepared.”

Well, I can’t disagree that children are innocent and precious, and I’m pretty sure that Rivers gets the message correct when she claims the teacher is normalizing same-sex relations to her class. I don’t see anything wrong with Rivers’ statement at all. Accusing someone of being a child predator is not a threat either, and the opinion that early age indoctrination is a predatory behavior is one that many people share, especially those who are devoutly religious, which I might add is protected under the Constitution. I was honestly more upset about her use of the word “Your” rather than “You’re.”

Moving on to the other messages, telling someone that God will condemn them to hell may not be the nicest thing to say, but it’s also not a threat. The statement itself comes from a biblical belief that God condemns any person who causes a child to sin. Whether you follow this or not, the belief and the speech are protected. The last quote reminds me of the movie The Shawshank Redemption, when Andy Dufresne quotes a Bible passage from Matthew 24:42: “Watch therefore, for ye know not when the master of the house cometh.” Once again, perhaps one might find the reference disturbing, but it is certainly not a threat, and is a belief and speech that is covered under the First Amendment. 

Rivers doesn’t deny sending the messages to the teacher later that day.

“I’m upset over the fact that the teacher keeps trying to push her personal beliefs on my child, and when my child declines her beliefs, she treats her unfairly… We don’t believe in that. I don’t condone it. I don’t care what she does at her house. She ain’t gotta bring that to my student or push that upon my student,” says Rivers.

Educators and parents have fought over issues such as prayer and the Pledge of Allegiance being appropriate in school; however, it seems that some do not raise any concern for sexual indoctrination. Even so, how could a mother who speaks of her family’s beliefs be arrested for making these statements to an adult, while a teacher pushes her diametrically opposed beliefs on sexual behavior to sixth graders, and that’s just fine with the school and the police?

There is a lot at play here aside from the issue of carrying a firearm, such as the takeover of the American education system by liberal-minded vermin who have sunk the United States to a ranking of 31st globally in education because they are focused on pushing agendas, perversion, and indoctrination over actual learning. Keeping with the program, it’s no wonder that religious values and patriotism have become second-class principles in these corrupted institutions. Speak to a child about same-sex relations, and you’re some type of hero that must be defended at all costs. Speak to a teacher about biblical principles, and it’s time to put you in a cage. 

But don’t think the firearm wasn’t a factor as well. Sure, it wasn’t at first, but they changed their mind because Rivers spoke her beliefs and didn’t just tuck tail when they told her to. Now, everything she did and said is being looked at through the purposefully dishonest lens of threatening behavior, and they’ll use her Constitutionally protected right to bear arms as an excuse to push that narrative. Everything about this is petty and dishonest, right down to banning Rivers from being allowed on Decatur Township campuses after she already stated she is removing her daughter and switching to homeschooling. It is a desperately smarmy move not unlike breaking up with someone after they’ve already left you, or when an employer tries to fire an employee after they’ve already quit. Gross.