TPM Editor’s Blog

Noted W/O Comment

Really not sure there’s anything to add on this one. Bennington, Vermont school teacher turns in a Bushmaster semi-automatic rifle and voluntarily checks himself into a hospital for a mental health evaluation.

From ABC News10

Steven Davis is a math and science teacher at Mount Anthony Union High School. Neighbors had asked police to do a welfare check after seeing him carry a rifle to his car.

He also raised public safety concerns after he posted videos on the internet criticizing school administrators, the teachers union and coworkers - even sending a school-wide email saying he would “remove the union and all of the teachers who are negatively affecting the children in this town.”

After the welfare check Sunday evening, Davis’ wife and children went to stay with a relative and she sought a restraining order the following day. According to the order, his wife was unaware that Davis owned a gun and said she and others have noticed a change in Davis’ personality over the last month.

The local CBS station reports that Davis has now being held at the hospital on an involuntary basis.

The Bennington Banner has more information from from Bennington Police Chief Paul Doucette …

“This weapon was in a case. It has a trigger lock installed, but it was alarming to find two, 30-round, high-capacity magazines loaded,” Doucette said.

On Monday morning, Davis began posting videos that criticized school administrators, the teachers union and co-workers, among a slew of other topics. Davis also sent a school-wide email saying he would “remove the union and all of the teachers who are negatively affecting the children in this town.”

“I think that he’s probably driven at this point and wants to get out and push some of his ideas forward. There’s no doubt in my mind, at all, that he’s very concerned about the way that he’s been treated by the supervisory union. He’s very angry at the teachers union itself for going on strike last year,” Doucette said.

The content Davis posted online struck fear in some members of the community as well as co-workers and students who were concerned for Davis’ safety.

“We were getting inundated with telephone calls from school teachers because he was sending out emails. He was posting stuff on Facebook and it became disturbing to some people,” Doucette said.

Josh Marshall

Josh Marshall is editor and publisher of TalkingPointsMemo.com.

Editor & Publisher

Josh Marshall

Managing Editor

David Kurtz

Associate Editor

Nick Martin

Assistant Editor

Igor Bobic

Reporters

Brian Beutler

Sahil Kapur

Eric Lach

Hunter Walker

Frontpage Editor

Zoë Schlanger

News Writers

Tom Kludt

Video Editor

Michael Lester

General Manager & General Counsel

Millet Israeli

VP, Ad Sales

Bruce Ellerstein

Associate Publisher

Kyle Leighton

Assistant To The Publisher

Joe Ragazzo

Designer/Developer

Matthew Wozniak

Design Associate

Christopher O’Driscoll