Man Wields AR-15 Near School Bus Stop to Protest Gun Laws
A Maryland man has been reportedly protesting for weeks against the state's gun laws by standing near an elementary school bus stop in the town of Severn while holding an AR-15 semi-automatic rifle.
A video recorded by one of the children's parents, Jamie Sparrow, shows the man standing across the street from the bus stop, holding the firearm pointed toward the ground. Sparrow said he's seen the man there for three weeks. He told WBAL-TV, which first reported the story, that the presence of the man sparked fears "lives could be lost, people could be harmed," adding that the school bus sometimes won't bring children home because the man is out there with the AR-15.
Tonight on @wbaltv11: A man with an AR-15 has been showing up for weeks to a school bus drop off for local elementary school students.
— Tolly Taylor (@TollyTaylor) May 18, 2023
Parents say their kids are afraid, the man says he’s protesting @GovWesMoore’s new gun control law. You’ll hear from both sides at 5+6pm. pic.twitter.com/rpdJXAkVh4
Though parents have reportedly asked for the man to be removed, police told them the man is within his legal rights to be there with the firearm.
The man has identified himself as J'den McAdory, saying he had no intention of scaring either the children or their parents. He said his intention was to protest against Governor Wes Moore's new control law in Maryland. "I really wasn't coming out here for the kids, I was coming out here to show people that this is legal," McAdory said.
"Guns can be safe if they're controlled by the right person," the man declared.
On Tuesday May 16, Moore, a Democrat, signed into law the Gun Safety Act of 2023 and other gun safety measures, which he said "will help keep our communities safe from gun crimes" and "help get guns off our streets." The Gun Safety Act of 2023, also known as Senate Bill 1, prohibits "a person from knowingly wearing, carrying, or transporting a firearm in certain locations," including schools.
"The gun safety measures I signed into law today will help keep our communities safe from gun crimes, support @MDSP Gun Center to track & trace firearms used in crimes, and help get guns off our streets," he tweeted on Tuesday. "We are taking action to build a safer, brighter future for Maryland."
The gun safety-related bills were introduced in response to the recent surge in the number of deadly mass shootings across the country. But not everyone appreciated Moore's move.
The Maryland State Rifle & Pistol Association, the state affiliate of the National Rifle Association (NRA), sued the Maryland governor for signing the bills into law, claiming that parts of the legislation requiring carry permits are in violation of the First, Second, and 14th amendments.
The lawsuit claims that the legislation "further restricts where ordinary, law-abiding Maryland citizens with a carry permit may exercise their right to carry a handgun for self-defense outside the home."
A similar lawsuit reached the Supreme Court earlier this week, which ruled on a case that saw the National Association for Gun Rights accusing the Illinois city of Naperville—and the state of Illinois—of violating the Second Amendment by banning semi-automatic assault weapons.
On Wednesday, the Supreme Court handed a temporary victory to gun-safety advocates, denying relief to litigants in the challenge to Illinois' and Naperville's bans. If the justices had ruled in support of the litigants, all bans on assault rifles across the states could have been invalidated. The case will be heard by a federal appeals court in late June.
In a statement to a news channel, Moore's office wrote: "To stem the tide of gun violence and create safer, stronger communities, we need partnership—not shallow acts of cowardice and intimidation. Scaring our kids and threatening our communities won't help make Maryland safe. The governor won't allow these tactics to stop his administration from taking common-sense steps to protect our communities. He condemns this behavior and will keep fighting to build a safer Maryland."
Asked by the WBAL-TV journalist if the fact that he was allowed to hold an AR-15 in the streets was reason enough to do it, McAdory said, "No, it does not mean that. But I think that if I do this enough it will create enough deterrence from crime in the area."
McAdory said he came to an agreement on Thursday with school district officials that he will no longer protest in public during school pick-ups and drop-off times.
Newsweek has contacted Gov. Moore's office for comment by email.
