A Virgina Mother Was Charged After Threatening To Bring Guns To Her Children's School Over Mask Mandate
A Virginia mother said she was going to bring “every single gun loaded and ready” to her kids’ school if a mask mandate went into effect
School board meetings have easily become one of the most chaotic aspects of raising kids and continuing their education in the midst of the Covid pandemic. Some meetings are entertaining, with parents going off on wild-but-benign tangents about everything but whatever the school board meeting was actually supposed to cover. Other instances, like when this mother in Virginia threatened to bring “every single gun loaded and ready” to her children’s school because of a mask mandate, are more terrifying than entertaining.
On the evening of January 20, Amelia King attended the Page County Public Schools board meeting. One of the topics the board members was set to vote on is whether or not to continue mandating face masks at the district’s schools in light of a new executive order from Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin. On January 15, Governor Youngkin made an executive order putting the choice of whether or not to mask children at school in the hands of parents, but noting that individual districts could make decisions for themselves. King was very in favor of being able to specifically choose not sending her children to school with masks.
“My children will not come to school on Monday with a mask on, all right?” King said.
“That’s not happening. And I will bring every single gun loaded and ready to, I will call every —” King continued before one of the board members cut her off due to a three-minute time limit for speakers. King nods with an “mmm-hmm” and says “I’ll see y’all on Monday.”
Police charged Amelia King for making a threat on school property
In a statement the night of King’s comments, which quickly went viral, Page County superintendent Dr. Antonia Fox said, “Not only comments such as these go against everything we wish to model for our students, they go against the very nature of how as a community should interact with each other. Violence and threats are never acceptable and appropriate.”
King did issue an apology via email the night of the meeting, where she said she doesn’t like to speak off the cuff… I in no way meant to imply all guns loaded as in actual firearms but rather all resources I can muster to make sure my children get to attend schools without masks. Sincere apologies for my poor choice in words.”
Even with the apology, the school district acknowledged that they had received a threat and let parents know they “do not take these kinds of statements lightly” and said that there would be “an increased police presence” at the schools come Monday.
On January 21, the day after King’s ominous comment, the Luray Police Department charged her with a violation of the Code of Virginia 18.2-60 Oral Threat While on School Property. She was released on a $5,000 bond. Ultimately, the school board voted in favor of Governor Youngkin’s executive order, and parents in King’s district will be able to decide whether or not to send their kids to school.
