Following the school shooting in Florida that claimed seventeen lives, threats of violence on high school campuses in Idaho have spiked. A new proposal introduced in the legislature would make threatening a school a felony.
With the incident at Florida’s Marjory Stoneman Douglas High as the backdrop, Boise Republican Representative Pat McDonald introduced a bill that would make threatening violence against a school a crime.
Schools in at least four Idaho counties have seen a heightened police presence on campuses because of rumored violence or shootings.
Current state law prevents prosecutors from bringing charges against someone who threatens a school while off-campus or through social media.
McDonald’s bill specifies that anybody who makes a threat that disrupts school activities will be charged with a misdemeanor. However, if somebody who makes a threat is found to have a firearm or other deadly weapon in their possession, that would be a felony offense.
McDonald’s bill is supported by several law enforcement agencies.
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