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Pioneer High School

Update: Ann Arbor schools 'very concerned' about gun incident at Pioneer High

Joshua Wade did not expect to cause a commotion Thursday night when he went to see his little sister's choir concert at Pioneer High School.

But then Pioneer High School choir director Steven Lorenz noticed before the performance that Wade, who has a concealed pistol license, was openly carrying his gun at the show.

"He came up to me before the concert started and said he wanted to let me know I was making some people uncomfortable," Wade said.

"I said, 'Thanks for letting me know.'"

Lorenz then notified the police and Ann Arbor musician Brian DiBlassio was greeted with an unusual sight when he arrived at Pioneer.

"I was running a little late to the concert and when I walked in, I noticed five police cars and the choir director talking to the police out in the lobby," he said.

"I walked past them into the concert and saw the director point out the individual. Police escorted him to the lobby and talked to him there. As he walked past me I saw the gun and ammunition."

Legal open pistol carrying rare at Ann Arbor schools

Wade said he spoke with the police in the lobby and then returned to his seat after an officer confirmed his CPL status. According to state law, people with concealed pistol licenses may carry their firearms in "pistol-free zones," but they cannot conceal them.

The performance continued, but the situation began to escalate.

In between sets, DiBlassio approached the row Wade was sitting in and attempted to photograph him. Following the concert, he stood at the back of the theater and asked for everyone's attention before pointing out that Wade had been openly carrying his pistol during the event.

"I told everyone I thought they should be aware that while they were at the concert watching their kids that there was someone with a firearm and ammunition and maybe we want to think about that," DiBlassio said.

He went on to tell people to look into contacting school board members and state representatives if they also felt uncomfortable.

"I posed the question to them saying 'don't we want something like a gun-free campus' for our schools," DiBlassio said. "And I said I personally wasn't comfortable with this."

As he finished speaking, DiBlassio said told everyone in the audience where Wade had been sitting and that he was wearing a white shirt.

Wade said he was able to leave the auditorium without any major incidents. However, he said his father was attacked in the lobby by a woman at the show. He said the family has video of the alleged incident and is considering pressing charges for assault and battery.

Since he received his concealed pistol license nearly one year ago, Wade has carried a pistol with him whenever feasible. He said he openly carried his firearm into the same auditorium for the fall choir concert "with no hassle."

"Pretty much any time I'm not at work, I have it on me," he said. "My company has a policy restricting employees carrying firearms."

A former Ann Arbor Public Schools janitor, Wade said he did not carry a pistol at the time both because he did not have his CPL and because the school district is able to restrict employee's gun carrying.

"Public entities are allowed to prohibit employees from carrying. They're just not allowed to prohibit the general public," he said.

"The Michigan legislature has clamed preemption in the area of firearms regulation. They have the sole right to create laws dealing with firearms and local municipalities or districts cannot make laws that are more strict than the state's."

The Michigan Court of Appeals upheld that preemptive right in the case of Michigan Open Carry v. Capital Area District Libraries, when the court ruled the libraries could not establish completely gun-free zones. The Michigan Supreme Court refused to hear the case.

Background:

Wade said the state should consider changing the current law to get rid of the mandate to openly carry in otherwise gun-free zones.

"This isn't an isolated situation for me. This is my norm," he said. "I just happen to be at my sister's choir concert and unfortunately the law demands I display my weapon openly."

DiBlassio said he is uncomfortable with guns being brought into school buildings whether they are concealed or openly carried.

"I acknowledge second amendment rights. I have no problem with people owning guns," he said. "I think there's a difference between owning guns and bringing it into a sensitive environment like a school."

Wade said criminals would see gun-free zones as "opposition-free" zones and would be more likely to attack locations where there is no one there to stop them.

"Where better to be armed? Where is there a place you need to be armed more than a place that could be perceived as a target-rich environment?" he said.

Ben Freed is a general assignments reporter for The Ann Arbor News. Email him at benfreed@mlive.com and follow him on twitter at @BFreedinA2. He also answers the phone at 734-623-2528.