Gun-owning New Hampshire teenager sues school officials who searched his truck

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CONCORD, N.H. (AP) — A New Hampshire teenager sued his former high school principal and others Thursday, alleging they illegally searched his truck based solely on his status as a gun owner.

Jack Harrington, 18, graduated from Hillsboro-Deering High School in June, about two months after he says he was harassed and interrogated by school officials who subsequently found nothing when they searched his truck in the school parking lot. His lawsuit against the superintendent, principal, vice principal and school resource officer was filed in U.S. District Court by the Second Amendment Foundation.

According to the suit, Harrington told another student that he had been pulled over by police while driving off campus and had informed the officer that his handgun was lawfully stored in the glove box. Weeks later, on April 24, school officials asked him about that conversation, confirmed he owned a gun and began to “badger” him about searching his truck. State law prohibits students from bringing firearms onto school property.

Though Harrington said he never brought the gun to school and had no intention of doing so, the school resource officer told him, “You can say whatever you want, we’re going to search it anyway,” the lawsuit claims.

Courts have found that school officials can conduct such searches if they have a reasonable suspicion that a crime has been committed, but Harrington’s attorneys argue that knowledge of gun ownership alone falls far short of that standard.

“Being public about exercising your private rights cannot be grounds for being harassed and searched on campus,” said Bill Sack, director of legal operations for the Second Amendment Foundation. “The apparent position of the school district here is ‘choose to exercise one right, give away another.’ That’s just not how it works.”

Superintendent Jennifer Crawford said Thursday evening that school district policy bars commenting on pending litigation. Harrington declined a request for an interview. The lawsuit seeks unspecified damages.