Parents brought their children to Broadwater Elementary School Monday following a Friday email from Billings School District 2 about a man carrying a gun across from the school.
"I was a little concerned, but I figured at this point the school is pretty good at what they do," said Dee Wedell.
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The alert came after school officials said the man, Gabriel Metcalf, held a gun in his front yard across the street on Friday.
"Everything has been good, and then how they have to play inside until they get a plan in place is kind of nerve-wracking," said parent Sioux Fast Horse outside the school.
Metcalf lives directly across the street from Broadwater Elementary School.
Broadwater Elementary School Principal Rachel Cole says she witnessed Metcalf on Friday morning and immediately reported what she saw to the School District 2 administration.
"Friday morning, he was wearing a black hooded sweatshirt and a face mask, and the gun seemed to be kind of hanging from like a belt or, or some type of sling down by his legs," Cole said.
Superintendent Dr. Erwin Garcia placed the school on lockdown and kept students off the playground Friday after witnessing Metcalf himself.
"I was able to witness his posture and standing with his semi-automatic weapon and long rifle," Garcia said. "It looked to me like an AK-47, and he was standing heading, facing west."
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Metcalf's mother, Vivian Young, said he does not own a semi-automatic weapon.
Students were allowed back on the playground Monday if teachers felt comfortable being outside during recess.
Garcia said his concern is not with Metcalf's right to bear arms, but with where and when he exercises it.
"I don't have any issues with the gun that he's using with him exercising his Second Amendment rights," Garcia said. "Our concern stems from upholding those rights in the presence of students."
Young also told MTN that her son is protecting her, himself and their property, and he has vowed never to go out with a gun during school hours.
This situation dates back to August 2023, when Metcalf was first spotted with his gun outside the school, forcing an initial lockdown. He told MTN News at the time that he had the gun following a dispute with a neighbor and meant no harm toward the school. He was later arrested and charged with unlawful possession of a firearm near a school zone after he was seen carrying his gun on the public sidewalk outside his home.
He was convicted in federal court, but that conviction was later overturned by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in September of 2025.
Related:
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Gary Marbut, president of the Montana Sports Shooting Association, says Metcalf is acting within the law and that the school district is inflaming the situation.
"School officials' anxiety over this is more a comment on the attitude and tolerance of school officials than it is about Metcalf," Marbut said. "We do have the right to keep and bear arms in Montana."
Marbut explained why Metcalf is legally permitted to carry near the school.
"One of the exemptions is for a homeowner living within that zone," Marbut said. "Another is for somebody licensed by the state to possess firearms. And so the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals found that Metcalf fit those exceptions and dismissed the case against him."
Next-door neighbor Emmanuel Archambault, whose children attend Broadwater School and know Metcalf, says he does not feel threatened.
"I don't think he has bad intentions for it," Archambault said. "And that really is the key then that he's within the law, not doing anything wrong, not doing anything unlawful, just what people are seeing."
Monday morning drop-off at Broadwater was its normal busy, with parents expressing mixed levels of concern.
"It's never great to have this situation, but I think this is more of an attention thing for him than a safety issue right now," said Brady Frank. "He's doing it kind of to get back at them, I feel like."
"I was a little concerned, but that, I figured at this point the school is pretty good at what they do," Dee Wedell said.
Billings school district administrators met with parents Monday afternoon to discuss the next steps.
"It's very concerning that the playground is literally right there," said parent Mercedes Bierwailer. "If we could do something about it, that'd be cool."
"I am most concerned with closing the loophole that was inadvertently created a few years ago," said another parent, Genia Castro Waller. "And I think that I'm just advocating to school, you know, legislators and just saying something needs to be done sooner rather than late."
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
