Man With School Shooting Plans In South Bay Later Bought 11 Guns, Feds Say

SAN JOSE, CA — A Santa Clara man who federal authorities said was previously committed to a mental institution after writing plans for a school shooting has been indicted on charges of lying on firearm purchase forms to acquire 11 guns.

Clayton Girard, 27, was arrested Oct. 22 and indicted on charges of making false statements when purchasing firearms from federally licensed dealers, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of California.

The indictment follows a criminal complaint claiming Girard purchased 11 firearms between October 2023 and April 2026, including AR-style rifles, semiautomatic pistols and shotguns. Prosecutors said he repeatedly denied having been committed to a mental institution when completing required firearm transaction forms.

According to the complaint, Girard was involuntarily committed in New York in 2017 after authorities discovered a journal containing detailed plans for a mass shooting at his school, as well as plans to abduct and kill a specific acquaintance.

Federal agents later recovered 10 firearms, ammunition, high-capacity magazines, tactical gear and several large knives while searching Girard's Santa Clara residence, prosecutors said.

“An individual who threatened former classmates, authored a manifesto describing horrific acts of violence, and subsequently acquired numerous firearms presents precisely the kind of public safety threat that demands a quick federal response,” said U.S. Attorney Craig Missakian.

Girard was detained Oct. 27 and was scheduled to appear in federal court in San Jose on Friday for arraignment before U.S. Magistrate Judge Virginia K. DeMarchi.

If convicted, he faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine for each violation.