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Boy Punished After Turning in Fake Gun
Kansas City KCTV5 ^ | 02/03/2005 | Staff

Posted on 02/03/2005 11:22:59 AM PST by 2Am4Sure

GLADSTONE, Mo. -- A fifth-grader learned a lesson the hard way, and he said he was trying to do a good deed.

Frasier McCart said he was waiting for the bus when he discovered what looked like a handgun. It was bent open.

The 10-year-old put it in his bag, bent open, and rode the bus to school. He then went straight to the principal's office and turned the gun in.

He got a day of detention for bringing it onto school property.

"I'm a citizen trying to do a good deed," Frasier said. "I'm a Scout who knows that it's wrong to leave something there that might, that could be real and go off and hurt somebody."

The gun turned out to be fake.

His mother was upset about the situation.

"To me, it kind of sent the wrong message to children trying to do the right thing," said Tracy Johnson, his mother.

The school principal said he should have said something before getting onto the bus and never touched the gun.

"We want to make sure that he's safe at all times and that the other children on that bus were safe," said Marla Wasserman, the Oakwood Manor Elementary principal.

School officials chose a light punishment because he was a good kid, but he needed a message about what he did wrong, the principal said.

"Where I think that he could have made a better decision was in not saying anything to other children and causing them concern and worry," Wasserman said.

Frasier said he couldn't help it. He just couldn't keep a secret very long, but he didn't try to use it to scare the other children, and he wasn't asking for their advice. He said he knew to give it to an adult.

He said next time he found something like that, he'd give it to his mother and miss the bus.


TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; Culture/Society; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: bang; banglist; discipline; eddieeagle; pspl; toyguns; zerotolerance
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To: Bloody Sam Roberts

That's NOT what the article said. It said:

"Frasier McCart said he was waiting for the bus when he discovered what looked like a handgun. It was bent open."

"The 10-year-old put it in his bag, bent open, and rode the bus to school. He then went straight to the principal's office and turned the gun in."


61 posted on 02/03/2005 12:41:25 PM PST by libstripper
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To: OXENinFLA

I think he did the wrong thing too, by picking it up and not telling an adult instead.

Where I have a problem though is he could have been told by the principal what to do in the future without suspending the kid. The kid was trying to be responsible and careful and he was punished for it.

The principal was an idiot, IMHO.


62 posted on 02/03/2005 12:46:18 PM PST by Wicket (God bless and protect our troops and God bless America)
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To: Doctor Stochastic

"No good deed goes unpunished."


you know, this is the third APPROPRIATE use of this statement in TWO days on FR.

what the heck is this world coming to ?


63 posted on 02/03/2005 12:56:40 PM PST by stompk
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To: Doctor Stochastic

"No good deed goes unpunished."


you know, this is the third APPROPRIATE use of this statement in TWO days on FR.

what the heck is this world coming to ?


64 posted on 02/03/2005 12:56:54 PM PST by stompk
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To: 2Am4Sure

Why is it that educators have zero common sense?


65 posted on 02/03/2005 12:58:54 PM PST by Drango (To Serve Man.....IT'S A COOKBOOK!)
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To: taxesareforever

"please tell me how the kids get their meds into the school office without getting suspended.
"

they don't. there have been multiple posts on FR about kids getting suspended for taking aspirin at school.

grrrrr


66 posted on 02/03/2005 12:59:38 PM PST by stompk
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To: Doctor Stochastic
No good deed goes unpunished.

Yep!

67 posted on 02/03/2005 1:04:12 PM PST by Fiddlstix (This Tagline for sale. (Presented by TagLines R US))
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To: 2Am4Sure

The principal is a schmuck. She's the one that should be punished.


68 posted on 02/03/2005 1:06:02 PM PST by lilylangtree (Veni, Vidi, Vici)
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To: JohnnyZ
"The only problem with not punishing the kid is that another, less honest and more thuggish kid could use the situation as a cover story: "oh yeah, I found this and brought it to school so I could hand it in...." It's a zero tolerance policy for a reason, and all the kid got was detention."

I agree we have to punish kids who make these extreme mistakes such as acting like kids. Sick!

69 posted on 02/03/2005 1:14:58 PM PST by patriot_wes (When I see two guys kissin..argh! Is puking a hate crime yet?)
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To: libstripper
"It was bent open."

This article or another on the incident, described it as replica of a .45 calibre pistol.
Doesn't the phrase 'bent open' imply that it is cocked?

Or did they mean to imply it was a .45 caliber revolver?


70 posted on 02/03/2005 1:17:05 PM PST by Bloody Sam Roberts (You may not think much of the Chinese....but you've got to admit, they've got great acrobats.)
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To: monday
Some replicas can fool even experts.

I hope not.

71 posted on 02/03/2005 1:21:49 PM PST by WildTurkey (When will CBS Retract and Apologize?)
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To: 2Am4Sure

I he had, had a gun safty class in school he would have known that it was a toy gun. No wonder we have police that claim they don't know the difference either.


72 posted on 02/03/2005 1:35:42 PM PST by Ibredd
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To: patriot_wes
I agree we have to punish kids who make these extreme mistakes such as acting like kids.

Yeah, they make a mistake (as kids do), you set an appropriate punishment, hopefully they learn their lesson in responsibility. That's how you deal with kids.

Gun safety is serious stuff, and the kid didn't follow procedure. For his safety and the safety of the other kids, the rules were enforced, with leniency given cause he was a good kid.

73 posted on 02/03/2005 1:40:34 PM PST by JohnnyZ ("Thought I was having trouble with my adding. It's all right now." - Clint Eastwood)
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To: demlosers
The stupidity level among teachers is so great it's beyond measure

I love how you blame the teachers. I'm sure this is a district policy set by an elected school board. BTW Do you know all your school board members and do they know you?

74 posted on 02/03/2005 1:43:56 PM PST by HoustonCurmudgeon (Redneck from a red city, in a red county, in a red state.)
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To: JohnnyZ
Gun safety is serious stuff, and the kid didn't follow procedure. For his safety and the safety of the other kids, the rules were enforced, with leniency given cause he was a good kid.

So, do you think he's learned his lesson? Somehow, I suspect that the actual leasson he's taking away from this incident is to simply not get involved in the first place.

It's funny, when I was 12, I took my firearm safety course over a couple of Saturdays at the local elementary school. Now I'm sure they can't even offer that sort of extracurricular activity, being a zero tolerance zone.

75 posted on 02/03/2005 2:10:41 PM PST by Slainte
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To: Bloody Sam Roberts

Most likely, it was one of those cap pistols that accept the disc of caps. I have seen some that break down like the old Webley style revolvers.


76 posted on 02/03/2005 3:07:06 PM PST by Dr.Zoidberg (Children classics updated for Islam, "If you're happy and you know it, go Kaboom!")
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To: FreeKeys

This is a great opportunity to contact his parents and anyone else within earshot to suggest PRIVATE SCHOOL or HOME SCHOOLING

Yes, let's use negativity and a biased media to promote our political agenda propaganda against something. Wait a minute, liberals do that already!


77 posted on 02/03/2005 3:22:36 PM PST by moog
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To: 2Am4Sure

Easier to have an iron-clad, zero tolerance rule - developed and agreed to by committee - than to allow individuals to apply common sense, I suppose.


78 posted on 02/03/2005 4:02:39 PM PST by P.O.E. (FReeping - even better than flossing.)
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To: 2Am4Sure

Some school districts refuse to allow the NRA's Eddie Eagle program in their schools. If this is the case, the principal shouldn't have punished the student. It would be the school district's fault for not allowing the proper procedure to be taught.

Don't touch.
Leave the area.
Tell an adult.


79 posted on 02/03/2005 4:38:03 PM PST by Shooter 2.5 (Vote a Straight Republican Ballot. Rid the country of dems.)
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To: Bloody Sam Roberts

There's a cheaply made dart gun which looks like a 1911. You load the darts by tipping the barrel downward. You then pull the rear of the slide back to cock it.


80 posted on 02/03/2005 4:39:57 PM PST by Shooter 2.5 (Vote a Straight Republican Ballot. Rid the country of dems.)
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