One of the problems is that our society has forced all guns out of sight (”If you can’t see it, it can’t hurt you” type of thinking.) The old bat probably wouldn’t be able to tell a pea shooter from an AK-47.
Like some of you, I carried all sorts of “weaponry” around with me when I was a kid, from air-rifles to squirt guns to cap guns. Heck, I even took toy guns that didn’t look “real” and painted them to look more realistic. To my knowledge, no one ever called the police.
On the other hand, I had parents who taught me to not point my weapons in inappropriate situations, such as at passing motorists or at school or church. So yeah, the kid should have been given a warning at most, but people in this country, like the old bat, need to get a clue.
Ummm - what about the 11 year-old’s right to keep and bear arms - even toy ones? There is no victim and no crime.
The pretense of weapon may make some loony activists uncomfortable, but their presence makes me uncomfortable too! Discomfort is not crime - rape, murder, stealing are crimes. When the police have got all those solved then maybe they worry about arresting all the socialists who would remove a right granted in the constitution.
But please no more preemptive arrests because it looks like someone could possibly - if they wanted too - even if they haven’t, but they might one day commit one! This kind of looniness makes everyone a suspect and requires that you prove your innocence rather than an accuser proving guilt.