Northland High student faces expulsion for firing Nerf gun

The Columbus Dispatch (Ohio) ^ | February 19, 2009 | TANISHA MALLETT

[50mm]

A Northland High School student could be expelled after playing with a Nerf foam-dart gun in school. Devon Smith, 14, said he could not resist firing the toy at a friend after a classmate brought it to class.

"He was shooting at another one of my friends, and I moved closer, and I had a shot and missed somebody," Smith said.

Smith was suspended from school and faces an expulsion hearing this morning.

Columbus City Schools spokesman Michael Straughter said he couldn't discuss Smith's case. But he said the district follows the state's zero-tolerance policy, as well as the Gun-Free School Act.

Under the act, students who bring dangerous weapons to school or possess them are expelled for at least a year.

The act includes lookalike weapons.

Sean Smith Sr., Devon's father, said he understood the rules, but he wondered whether the district was making the right decision in considering expulsion.

"I believe the crime should fit the punishment," he said.

The district said it is allowed to use some discretion when it comes to punishment.

[ExSoldier]

Back in the 1970s there was a game played on college campuses called the Assassination Game (made a movie based on it starring that guy who played "Goose" in Top Gun -- Anthony Edwards? IIRC the title was GOTCHA!) where teams would face off and "hunt" each other using rubber tipped spring powered dart guns or in some places paint ball guns. If you were anywhere on campus except a dorm, dining hall, library or a classroom building, you were fair game. IIRC, Army ROTC used to hire themselves out as mercs to cover contestants during walks across campus. ROTC didn't charge $$ for the service of course. At my school, we worked for BEER. It was fun and innocent and nobody ever got injured. The administration turned a blind eye, placing it (correctly) in the same category with Fraternity pranks. What happened to our country?

[MrB]

Blame lawyers -

I guarantee you that the administrators and teachers has been told that anyone who exercises their own discretion and gets sued is “on their own”.

[MrB]

They should spank him with a foam "noodle".

[Tax-chick]

We played that in the 80’s, too, in high school and college.

[dfwgator]

(made a movie based on it starring that guy who played "Goose" in Top Gun -- Anthony Edwards? IIRC the title was GOTCHA!)

Linda Fiorentino, now there's a chick who could make me write bad checks.

[The Working Man]

I graduated from this High School in 1973. Frankly I haven’t been back to Columbus since then as I was in Boot Camp a week after graduation. My parents also decided to leave the area and seek their fortunes in Texas where they did extremely well.

I am soooooo glad that I didn’t have to put up with this as a teen-ager and even my own children who are now grown and on their own didn’t have it this bad.

Zero tolerance does equal Zero Thought which makes it a perfect option for many of our citizens of the democratic persuasion as nothing can be their fault because -——— (you fill in the blank, it varies in name but it is all the same).

[Malsua]

Those aren’t noodles. They are battle staves or possibly clubs. If you put a nerf arrow on one end it’d be a spiked club. Clearly dangerous and deadly weapons.

[Tax-chick]

You’d want to cover them with duct tape first.

[Oztrich Boy]

Nerf World is a scary dangerous place

[jimt]

Zero tolerance = Zero intelligence.

[jjm2111]

could you imagine if he brought in the Nerf machine gun???? They'd have him on felony charges for violating the national firearms act of 1934. My wife's younger brother has one of these. It has a feed tray, charging handle and everything. No headspace and timing though.

[Sax]

I considered that piece of hardware for my Christmas shopping list. Sadly, it didn’t make the final cut.