Here in NC a slingshot hidden in your gym bag is considered a concealed weapon.
I think a number of folks missed the key part of the story up front.
The little brat was shooting at the vacant house across the street. Momma was cool with that.
Momma wasn’t cool with it. She had went inside for less than a minute to put dinner in the oven and told him not to shoot anything. They had been in the back yard on the other side of the house shooting targets, away from the road.
http://www.examiner.com/article/further-details-catawba-bb-gun-case-from-8-year-old-boy-s-father