Boy, 12, arrested with gun at school

Tri-City Herald ^ | 14 MAY 03 | Tri City Herald Staff

[tomakaze]

Boy, 12, arrested with gun at school
 
  WHITSRAN -- Whitstran Elementary School was under a temproary lockdown Monday afternoon after a teacher noticed a boy with a gun in a nearby field near the school.
  Capt. Charles Kissler of the Benton County Sheriff's Office said a 12 year old boy was arrested for trespassing and having a gun on school property.
  Kissler saidthe boy, who told his parents he was too sick to go to school, was apparently hunting small birds with a pellet gun in a feild next to the school.
  Superintendent Ray Tolacher said staff members heard the shots about 12:40 pm and saw the boy, called the police and took emergency precautions.
  "The principal immediately got students into the classrooms," Tolacher said. "This is verification that our emergency practices work just like they are supposed to."
  Witnesses who reported the incident said the boy had been on school property before police arrived.
  The boy was arrested and taken to the Benton County Juvenile Correctional Facility.

[tomakaze]

[this never made it to the website, it was on page B2 of the May 13 Tri City Herald]
This is flat out ridiculous.
locked down after some over reacting teacher notices someone with agun (eeeek!) in *nearby feild* - not even on the grounds but in a feild nearby (I know that area - if the school distric owns that field it sure as hell aint posted.) Christ.
I skipped some school in my day to hunt pheasant with a (gasp!) shotgun, and no doubt there are other folks in this forum who've done the same.
Now this kid's life is screwed, he's sucked into the criminal penal system and for what? plinking birds with a friggin pellet gun, and some education ministry functionary's vision of "Zero tolorance". (and more likely because the over reacting twits were embarrassed by their "lockdown")
And to boot they're not even applying the law correctly - last time i checked a pellet gun wasn't a "firearm".
Oh well.
[bracing for the flood of idiot neo-cons, who usually show up to voice their support of crap like this.]

[TYVets]

A Pellet Gun !

[RedBloodedAmerican]

A teacher unfamiliar with identifying guns might not know the caliber size from a distance. I have seen some handguns that are CO2 that are as big as 44's. She took the right action. And the kid will not be ruined, he will probably get a good lecture. Unfortunately, this wouldn't have happened had the parents taught the child gun responsibility (such as not taking it near school), as well as there are other obvious issues, such as the kid LYING to his parents about being sick. Way more to this story than just some kid shooting birds that is not written here.

[TC Rider]

You'll put your eye out!

[Onelifetogive]

pellet gun...Stupidintendent Ray Tolacher said staff members heard the shots

They have good ears! Pellet guns make very little sound.

[kellynla]

These are dramatically different times than when you and I went to school. Call me what you like, but after all the children and teachers who have been terrorized and killed by other children whose parents were not as responsible as yours, mine and others; you cannot be too careful. Better to er on the safe side than to have to bury another child due to a parents' irresponsibility. Bottom line. The kid belonged in school. The only time I skipped school my father was waiting for me when I got home. You can be assured I never skipped schoool again. Flame away if you like. I have my asbestos suit on.

[RedBloodedAmerican]

Maybe very little. But the guy who lived behind me had a huge pellet gun and it sounded like a .22

[joesnuffy]

Back when I was in school...we brought our rifles to school and put them in our lockers..
We werent allowed to take them out and mess around with in school...

After school we would hop on the bus and ride out to a buddies farm to hunt rabbits & squirrels

During deer hunting season..kids brought their rifles to school ..heck..we even got out of school early for deer hunting..

There was never one single incident where a rifle was used to threaten or harm another...

I remember more than one fist fight...between guys that had rifles in their lockers...it would have never dawned on anyone ever to use a gun against another...fists yeah..but guns never...

[Joe Brower]

Latest breaking news from the Nation of Cowards.

[xm177e2]

They have good ears! Pellet guns make very little sound.

Maybe it was an assault pellet gun </snicker>

These administrators/teachers are scary. They don't want to admit they overreacted, so they're making this into the school shooting of the century. "The worst part was the sound. The sound, it was horrible--like Satan's hooves slamming down onto brimstone! The horrible crack of the rifle sent shivers down my spine!"

What this all means is they are going to crucify this little boy. They don't want to admit they look foolish, so they are only going to redouble their efforts against him.

[Joe Hadenuf]

Kissler saidthe boy, who told his parents he was too sick to go to school, was apparently hunting small birds with a pellet gun in a feild next to the school. Superintendent Ray Tolacher said staff members heard the shots about 12:40 pm and saw the boy, called the police and took emergency precautions.

Land of the free, home of the brave?

These people are an absolute national embarrassment and a disgrace. Sheesh! And these educators can't tell the differences between the sound of a pellet gun and a real firearm?

Gawd help us.

[xm177e2]

[bracing for the flood of idiot neo-cons, who usually show up to voice their support of crap like this.]

?

The term "neo-con" is for Reagan Democrats who permanently moved to the GOP, and other ex-liberals. It is meaningful mostly only in terms of foreign policy, there is no real "neo-con" platform on domestic issues.

[El Laton Caliente]

And this should be handled like your father did, but it will not be. The kid is going to juvenile detention, child protective services will be called in, he'll be suspended long enough to possibly fail this year, the kid and parents will have to go to indoctrination...er...counseling, etc.

The point is that insTead of addressing the problems of responsibility and morality the schools are doing what the rest of .gov is, REGULATE.

[tomakaze]

re:Unfortunately, this wouldn't have happened had the parents taught the child gun responsibility (such as not taking it near school),
 
Huh? How the hell is that part of gun safety -let alone *pellet gun* safety. - I should probably explain what set me off about this initially though, I know that area, I used to change pipes, etc work for various people aroud that grade school. Everyone hunts in the fields around their, it's not a big deal (or wasnt). and the land is not posted.
 
as well as there are other obvious issues, such as the kid LYING to his parents about being sick. Way more to this story than just some kid shooting birds that is not written here.
 
I mentioned that. It's pretty much a non-issue as far as I'm concerned (who hasn't skipped school to hunt or plink birds? I knew town kids who skipped for less wholesome reasons at that age), and dont excuse any of this overreactive crap on behalf of the government.

[EggsAckley]

Superintendent Ray Tolacher said staff members heard the shots about 12:40 pm

I didn't know that pellet guns make that much noise, as to be heard across the school yard and the field.

[tomakaze]

re:Flame away if you like. I have my asbestos suit on
 
hey thats my line! lol

[Jason_b]

plink .. . . . . .. plink. . . . . .. yeah right

[tomakaze]

re:It is meaningful mostly only in terms of foreign policy, there is no real "neo-con" platform on domestic issues.
 
You're right. I just dont know what else to call people who claim to be conservative/constitutionalists but who are ok with stuff of this nature (and gun bans, income tax, welfare, public schools, etc). If there's another more accurate name by all means tell me so I can use it.

[RedBloodedAmerican]

Teaching is more than showing a kid how not to shoot someone on accident; it is teaching where and when to shoot. Go check the NRA training website if you don't believe me.

And the kid said he was "sick" and then was out near the school with a gun. Why did he go near the school if he was sick? Seems to me if I was sick and wanted to play hooky, I would head another direction. Did he give an excuse he was shooting birds when he got caught, or was that really his intent? More here than what's written. And nowhere did I say the Govt should teach the kid, in fact I said the parents should. You don't agree with parents raising their young to be responsible?

[RogueIsland]

Why do I have to read practically to the end of the article to find out it was a fricking pellet gun. Man, are we an emasculated nation or what?