Stop the nonsense already....

Airsoft Gun Panic: Boy Faces Criminal Charges, School Locked Down Over Toy Weapon

7-year-old suspended as “weapons offender” for bringing novelty pen onto school bus

Steve Watson

Following the news this week of two teen boys receiving a one year suspension from school for playing with a toy airsoft gun at home, two more incidents have been reported, in the continuing crackdown on kids playing with anything that even remotely resembles a gun.

In Rome, NY 15-year-old Austin Perks is facing criminal charges for playing with an airsoft gun in the courtyard of his friend’s apartment complex.

Police were called by someone in the neighborhood who saw the boy playing with the toy, according to a report filed by WKTV News. When the officers discovered that the gun was a toy they gave it back to the boy , informed his mother, and left the scene.

But, unfortunately for Austin, that wasn’t the end of the incident. Three weeks later cops showed up on the mother’s doorstep.

The boy’s mother, Naomi Oshel, told reporters that the officer was “Expressing to me that he really wasn’t sure why he was at my home. That he thought it was all very silly but that a couple of people above him were pushing for a charge.”

The charge turned out to be unlawful possession of a weapon, even though police had admitted that the “weapon” was a toy, and the boy was summoned to appear in court.

“I asked police if they had a complainant, somebody that said they were firing upon them. At that point I was told no and asked if they showed up at the scene and found 15 year old children playing with a weapon did they secure the weapon into evidence? And again was told no,” says Oshel.

“I want it dismissed with prejudice.” the mother added, saying she is willing to fight the charge if necessary.

“I don’t want this in any way to hurt my son’s future. If I felt that he had done something, if he was intentionally firing on somebody or had jumped out of a bush to scare someone or threaten and make it look like a real weapon then I wouldn’t be opposed to charges.”

In another incident involving an airsoft gun, a Middle School in Michigan was placed on lockdown for 30 minutes after a student brought one of the toys into the building.

Police were called and a student was taken into custody, according to a local report.

“The student just made a bad choice,” said Bendle school Superintendent John Krolewski. “It wasn’t his intent to do anything. He didn’t realize the gravity of having a look-alike in school.”

These incidents both highlight how officials and police nationwide have stopped exercising common sense in such situations, instead opting to initiate procedures, no matter how ridiculous, based on irrational fears.

Yet another incident this week, not even involving a toy gun, further highlights this.

A seven year old in Harrisburg, Pa was suspended from school as a “weapons offender” for bringing a novelty pen onto his school bus and showing a friend.

The boy’s parents told reporters that the pen is “similar to a ‘clown’ type buzzer that one would hold in the palm of one’s hand to emit a small buzz when shaking hands.”

Saying that they are now pursuing a federal lawsuit against officials at the Hershey Elementary School, the parents added that the entire incident “arose from his simple act of taking a toy onto a school bus — a toy that neither threatened nor caused harm to any person or property.”

The lawsuit contends that the school punished the boy “without due process of law based on the basis of nothing but hysterical and overly zealous application of a constitutionally deficient school policy.”

These daily incidents all across the country highlight how, in many cases, position of authority in society have been filled by spineless jellyfish who would rather see kids grow up as mindless automatons than experience the joy of youthful imagination.

Link:
http://www.prisonplanet.com/airsoft-gun-panic-boy-faces-criminal-charges-school-locked-down-over-toy-weapon.html