These administrators are taking the easy way out. I am a teach at a rural school and I know many students who hunt. More than about 10 percent of the trucks in our parking lot have dog boxes in them all the time, including my own. I also have a friend who teaches at a large school who takes his bow hanging in the back window of his truck to school regularly so he can head to woods as soon as school is out. Just like their are unethical hunters and guys who do things wrong tarnishing the reputation of all hunters, these few lazy administrators give all schools a bad name. Their are good schools administrators who use judgement and know when to lay down the law, or lay down a simple warning. In both cases, the administration should be reprimanded and warned, but do not place all school and administrators in the same poor view.

While my knee-jerk reaction is to say stupidity, I think the real problem here is actually need for tort reform. Anyone who works in an industry that is ripe for spurious lawsuits (education, medicine, law, etc) is going to do everything they can to minimize their chances of getting sued. That way when the next school-shooting happens and they get sued for negligence, the school district can stand back and say "We did absolutely everything we can! We even had zero-tolerance policies for fake guns!"

I think the long-term solution is to have over-reaching lawyers penalized by the bar associations.

Here's the thing the people who do kill others in public shootings don't stop outside the building to check the rules to see if guns are allowed on the premises. Having rules and laws does not stop those who have no regard for life. No one who wants to kill is going to stop outside the school door and say 'oh darn they have a zero tolerance policy I can't take my gun in there' just because someone has a gun in their car doesn't mean they're going to be overcome with the urge to kill.

I can understand checking the "firearms" to see what they were, but after realizing they were really " fake firearms" the subject should have been closed by telling the young lady to drive home, remove the "fake firearms" and asking her to be sure and not bring them back on school property.

Problem solved, girl goes back to class and the administration doesn't look so stupid.

Whatever happened to common sense?

Jim

While I respect your opinion jjas I don't agree. Once it was determined that the "firearms" weren't actually firearms she should be allowed to bring them to school as she darned well pleases. Since they're not firearms, what offense is given to public safety? None at all. The only "offense" is to people who are so paranoid or else draconian that they can't abide the notion that someone else possesses something that looks like a firearm even if it isn't a firearm. When was the last time a riot or some other social unrest was caused because a person on a drill team carried their "rifle" to practice?

This isn't about good public order or about safety. It's about the First Amendment. It's about administrators or others (school boards, "concerned" parents, and the like) suppressing public displays of taste, art, culture, habits, or hobbies in the name of politically correct expression. Ant-freedom types are merely dressing it up in the language of safety and concern because that's ALWAYS the way that authoritarians work to erode your civil rights.

What's next? Will kids be banned from bring plastic models of military aircraft to their hobby club at school because the models could in some deranged mind be interpreted as threatening acts of war?

The administrators' actions in this matter are *outrageous* and people should be outraged.

When I was in JROTC (some twenty years ago) the drill team practiced with de-milled M14s, which were a lot heavier and had a many more sharp edges than the ersatz "drill rifles". They were also more scary, since you had to examine one up close to see the rod welded in the chamber and barrel. At the same time, the JROTC unit had a locked armory full of .22 rifles for instruction and qualifying (off campus). Surprising how much things have changed.

Mike Diehl,

The reason I said she should take them home and not bring them back on school property is to avoid this happening again the next time someone see's the "guns" in her car.

Jim

Mike,

I do agree. She shouldn't have to, but it sounds like it
would make her life easier if she did.

Jim

JohnR,

Your comment on the kids that are our future politicians, bereaucrats, and police officers being taught by an example to have no common sense is for the most part correct. I attend a public school, and I can tell you firsthand that most of the teachers lean left, and thay let you know. I have had to put up with constant mockery of Sarah Palin from the beginning of this school year to election day. Most of them are anti-gun. Despite this, I want to be a politician. I would strongly uphold the second amendment, and get rid of this zero tolerance policy, and try to add common sense to schools that need it. Suspending a student for a fake gun is just flatout ridiculous. Elkslayer raises a good point, do you think someone who had their heart set on killing people would really care about a school rule? Their breaking the law anyway by killing somebody!

huntfish37 I wish you the best of luck. We need more young people with your values to get involved in their communities and politics. I did not purpose to include any of the students, teachers, or administrators who disagree with the zero tolerance policy. There are some great people out there and it is unfortunate they too are stuck in the mire of political correctness and do nothing feel good policies.

Hey JohnR thanks for your support, and i didn't think you meant everybody.

At my school, one of my friends was fined by the school cop and warned that he would be expelled for having fishing hooks on the rods in the bed of his truck. We always go fishing right after school and sometimes before so we can't really leave them at home. Also, many of my other friends have been referred to an administrator for having hooks on their hats. If the world has become this paranoid now then I'm not sure I want to live here anymore since it's only going to get worse.

I would have liked to have seen the school administration realize that a terrible situation existed.
Students could not tell the difference between a mock-up and a real rifle.
They should have immediately started a NRA shooting program as part of school curriculum.
Solve that problem and perhaps train some excellent shooters at the same time.
Next step would have to be hunter safety course.
How to field dress, pluck and clean your harvest should be follow up classes follow by home ed. classes on proper cooking of game animals and fish.
My idea of school-!!

This is spirit week at my school and today is hunter and hunted day. They reminded us exactly 4 times in the last 24 hours not to bring anything that even closely resembles a gun. WHAT??? Of course we had a kid get kicked out for the day because he had one made of paper. WHAT??!?! This is completely uncalled for and stupid. Use your brains teachers and administraters.

Nate

Just another example of the state of our schools and the fear people have. They have allowed themselves to become so fearful that they go overboard.

My nephew forgot to turn in his allergy meds to the school nurse and he got suspended for 5 days, he is 12. They said all meds have to be registered, even an asprin has to be registered or you can get suspended.

Believe it or his friend got suspended for having tums or an upset stomach, his grandpa gave it to him and they popped the kid for 3 days.

Little snitches should have gotten beat up for reporting it. It's a solid wood gun replica. The steering wheel of the car is a more dangerous weapon!

what the hell is wrong with the schools, they should be proud that she is doing that twirling with the marines.