“A Maine student will not be allowed to use his preferred photo for the high school yearbook [above], because it depicts him holding a gun,” usatoday.com reports. “Wade Gelinas, a senior at Bonny Eagle High School, said hunting is a family tradition for him and wanted his yearbook photo to be one of him holding his shotgun. ‘It’s just my sport. It’s just what I do. I don’t play football. I don’t play basketball. I just hunt.'” Yes but . . .
Turns out no one thought Bonny Eagle High was a going to publish his preferred photograph.
Principal Lori Napolitano said the school’s code of conduct prevents students from bringing weapons to school, or wearing clothes or other items that depict weapons.
“Drugs, alcohol, weapons, tobacco are not allowed at school, and you cannot wear clothing that has pictures of weapons on it,” said Napolitano. “We just want to draw the line at weapons of any kind being in the picture and that way we’re not trying to pass judgment on which ones are promoting violence or which ones aren’t.”
Photographer Kelly Roy said she has taken photos of students before with bows and arrows, sports equipment, musical instruments, or even their cars, but she said she did not think the school would let him use this photo.
“I figured there’d be no way they’d let him put it in the yearbook,” said Roy.
Napolitano said students have tried to use photos in the past that have them holding weapons, and they have always said no.
What would it take to change the policy? Gun normalization. When’s that gonna happen? Now there’s a question . . .