A Suffolk, Virginia high school student has been suspended and is facing permanent expulsion after an empty magazine from a BB gun was found in his backpack at school. In another example of zero-intelligence policies gone amok, the mere possession of harmless (air)gun related accessories on a school campus is treated as though it were actually dangerous or threatening . . .
From hamptonroads.com:
On Monday, a parent contacted high school officials to say his son had seen a student with a gun in a locker room Friday afternoon. After learning of the incident, officials called police and removed the student from class, according to a letter from principal Thomas McLemore Jr.
A search of the student’s bookbag also was conducted, with the unloaded magazine clip found. Possession of such an item is a violation of school board policy.
No one was threatened and there were no injuries from the incident. Charges were not filed against the student, city spokeswoman Diana Klink said in an email.
A ‘violation of school board policy?’ I read the Suffolk School Board policies, as published online here. Weapons are clearly prohibited on school grounds, and the school board’s definition of ‘weapon’ is fairly broad. It includes knives longer than three inches, guns, air guns, replica guns, toy guns, martial-arts weapons and explosives.
But it doesn’t include mere parts of such items. Every student could be expelled within the week, if ‘weapon’ included ‘any part of a weapon’ because Allen-head screws are used in lots of firearms. If you’ve got one in your bag, your iPhone case, or your car in the parking lot, you’re busted.
But the Suffolk School Board and Nansemond River principal Thomas McLemore have taken this already-broad definition and stretched it beyond any comprehensible English definition. Under their all-inclusive definition of ‘weapon’ I probably would have been expelled from school if the Drivers Ed teacher had found an empty shotgun shell on the floor of my car after a duck-hunting weekend. If he’d even noticed the smell of Hoppe’s No. 9, but only found the empty bottle, I would have been suspended.
It’s time to start pushing back against this stupidity and Principal McLemore needs a reality check. If he thinks an empty BB gun magazine is a ‘weapon’ then we think he’s no better than a petty tyrant, unfit to supervise the education of our children.
I bought my 1978 WASR 10/63 about a little over a year ago, in Indiana. Stock AK varients were going for about $1,000-$1,200 in all of the gun stores at the time. I got mine for $820.00 with the FFL transfer fee, and got it from Gunbroker.com. At the time, I got a steal. Mine has all ATI parts added, and there is no wobble or problems with the sights or anything. I have put a lot of rounds (I’m a Marine, a lot means a lot more than to most people) through it, and I have not had even a single round jam or had any weapon malfunctions at all. The first 200 rounds I fired through it were literally the day after I recieved it, and I didn’t clean it at all. There was already carbon in it, and I wanted to test it out without cleaning it to see how it functioned. I would never ever ever attempt this with an AR-15. So long story short, the WASR 10/63 is a great gun that works great, I guess as long as you don’t get an unlucky bad one if there is such a thing. It may be a cheap gun, but it fires true every time. Greatest money spent on a rifle yet!!
Asshole.
Kenneth Branagh is in charge of things over there? The stress of enforcing zero tolerance policies sure has gotten to him…
You know something? I knew there was a reason I read TTAG and not Outdoor Life. I actually got better reviews reading the comments here than I would have gotten from the article.
I remember staying at a casino hotel in Vegas for the 2012 US Open Trapshooting competition. Whenever you went through the lobby, you passed at least 5 high schoolers carrying their cased shotguns. I think one person asked me about my gun in a slightly fearful manner. Mostly I think that people didn’t even notice.
When I was a kid some joker would pull the fire alarm and disrupt classes the half hour it took to verify a false alarm.
Today? A kid could surreptitiously drop a few BBs in a hallway and leave a bore cleaning brush in a restroom. That place could be locked down for days.
The whole district would be locked down!
Hey, whats this rope with bristles and all the copper ball bearings on the floor?
Sometimes safe with ignorance.
Yeah, I don’t think any of those idiots would even know what a bore cleaning brush was unless someone told them. Any adult who did know would probably be pro gun and say nothing.
“Investigators will determine if the rifle was accidentally left out or the rifle was accidentally left out or if it was stolen from a vehicle once if it was stolen from a vehicle once they’ve interviewed the owner.”
Objection! Leading the witness!
I remember when I was in High School and the “zero-tolerance” policies were being discussed. The teachers, principles and school boards HATED them. The problem that everyone wanted to deal with was covering up of assaults, rapes, theft and other very very serious crimes. In those cases, the student was returned to the class with no punishment at all. The argument from the school side was “if we punish these children too harshly we will destroy them forever. They will have no hope.” In order to get rid of these rules and laws, the implementers are crushing the non-thug kids as hard as they can. They feel that they are justified because the zero-tolerance rules and laws were written to be racist.
This is nothing but sabotage.
Just got to shoot it about an hour ago…def going to my carry choice….I can shoot that gun all day and it not hurt like most .380s…plus it’s light and I would carry it 24/7…I think I could even sleep with it lol
In 2005 when I was in Grade 6 I brought PPK and M9 BB gun replica to school for a play. Mags in and BB’s in a bottle. My female teacher knew about them, she asked me to bring them.
School policy was to confiscate, reprimand and call parents. Possible suspension or 2 months detention. She was supposed to keep them for the duration of school and the play.
When she asked if I had ‘bullets’ I said yes. When she asked if I was going to shoot anyone I said no. Okay, I know I can trust you to not be stupid. She let me keep them THE WHOLE TIME without checking my bag or reporting anything.
I even gave an impromptu lesson on gun safety to my class. Took paper targets and showed the “actors” how to shoot straight.
No big deal.
Why can’t all teachers be that cool?
What I want to know is how a BB gun magazine is more dangerous than a knife with a 2in blade. At least according to the schools definition of weapon.
Is that a Reising?
“When a stupid man is doing something he is ashamed of, he always
declares that it is his duty.”
-George Bernard Shaw
A man, his dog, and a Reising M40 SMG. Better prepared than Great Britain me thinks.
If I wasn’t in Maryland…
Was this a 30 magazine clip by any chance?
.30 caliber clip that can fire in .5 seconds through a ghost gun.
Ok boss, you shoot em, and I’ll drag em back… by the way, what’s our limit?
This is the only safe German on this beach
I’ve got a 26. It works and I can hit stuff with it. I’d like to try the SIG though.
Schutzhund? More like Shootzhund.
I crack myself up.
Fetch!
It’s a trap!
Massad Ayoob thought it was fun until it was not. LOL
The 1911 market is getting as bad as the one for black rifles. Another high end 45. Yawn and I am 1911 fanboy. The purist form of the 1911 is the combat pistol. That is $750-$1000 piece. If you spent more money than a Colt you have wasted your money unless you are competitive shooter. The only other reason to spend more is if you are getting an early model.
The principal most likely voted for Terry!
Well boy, it’s just you and me. Them Nazis don’t stand a chance.
he’s no better than a petty tyrant
The very definition of a principal.
That poor VW.
I have made an inquiry as well. I am a resident of Alabama, I’ll let you know. As a side note, my local Sheriff has told me to ignore the signs!
Great writing. Much needed inspiration. Kirsten, I’m glad you’re here on TTAG.
Well, at least he wasn’t suspended for loading too many bullets in his pop tart gun. They think they can keep up their psyc war without looking stupid, I’m sure shannon & sarah thought this was brilliant, Randy
Cool picture.
I flew just over 800 sorties as a UH-1C helicopter gunship crew chief/door gunner in 32 months in Vietnam. Great times and I looked really cool doing it (and 100 being lbs lighter had nothing to do with it) but nowhere near as classy as Ms. Weiss.
You go girl!
Next you need to consider what you will use your camera to capture before you set out to buy
digital camera equipment. Buying a stylish home photo printer is not just
your task. These machines are useful for a huge variety of things, but
you need to supply them with a digital design in order to get anything useful out
of them.
You need to go back and lick your calf over on this. Progress in reporting has been made. Why are there no bullets for personal use? They have bought enough to fight Iran for over 20 years and all the 30 round clips for assualt rifles! Check it out. Surly you know that the government lies-especially about this! You are a liberal are you not
I could see this becoming more prevalent in hunting with people with disabilities. It is still a new technology and will have to become much smaller and more affordable before it would come close to going mainstream.
If only someone could come up with a specialized tool to shatter car windows and cut seat belts in just such a situation…
Oh, wait… http://www.wholesale-car-electronics.net/product_images/f/car_auto_window_breaker_emergency_hammer__38331.jpg