Tag: gun_control

(OPINION) Pulaski Co. student totes loaded firearm to school.

“Should the student be punished since he tried to right his wrong? Should the parents be punished for this?”

…um, yes; yes, yes, yes, yes, YES!

Okay, first, how can someone “forget” that they have a handgun in their pocket? Sure, okay, the article states it was in the pocket of his cargo pants; we can assume that he likely had it in the leg pocket, so there wasn’t a nice tight bulge–but what about the weight of the thing? Wouldn’t walking around with it banging against his leg reminded him of it, before he got to school? Aside from that, why in the hell would he have had a pistol in his pocket to begin with? (…and I’m curious of the type of pistol–not that it makes much difference…)

…should he be punished? Yes, he should. The student–irregardless of whether he “tried to right his wrong” or not–violated school policy as well as state and federal gun legislation. While I am all for saying, “hey, son, you did a good job in bringing the gun forward,” I can’t see where not issuing some form or fashion of punishment would be beneficial; do we want to give this kid the idea that “get out of jail free” cards exist in real life?

Should the parents be punished? Yes; the question is how. Personally, I believe that the parents should have the weapons confiscated and the rights of ownership revoked until a time that the child–and any other children that may be in the home–leaves the home or reaches “legal” age; unfortunately, I do not know of any way that such could occur. There aren’t any applicable laws on the books–that I know of–through which the parents could have these rights revoked.

…so, now the questions should turn to, “Will the student and parents be punished?”

I doubt it. If the student is punished, I see it going only so far as being suspended from school for a short period of time; though expulsion is likely the recommended punishment if the school district followed the letter of their law. If the parents are punished, it would be for some other charge that may surface in relation to the “investigation” being conducted.

Parents question how 11-year-old made it to class with loaded gun. http://www.wkyt.com/home/headlines/Pulaski-student-brings-loaded-gun-to-school-204162361.htm

UPDATE:

Well, I’ll be damned. Charges have been filed, and the school district has “removed” the student. From the Commonwealth Journal:

Bringing a gun to school is a felony charge, noted Wood, but the ultimate penalties remain unclear due to the unusual nature of the offense.

“For an adult, a Class B felony like this would carry up to a five-year sentence,” said Wood [Pulaski County Sheriff], “but for a juvenile, I would not even care to speculate.”
Wood said the boy’s father, with whom he lives, spoke to the sheriff’s department at length yesterday, and once all the facts of the case are ascertained, authorities will determine if additional charges may be placed against anyone else, such as the father.
According to the Commonwealth’s article, the kid had not realized that he had left the gun in his pocket from the night prior. The Commonwealth also shares the following message from assistant school superintendent, Sonya Wilds:

…despite the apparently innocent circumstances under which the gun was brought on school grounds, the school system still treats the situation with “the utmost concern and seriousness” and will pursue “any criminal charges as allowable.”

Also, the boy has been “removed from school” at this time, said Wilds.
“Regardless if it was a mistake, it was a mistake with serious consequences,” she said. “We want parents to be fully informed and have all the facts before rumors get started. Having a gun on school grounds is non-negotiable.”