Gun News of the Week: Toy Gun Kept Off Plane

Given how realistic toy guns look today, we can understand why a replica of the British SA80 would be kept off a flight to Canada. But then we saw the photo!

Was this a full-sized Airsoft gun? No, was it a replica that was at least sized to be proportional to a child? Not exactly. So what was this toy gun?

Well, it does look very realistic, but I can’t say it would really be any danger to the plane whatsoever.

This is 3-inch replica, obviously meant for a 1/6 scale figure! Seriously, this level of absurdity is just absurd!

[Via BoingBoing: Airport officials declare tiny toy gun a safety threat]

Anti-Gun PC Gone Too Far: Child Barred For Toy Gun

We know that many schools have adopted a policy of zero tolerance when it comes to bringing anything resembling a gun to school. But the Shawnee Mission school district has taken this to a new extreme. The Kansas City Star is reporting that Alyssa Cornish, a straight-A student and member of the student council, has been suspended for three months.

She technically didn’t bring the toy gun to school, but merely was among a group of child who were playing with a spring-loaded clear plastic gun on the playground of Santa Fe Trail Elementary School on a Sunday! In other words school wasn’t even in session. However, the community models it rules after the state, which prohibits any item that fires projectiles from school grounds every day of the week.

Where this story gets even worse is that Cornish was originally given a 10-day suspension, but after a full account was provided by the Cornish family, the fifth grader was suspended for the rest of the semester. Clearly this should provide a better explanation of why the accused in trials sometimes refuse to testify in their own defense! As Cornish’s mother noted in the article, “I believe my daughter is being punished for her honesty, which makes me wonder what they are teaching her. Never to tell the truth again?”

We agree fully.

Toy Gun Considered “Class ‘A’ Weapons”

Samuel Burgos was expelled from school reports CNN.com. He was expelled for bringing a “Class ‘A’ Weapon” to school. From the surface it sounds like another Columbine was averted. But the case is far more complex as the CNN story notes.

First, in Florida, where the zero tolerance policy places any item that fires a projectile as a “Class ‘A’ Weapons, even toy guns can end up in this class instead of (rightfully) a class of their own. Samuel Burgos only brought a toy gun to school. Second, he’s 8 years old! He had placed a toy gun in his backpack over a weekend, forgot about it and brought it to school. This was discovered, reported to the school board and he’s been kicked out of school. The parents were offered the chance to send Samuel to an alternative school for at risk kids.

This is the level of absurdity that we’ve reached in this country. Yes, it could be considered inappropriate to bring a toy gun to school. But to suspend a child, and potentially destroy his entire education and in turn his life over an honest mistake is outrageous.

Boy Robs Convenience Store with Toy Gun

A 12-year old boy has been arrested for allegedly robbing a convenience store in northern Florida. According to the Walton County Sheriff’s Office the un-named boy pointed a wood barreled long gun at the clerk and demanded money. After receiving an undisclosed amount of money, the suspect said thank you and left. He was later seen by deputies walking on a highway with the fake firearm and money. Read more