Lynn bans BB guns, bats..for the children

[clinotus]

I have no problem with kids not being allowed to bring airguns to school. The days of bringing guns to school either for show and tell or to hunt after school are over. I don't like it but I understand why it's necessary.

I don't like to feed into "zero tolerance" policies.....because they generally mean "zero common sense".....and you are just giving in to the communist scare tactic, sheepies out there......

If some kids gonna bring harm with weapons in a school they are gonna do it no matter what zero tolerance policy is in place. Obviously some kid that wants to play paintball after school and just has it locked in his trunk is a harm to no one.

I agree, while I hate the zero tolerance rules in place, if a kid brings something that is considered a weapon like a paintball gun, real gun, bb gun, bow, or baseball bat outside of a sponsored academic activity then the kid has to pay the price. Even the shooting and archery team members can't walk around with their tools of the trade, so some kid circumventing the rules is fair game despite the BS that is behind zero tolerance.

The times where bringing such items to school is sadly long past us. Most people no longer hunt, no longer compete in competitions - bringing something like that to school is just asking for trouble. Same goes for past those events...you couldn't bring an axe or an awl to a woodworking class either. Times they are a changin'.

 

[Big Daddy 45acp]

Anybody else have a shop teacher show them how to make GOOD throwing stars?

 

[RFWAVELENGTH]

http://www.boston.com/news/local/ma...bb_guns_bats_clubs_to_increase_school_safety/

By Nandini Jayakrishna
Globe Correspondent / August 13, 2009

As students in Lynn prepare for the start of another school year, the city is taking extra steps to ensure their safety.

The City Council authorized police this week to arrest students who bring to school objects that could be used as weapons, officials said.

The ordinance, which passed Tuesday, expands the definition of a weapon to include items that are otherwise legal but could be used to inflict physical harm, said Police Chief Kevin F. Coppinger.

Students could be arrested if they bring objects such as air guns, pellet guns, BB guns, fireworks, and even bats and clubs to school without a “legitimate purpose,’’ he said.

In the past, Coppinger said, police could only seize the weapons in question and summon offenders to court, allowing them to stay in school and possibly threaten or harm other students and staff. The ordinance allows police to act when they “come across a group of kids engaged in a fight or ready to fight,’’ he said.

School safety and emergency planning officer Robert Ferrari said that in the past three years police have visited schools several times for weapon-related incidents but have made only six arrests. He added that if the laws had been amended earlier, more arrests would have been made.

The ordinance “certainly gives us a little more power to say, ‘Look there’s no reason for you to have weapons on you, period. If you do, there will be swift and severe consequences,’ ’’ he said.

The change had been in the works for some time, officials said.

“We’re trying to be proactive,’’ Coppinger said. “We didn’t see an uptick in kids bringing weapons to school.’’

He said police will make arrests depending on an individual’s actions, motivations, and circumstances. “If a kid brought a souvenir bat and had all his buddies sign it in school, there’s nothing illegal about it,’’ he said.

But Carol Rose, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Massachusetts, said police should focus on students’ actions, rather than on “criminalizing objects that may have uses other than as weapons.’’

Rose, who had not read the ordinance and heard about it from a reporter, said: “Virtually any object, such as a shoe, could be used to attack another person. If the ordinance doesn’t clearly delineate specific weapons they [officials] have in mind, it has the potential to be overly broad.”

Mayor Edward J. Clancy Jr. said the ordinance gives police “another arrow in their quiver’’ and will protect people within the school system against those who “engage in egregious, dangerous, or antisocial behavior.’’

“A lot of these kids have hurdles enough to traverse without having to be looking over their shoulder,’’ Clancy said. “We don’t want anyone who’s coming to school for any illegitimate purpose to be there.’’

Essex District Attorney Jonathan W. Blodgett said the ordinance was adopted as Lynn and other urban areas see an increase in incidents in which students bring both conventional and unconventional weapons to school.

He would not speculate about how many such cases his office will prosecute. “Appropriate safeguards and remedies are in place to help students who make a genuine mistake,’’ Blodgett said.

Jayakrishna can be reached at [email protected].

Against the law in MA for any minor (under 18) from possessing/carrying any BB gun or air rifle without written permission from their local police chief. It is already an arrestable offence and has been that way for quite a while now. Again, the anti-gun want to create more laws rather than enforcing those already on the books.

 

[RFWAVELENGTH]

http://www.boston.com/news/local/ma...bb_guns_bats_clubs_to_increase_school_safety/

By Nandini Jayakrishna
Globe Correspondent / August 13, 2009

As students in Lynn prepare for the start of another school year, the city is taking extra steps to ensure their safety.

The City Council authorized police this week to arrest students who bring to school objects that could be used as weapons, officials said.

The ordinance, which passed Tuesday, expands the definition of a weapon to include items that are otherwise legal but could be used to inflict physical harm, said Police Chief Kevin F. Coppinger.

Students could be arrested if they bring objects such as air guns, pellet guns, BB guns, fireworks, and even bats and clubs to school without a “legitimate purpose,’’ he said.

In the past, Coppinger said, police could only seize the weapons in question and summon offenders to court, allowing them to stay in school and possibly threaten or harm other students and staff. The ordinance allows police to act when they “come across a group of kids engaged in a fight or ready to fight,’’ he said.

School safety and emergency planning officer Robert Ferrari said that in the past three years police have visited schools several times for weapon-related incidents but have made only six arrests. He added that if the laws had been amended earlier, more arrests would have been made.

The ordinance “certainly gives us a little more power to say, ‘Look there’s no reason for you to have weapons on you, period. If you do, there will be swift and severe consequences,’ ’’ he said.

The change had been in the works for some time, officials said.

“We’re trying to be proactive,’’ Coppinger said. “We didn’t see an uptick in kids bringing weapons to school.’’

He said police will make arrests depending on an individual’s actions, motivations, and circumstances. “If a kid brought a souvenir bat and had all his buddies sign it in school, there’s nothing illegal about it,’’ he said.

But Carol Rose, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Massachusetts, said police should focus on students’ actions, rather than on “criminalizing objects that may have uses other than as weapons.’’

Rose, who had not read the ordinance and heard about it from a reporter, said: “Virtually any object, such as a shoe, could be used to attack another person. If the ordinance doesn’t clearly delineate specific weapons they [officials] have in mind, it has the potential to be overly broad.”

Mayor Edward J. Clancy Jr. said the ordinance gives police “another arrow in their quiver’’ and will protect people within the school system against those who “engage in egregious, dangerous, or antisocial behavior.’’

“A lot of these kids have hurdles enough to traverse without having to be looking over their shoulder,’’ Clancy said. “We don’t want anyone who’s coming to school for any illegitimate purpose to be there.’’

Essex District Attorney Jonathan W. Blodgett said the ordinance was adopted as Lynn and other urban areas see an increase in incidents in which students bring both conventional and unconventional weapons to school.

He would not speculate about how many such cases his office will prosecute. “Appropriate safeguards and remedies are in place to help students who make a genuine mistake,’’ Blodgett said.

Jayakrishna can be reached at [email protected].

Against the law in MA for any minor (under 18) from possessing/carrying any BB gun or air rifle without written permission from their local police chief. It is already an arrestable offence and has been that way for quite a while now. Again, the anti-gunners want to create more laws rather than enforcing those already on the books.

 

[RFWAVELENGTH]

If the authorities really want to reduce violence and educate the "children", how about mandatory firearms safety classes as part of the high school curriculum? Now this would be a step in the right direction.

 

[MasterShinken]

Anybody else have a shop teacher show them how to make GOOD throwing stars?

had a shop teacher show me how to machine a bullet from steel once. was one of my final projects

 

[fubar]

This :

" But Carol Rose, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Massachusetts, said police should focus on students’ actions, rather than on “criminalizing objects that may have uses other than as weapons.’’

Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ahh ha ..... That ACLU lady is funny ! Why , she does a perfect imitation of someone who actually values freedom and personal responsibility !

 

[cekim]

Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ahh ha ..... That ACLU lady is funny ! Why , she does a perfect imitation of someone who actually values freedom and personal responsibility !

"I'm not a real American, but I play one on TV... "

I have zero tolerance for zero tolerance policies... Anyone espousing them should be sentenced to death - no exceptions

 

[bishop375]

Mayor Edward J. Clancy Jr. said the ordinance gives police “another arrow in their quiver’’ and will protect people within the school system against those who “engage in egregious, dangerous, or antisocial behavior.’’

So... they're going to have to ban the internet, too, I guess.

 

[theGringo]

... those who “engage in egregious, dangerous, or antisocial behavior.

Uh oh. I'm in trouble.

 

[cekim]

Uh oh. I'm in trouble.

Yes, there is a spot in a prestigious re-educational institution with your name on it

Me, I plan on dropping out of the re-educational system...