<p>Yikes. Here is the issue as I see it. And it really does not matter if you are pro/con hunting, guns, etc. This is a federal law. You simply cannot have a weapon on any federally funded campus. This incident happened on December 1, which was a Wednesday. I am assuming that her school resumed classes like most everyone on November 29. So for three school days in a row, she had this weapon in the car. Now as a parent of boys who hunt, and as licensed concealed handgun carrier I can tell you where every single weapon we own is at this very minute. It is part of RESPONSIBLE gun ownership. This is an issue of responsiblity. And in my opinion, she failed to be resposible. I will give her credit for going to the administration when her “memory was jogged by the contraband announcement” and telling them the weapon was there prior to them finding it. But still. I also would assume her mom or dad were on this “family hunting trip.” The first words out of their mouths upon returning should have been “all weapons in the gun safe.” And if they didn’t say it, it should have been the number one thing on her mind. It’s gun 101.</p>
<p>I saw the avid part too…of course anyone who is “avid” about anything, ie, passionate, should be passionate about everything relating to it and IMO, gun safety should be #1.</p>
<p>I grew up in Montana. Culturally, carrying a gun in your car there is about like carrying jumper cables and a lug wrench. No big deal, you are taught how to use all three as a youth, and you know that you could do real damage with any of the three if used inappropriately.</p>
<p>But the law is the law, and the school probably had no recourse. It does nevertheless illustrate how laws that are intended to benefit the nation at large can be a less than ideal fit in the specific locales that actually constitute the nation. I do not for a minute think that her gun in the car posed a credible public safety risk.</p>
<p>I agree that the student had no malice. But part of gun ownership is responsibility and awareness. Neither were used in this instance. A gun locked in a trunk is not by nature safe, if the ammo is in the truck with it. That is a piece we don’t know. I do understand the culture aspect, living in Texas. I also don’t think this kiddo should be expelled, but letting her walk away with no punishment would not be right. If being an avid hunter has not taught her to respect the weapon, maybe some detention will.</p>
<p>Exactly right and we live in Texas where it seems like they issue a hunting rifle to every child at birth. I can even tell you which ones are in our gun safe and which ones are in gun safes in other states with friends or family. </p>
<p>Having said that, I don’t think she should be expelled but there has to be some kind of punishment. If you’re old enough to hunt and old enough to drive, then you’re old enough to be responsible for what is in the car.</p>
<p>Wait a minute, I thought teens’ brains weren’t fully developed yet, therefore they cannot, by nature, make consistently sound decisions. Let’s give the poor dears a break… I mean, how COULD she know that the law which prohibits leaving a gun in her car at school is directed at her, too?!</p>
<p>Gun sniffing dogs? Wow, I had never heard of that. I guess it is good that where I live most people don’t drive with guns or rifles in the trunk. That car horn is enough of a dangerous weapon.</p>
<p>The dogs did not find the rifle. They were drug dogs. When she heard the message over the PA, she went to the office and told them she had the rifle there. The announcement “jogged” her memory.</p>
<p>The dogs could have found the rifle. They are usually trained to find both drugs or explosives. Gun powder is an explosive that the dogs typically trained to react to.</p>
<p>In my city a female middle school honor student/class president was recently suspended for an entire quarter for playing with an airsoft gun on school grounds during the weekend.</p>
<p>At S’s elementary school (years ago–suburban St. Louis), a 3rd grader was suspended for 3 days for bringing a handgun into the school in his backpack. He said his older brother was using the backpack over the weekend. When he opened it and saw the gun, the student immediately took the backpack to the teacher. (That was a risky situation that could’ve ended badly.)</p>
<p>I don’t think it is a big deal to have a gun locked in your trunk. I’m not a gun owner, but for folks who hunt, live in rural areas, etc. I think it’s fine. However, the parents ought to know what the rules are and make sure the kid follows them. It seems a detention or short suspension would be enough punishment in this case. I give the girl credit for being honest and coming forward about the gun.</p>
<p>I still remember when one of my friends in first grade came into school on a Monday, realized he forgot to take his pocket knife out of his backpack before coming to school, told the teacher about it, and was then sent to the principal’s office and wound up with a week’s suspension for it!</p>
<p>To me, that sort of reaction is just absurd. Should the TSA start jailing people for trying to smuggle a pair of nail clippers onto an airplane when they forget to take them out of their purse before flying?</p>
I hate, loathe and despise “zero tolerance policies” - or as I prefer to call them, “zero intelligence” policies. Having said that, this isn’t really a “zero tolerance” situation, since it’s been made clear that the board actually does have the discretion to waive any significant penalty in this case, and appears likely to do so.</p>
<p>Of course, that makes it a “dog bites man” story or, in the eyes of Fox News, no story at all…</p>
<p>I’m sympathetic to the girl: my son’s school is adjacent to some of the best quail hunting around. He keeps asking why he can’t just throw the gun in the car so he can hunt at lunch time. I guess this is why. On the upside, she’s just the kind of girl he’d love to meet. Gals with a passion for huntin’ are tough to come by.</p>
<p>I typically agree with you, kluge, about the “zero tolerance” policies but I do think they are appropriate in some cases. For example, if a pilot shows up to fly and they are drunk, they should lose their FAA license. Same for doctors who are drunk or high in surgery and so on. </p>
<p>I’m not opposed to a very, very lengthy process that would let them earn their licenses back but sometimes zero tolerance is appropriate.</p>