WA:Edmonds school’s nerf gun incident goes national and viral

KVI’s John Carlson – returning from a short break Wednesday morning – wasted no time zeroing in on an incident at an Edmonds elementary school that is making national headlines via The Drudge Report, and in the process underscoring once again the down side of “zero tolerance” policies.

The story was first reported by KOMO, Seattle’s ABC affiliate, a few days ago and has now reached across the country. Long story short, several sixth grade boys brought nerf guns to Chase Lake Elementary School, allegedly with permission from their teacher for a “class probability project” that involved the effects of shooting the guns 100 times.

But the youngsters never got the chance. KOMO noted that “12-year-old boys, being what they are, decided to ‘try out’ the guns before the school doors opened.”

This report coincides with another incident in Maryland, also reported Wednesday morning on Drudge, involving the suspension of an 11-year-old who mentioned guns on the bus ride home. According to WMAL News, that boy, a student at Northern Middle School in Owings, said, “I wish I had a gun to protect everyone.”

His father, identified as Bruce Henkelman of Huntingtown, reportedly explained, “He wanted to defeat the bad guys. That's the context of what he said. He wanted to be the hero.”

Firearms rights advocates have argued for years that “zero tolerance” is an excuse for zero common sense. What about youngsters who return to school after a weekend of hunting with their parents or grandparents? What about kids who get a new rifle for Christmas or a birthday, or learn to shoot at summer camp? Do they automatically draw a suspension that remains on their academic records for life, perhaps even affecting their ability to get into a college or university?

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