Cops Search Kid’s Home After Tip About Pellet Gun Brought to Middle School

Four students have been suspended after one
of them brought a pellet gun to school in East Rockford, New York.
School officials said they received no reports about the toy gun
from students or staff on the Friday it was allegedly brought in.
Instead, one student told mom about the incident over the weekend.
The parent called the school principal, who called the police.

Via The Journal News:

Officers searched the home of the student suspected to
be in possession of the gun but found nothing. Police notified the
district that it was not a real gun on Sunday; they made no
arrests.

On Monday, the district identified the owner of the pellet gun,
which was turned over to administrators, Fisher said.

“We take this very seriously,” he said. “The message is very clear
— this is totally unacceptable.”

He said four students were suspended for five days and a
superintendent’s hearing is recommended. That could result in
further disciplinary action based on the outcome of the
investigation into the alleged phone threats.

Cops and school administrators are also investigating whether
one of the two students was connected to alleged phone calls made
to other students about using the toy gun.

One parent, Cassandra Edwards, said her son was among the five
suspended students; he did not handle the toy gun but did talk back
to the principal and, according to Edwards, was threatened by one
of the other students. “These are all adolescents, children of
color,” Edwards said. “With all that’s going on in our country with
guns, we need to address this immediately.” Hoplophobia
notwithstanding, it’s worth asking whether police searches of homes
for toy guns has a more detrimental effect for young boys than
playing with a pellet gun that might look real. And as for gun
violence, it’s almost certainly
more productive and effective to target the “violence,” or
human behavioral, portion than the “gun,” or inanimate tool,
one.