Airsoft rifles, Facebook pictures and the Homecoming Dance don't mix.

Amadan said:

That analogy works if we really want high school students to be policed as vigorously as passengers on an airplane (who are already subjected to ridiculous levels of security theater).

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I didn't say it was right...I was simply pointing out that's the way it is. I am well noted for my abhorrence of DHS, the TSA, Patriot Act, the prosecution of whistleblowers, the torture of well..anybody, but my hating these things doesn't mean they don't exist and that they shouldn't be acknowledged. I don't want a lot of things that society has given me.

But, the American public has overwhelmingly demonstrated that they are willing to sacrifice "essential liberty" for "temporary security". And as furious as I am for what my government has done...I'm still inclined to blame terrorists and school shooters first for these two reactions...that frankly...like it or not...the public wants it. Hey, maybe that's why I'm living in France now...

Amadan said:

Here's a thought - instead of endorsing schools and cops going into crisis mode, how about suggesting that the appropriate response is to send someone to talk to the kids? And when they learn that these kids were not, in fact, planning a school shooting and were just posing with their hobby gear before homecoming, maybe say, "Okay, but you know people are sensitive, right, and there are an awful lot of people who go into terrified brainlock when they see a gun, so... next time keep your FB post friends-locked."

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Or just not post things like that? Just because you are facebook friends with someone doesn't mean they won't be upset by it.

RandomJerk said:

enforcing reduced training with firearms.

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what do you mean?

ZachJPayne said:

Holy Mother of Overreaction, Batman!

Yeah, I think the administration or cops should've tried talking to the kids before going to the big guns.

A bit trigger-happy, no?

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Except for the part where - had this been more than a stupid mistake - most of the people currently saying the school overreacted would be demanding to know why no one "paid attention to the signs" before tragedy struck.

ZachJPayne said:

Holy Mother of Overreaction, Batman!

Yeah, I think the administration or cops should've tried talking to the kids before going to the big guns.

A bit trigger-happy, no?

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Well, at least, for their sake, they weren't black kids...(what? wrong thread?)

RandomJerk said:

The worst part is that this is continuing the vector we're on in the US - rampant fear and enforcing reduced training with firearms.

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I'm not in the training community, but spend more than a little bit of time on the range... in Connecticut, of all places. I'm not sure I follow the "enforcing reduced training with firearms" bit? I don't see that happening at all in my sector.

Celia Cyanide said:

Or just not post things like that? Just because you are facebook friends with someone doesn't mean they won't be upset by it.

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Then they can defriend me or block my posts.

I mean, I wouldn't deliberately post something to upset my friends, but "Don't post gun pics because some people are afraid of guns" is not a reasonable request.

Amadan said:

Then they can defriend me or block my posts.

I mean, I wouldn't deliberately post something to upset my friends, but "Don't post gun pics because some people are afraid of guns" is not a reasonable request.

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Outside of America, it would generally be viewed as a reasonable request, honestly. I'm not sure what that says about our society and other societies tbh...but I think it says something.

Perhaps worded poorly. The majority of issues I see with firearms are stupid decisions that people make when they don't have a decent amount of training and experience with them. Continuing to ensure the populace cower in fear makes that training less appealing. And it encourages this knee-jerk terror from those around them. Makes more sense?

RandomJerk said:

Perhaps worded poorly. The majority of issues I see with firearms are stupid decisions that people make when they don't have a decent amount of training and experience with them. Continuing to ensure the populace cower in fear makes that training less appealing. And it encourages this knee-jerk terror from those around them. Makes more sense?

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I don't know...most school shooters seem pretty well trained...and yet people still cower in fear of them...I guess more training will fix that?

Diana Hignutt said:

I don't know...most school shooters seem pretty well trained...and yet people still cower in fear of them...I guess more training will fix that?

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Really? To my knowledge, most school shooters had little or no training. Do you have information to the contrary?

I think RandomJerk's point was that in areas where shooting is still a part of the culture, school administrators and parents are not as likely to freak out because some kids posed with a gun and assume that "gun" equals "psycho on a shooting spree."

Vince524 said:

2nd off, nobody did anything until after the dance. Okay, so they hadn't noticed it, but by that point I think it would have been self evident that it wasn't a threat to go to the school dance with guns since they did no such thing.

3rd off, context. If they're clearly taking pictures for homecoming and they took a bunch and only 1 or 2 have the guns, added to that the fact that they play the game with these things, it adds up to just something being taken the wrong way. The tag was probably on all the pictures because they were taken and uploaded at the same time.

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Okay, if this happened after the dance, then I misread something. That WOULD change the context. It was still stupid, but tagging it after the fact couldn't possibly be a potential threat.

I thought they'd posed and posted BEFORE the dance, which would have been a potential threat. That's why the police said they would have cancelled it.

Amadan said:

Really? To my knowledge, most school shooters had little or no training.

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^ Agreeing with this. Many are enthusiasts, or 1st person shooter fans, but they're not usually trained in actual weapon-use.

RandomJerk said:

Perhaps worded poorly. The majority of issues I see with firearms are stupid decisions that people make when they don't have a decent amount of training and experience with them. Continuing to ensure the populace cower in fear makes that training less appealing. And it encourages this knee-jerk terror from those around them. Makes more sense?

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Maybe. One of my neighbors has firearms like I do, and he has a similar background, which included training. I find that in at least Westport, people who own guns (all six of us) seek out the training they need, whereas everyone else just thinks the six of us are crazy gun nuts, regardless.

As you're doubtless aware, after Newtown, All Guns Are Evil In Connecticut.

Amadan said:

Really? To my knowledge, most school shooters had little or no training. Do you have information to the contrary?

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Enough dead people to make that point moot, imho.

Amadan said:

Then they can defriend me or block my posts.

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Or report you to your school and get you in trouble.

Amadan said:

I think RandomJerk's point was that in areas where shooting is still a part of the culture, school administrators and parents are not as likely to freak out because some kids posed with a gun and assume that "gun" equals "psycho on a shooting spree."

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Yes, thank you. Nailed it. As far as the Evil of guns in CT, that's again the loud minority that think that everyone's packing and anyone that owns a gun is bloodthirsty. In the boonies (where I live), people have guns. They're mature about them and respect them. Hell, my five year old knows not to point a gun at someone, even if it's a bright orange raygun.

Celia Cyanide said:

Or report you to your school and get you in trouble.

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Then I'd sure as hell defriend them!

RandomJerk said:

Yes, thank you. Nailed it. As far as the Evil of guns in CT, that's again the loud minority that think that everyone's packing and anyone that owns a gun is bloodthirsty. In the boonies (where I live), people have guns. They're mature about them and respect them. Hell, my five year old knows not to point a gun at someone, even if it's a bright orange raygun.

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I'm shocked that you let your kids handle ray guns--SHOCKED, I say. (And I'm originally from Texas! )

I like it that everyone else on the street thinks I'm some lunatic survivalist. It keeps their kids out of my yard.

One other point to consider WRT RandomJerk's training comment: it used to be very common for schools to have shooting teams, whether small caliber or large. Of course, that was back in the dark days of yesteryear, way before kids started shooting up schools.

This really was a horrendous overreaction on the part of the administration. To claim that writing the word "Homecoming" on or with a photo or photo album brings the actions in the photo under the purview of the school administration is just ignorant and has no basis in fact.

I'm from a place where the average household has as many or more guns in it than people. It's not unusual to see a kid posing with a shotgun, rifle, and possibly a dead animal, in their senior picture.

But if the High School Principal here had seen that FB post? He would have freaked. If he could get the kids to even admit to thinking about taking the airsoft guns to school to scare people, he would suspend them on the spot.

People shouldn't be punished for what they didn't do, but if there was any intent at all to pull such a prank, I can see why the school would want to send a strong message. (I don't trust the media to add those kind of important details, if they exist. It would mess up their spin.)

If it was completely innocent, but poorly thought out labeling on the post? This should have been dropped after the initial investigation.

My kids own airsoft guns. Two rules: they have to wear eye protection, and they don't take the guns out in public. They do look quite real.

Cyia said:

Okay, if this happened after the dance, then I misread something. That WOULD change the context. It was still stupid, but tagging it after the fact couldn't possibly be a potential threat.

I thought they'd posed and posted BEFORE the dance, which would have been a potential threat. That's why the police said they would have cancelled it.

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I'm just wondering why something that "would have been" taken as a potential threat is such a problem, by itself. In real life all the time, even potential threats that are noticed before it's too late aren't necessarily punished. Seems to me that the standard being applied is a bit strange, that's all.

To me, those look like airsoft guns on first glance. That said, most campuses in the US ban airsoft guns, even ones with the orange "toy" tips.

I think titling those pictures with "Homecoming" was dumb. For one thing, what the heck do their airsoft guns have to do with homecoming? Is their team school-associated? What if they were on a team for real guns? Would posing with those in a "homecoming" photo be appropriate?


This was a really dumb move on their part, for which they should get a serious talking-to and possibly a short-term suspension, assuming the school makes a good argument for having jurisdiction. Long-term suspension or expulsion is way over the top.