Teen Arrested With Gun Near Sumner School

[Guest vandutton]

http://www.newschannel5.com/global/story.asp?s=10321319

Bethpage, Tenn. - The Sumner County Sheriff's Office arrested a teenager with a pellet gun near North Sumner Elementary School Thursday morning.

The school is located at 1485 N. Sumner Road.

Investiators said the teen was reportedly walking past the school when an employee noticed the gun and called authorities.

I'm missing something. He had a pellet gun NEAR school... and was arrested? On what charge?

[Guest jos2f]

Oh holy crap, some kid somewhere had some pellet gun near some school?

Parents ought to be lynched and kid strung up.

Teach him to take a gun out of his room!

[bteague2]

It's for the children.

[Fallguy]

Teen Arrested With Gun Near Sumner School - NewsChannel 5.com - Nashville, Tennessee -

I'm missing something. He had a pellet gun NEAR school... and was arrested? On what charge?

Probably.....

39-17-1362 Imitation firearm — Defined — Offense to display in threatening manner in public place.

(a) As used in this section, unless the context otherwise requires:

(1)

“Imitation firearm†means an object or device substantially similar in coloration and overall appearance to a firearm, as defined in §

39-11-106

(a), as to lead a reasonable person to perceive that the object or device is a firearm; and

(2)

“Public place†means a place to which the public or a group of persons has access and includes, but is not limited to, highways, transportation facilities, schools, places of amusement, parks, places of business, playgrounds and hallways, lobbies and other portions of apartment houses and hotels not constituting rooms or apartments designed for actual residence. An act is deemed to occur in a public place if it produces its proscribed consequences in a public place, even if the person engaging in the prohibited conduct is not in a public place.

( A person commits an offense who intentionally displays in a threatening manner an imitation firearm in a public place in a way that would cause a reasonable person to fear bodily injury to themselves or another.

© It is a defense to a violation of subsection ( if the imitation firearm is displayed in connection with, or as a part of, any justifiable defense as set forth in chapter 11, part 6 of this title.

(d) A violation of this section is a Class B misdemeanor.

(e) Nothing in this section shall be construed to prohibit prosecution under any other law.

Passed last year.

[TNhunter]

Wonder if he was "displaying it in a threatening manner"

[Guest jos2f]

I imagine some loonies would say that exposing it is displaying it in a threatening manner.

Now if he had it squared up aiming it at a person, then yeah, that is threatening..

[Guest vandutton]

They are threatening... somewhat. That's why my neighborhood had stuff like that as kids. Something to let each know that they got hit without inflicting permanent damage. Usually not even a scrape. It's a damn toy. Next thing I know, my niece is gonna get picked up by the cops for her damn BB gun.

[poak]

I wonder if it was a pellet gun, or an airsoft gun...

[Guest clownsdd]

In all due respect to our rights, a teenager carrying a gun near a school should raise an alarm. "Investigators said the teen was reportedly walking past the school when an employee noticed the gun and called authorities." Good call on the side of caution.

JMHO

[Guest bkelm18]

Yeah, in today's society you never know if that kid was on his way to shoot up the school. Better to err on the side of caution.

[Guest jos2f]

I don't think it's the fact that authorities were called, but the implication that he is arrested as a criminal and being held by police. Depending on his proximity to the school should determine how they handle this.

Either way, he didn't have a REAL gun so I feel safe in saying he didn't plan to murder dozens of people in a school

[Guest pws_smokeyjones]

I agree, the authorities bringing a potential threat to the attention of law enforcement was prudent. After some investigation I think however that the teen should have been let go with a warning etc... Unless of course there is more to the story that we don't know. If my 5yr old daughter was going to that school, I would want them to at least make some effort of bringing attention to a teen with a potential firearm near the school.

[bteague2]

In all due respect to our rights, a teenager carrying a gun near a school should raise an alarm. "Investigators said the teen was reportedly walking past the school when an employee noticed the gun and called authorities." Good call on the side of caution.

JMHO

Investigating? Fine. But WTF did they arrest him for? It was a pellet gun, who didn't run around with one of those as a kid?

[Guest clownsdd]

Agreed bt, I would think more details will follow.

[Garufa]

Hopefully, the kid will learn a lesson and not end up as some 45 year old ass carrying a badge and popping off rounds on a bike trail.

Hard to tell what the entire situation is but maybe this kid is being done a favor. In other words smarten up. Scared straight?

[DavidD]

I agree that the prudent thing to do was to a) Call the Sheriff and the Sheriff to bring the kid in for questioning. I have to give the Sheriff the benefit of doubt and assume that the kid was arrested for reason un be known to us. I'll be looking for more details, if any come out. I do not believe a child with a BB/Pellet/Air soft gun should be a crime are said child should be treated as a criminal by any means.

By the way, I thought there was a law passed that all of these types of guns had to have an orange tip or something like that. Was that only for toys?

[Guest JavaGuy]

The "gun" shown in the Associate Press photo shown with that story on Ch5's website certainly appears real enough that I would have taken it to be a real pistol without making a personal examination of it.

While we're on the subject, even though it's not a real pistol, many BB guns, pellet guns and airsoft guns pack enough of a punch to do some damage depending on where the projectile stuck someone. "You'll put your eye out, kid!" is more than just a line in the movie, "Christmas Story".

Heck, I've seen advertisements for high-end (price and performance) airguns where they seem to be making their case for hunting wild hogs with them.

Edited May 8, 2009 by JavaGuy
Muffed a word... without, not with

[Fallguy]

Here is the Federal law about orange tips. It does seem to only apply to toy and look alike guns. But from what I've read the tip is fairly easy to remove or paint over.

Unfortunately the things we did as kid...walking around with a BB/Pelet gun is for all practical purposes illegal now.

Although I have moved from there, the city ordnance that prevents the discharge of firearms in the city limits, even applies to BB/Pellet guns.

Time have changed...

[JayC]

Here is the Federal law about orange tips. It does seem to only apply to toy and look alike guns. But from what I've read the tip is fairly easy to remove or paint over.

Unfortunately the things we did as kid...walking around with a BB/Pelet gun is for all practical purposes illegal now.

Although I have moved from there, the city ordnance that prevents the discharge of firearms in the city limits, even applies to BB/Pellet guns.

Time have changed...

The federal law only covers interstate commerce. Transporting within the borders of TN is not covered. Unless the city/county/state has a law that he was violating.

[Fallguy]

The federal law only covers interstate commerce. Transporting within the borders of TN is not covered. Unless the city/county/state has a law that he was violating.

I'd bet that at least 99.9% of the guns like that in TN were transported in to TN from outside of TN making them part of interstate commerce.

I don't think orange tips has anything to do with the kid that was charged in this case, I think he was charged under T.C.A. 39-17-1362 I mentioned earlier.

I only linked to the orange tip code because another poster asked about it.

[DavidD]

Unfortunately the things we did as kid...walking around with a BB/Pelet gun is for all practical purposes illegal now...........

Time have changed...

Thanks! Yes, times have changed. I carried a BB gun every minute for an entire summer one year. I can even recall all out war with my friends....Ouch. It's a wonder any of us still have eyes.