Parents are something else.... **long**

[CathrynRose]

Ever so slight back ground (will make telling this story easier, and more understandable)

All boys below are 14 and Freshman in HS:

Joey - My son
Scott - very good kid, honor roll, very polite - again, good kid.
Dustin - "bad" kid - special classes, lots of detentions, etc.

Joey is friends with both - but neither are friends with each other. I like both boys, but it's quite obvious that Dustin is a troublemaker, and Scott is not. Although I like to give kids the "benefit of the doubt" as I would have been considered a "bad kid". Dustin's okay - he's just not the "ideal child", by any stretch of the term!

Yesterday they had an early release from school. We live blocks from the highschool, so Joey, Scott (and another friend #1) and Dustin (and another friend #2) went over to our house so Joey could change clothes (Joey, Scott and friend #1 – were going to play football) And Dustin (and friend #2) were picking up Dustin’s bike that had been left by our house.

Joey goes into change while these other boys are messing around outside. Scott asks Joey – where’s your airsoft gun? (before anyone FLIPS out – theyre spring loaded with plastic-rubbery pellets….the entire neighborhood has them, and they actually shoot at each other, in the summer – playing around. Theyre boys!) Joey loads it up – hands it to Scott, and goes back to change.

While Joey’s inside, apparently Scott shot Dustin’s hand – at this same moment Dustin’s mom pulls up, see’s this and FLIPS out. Dustin wasn’t hurt – he was actually embarrassed his Mom was losing it. Again – these are plastic pellets. They don’t feel good when they hit you, but – again they’re boys…. And they did this ALLLLLL last summer.

So Dustin’s Mom is flipping out – everyone goes their separate ways, and Joey with Scott heads to the football field.

A few hours pass and the cops pull up. Question all involved, frisk Scott and toss him in the squad car, along with my son, who provided this plastic pellet shooting weapon. They take Joey home – they tell my fiancé he’s (Joey) not in trouble, but here’s what happened. Even the cop said – Normally we talk to the parents, but this Mom wants to persue this. <<<shaking head>>> The cop (according to my fiancé) didn’t seem to thrilled with what was going on. Scott was obviously shaken, nervous and scared – and he felt the “talk” was enough, and the Mom wouldn’t ease up on pressing charges. FOR A PELLET GUN IN THE HAND! (which Dustin also has one of these guns!)

They arrested Scott, fingerprinted him, mug-shot him, his parents had to pick him up from the police station, with bail money. He’s probably going to have to do “community service” and “juvenile parole”. This is the honor roll kid!!! This is the polite kid. Im so incredibly disgusted with Dustin’s mom, its not even funny! ! ! Dustin is the troublemaker! Dustin is the one with the filthy mouth when Ive driven him home!!! Dustin is the one who was in trouble in the school office when I registered Joey in school upon moving back from Florida. Dustin is the one with a big scabby scar on his nose, RIGHT NOW, from getting in a fight a week or so ago!! What is this??? She knows HER child is a P.I.A. and decides to ruin some other kids life??? Get control of YOUR child, lady!! IM SO MAD!

I feel so so so bad for Scott! Again, this kid is such a good kid. So polite, so quiet and nice! I don’t get this woman’s thought process, what-so-ever!

So mad – so disgusted.

 

[hentob]

Joey goes into change while these other boys are messing around outside. Scott asks Joey – where’s your airsoft gun? (before anyone FLIPS out – theyre spring loaded with plastic-rubbery pellets….the entire neighborhood has them, and they actually shoot at each other, in the summer – playing around. Theyre boys!)
.

Not flipping out, but I was taught NEVER to aim a gun at another human being. Even a play, plastic one. I don't think them just being boys makes a difference here. I am assuming these guns can do some damage to the eye?

If my entire neighborhood of boys shot at each other with pellet guns so much that it seemed like a normal thing to do, I would move.

I think you are under-reacting. This is just my opinion.

And, yes, I would probably call the police if somebody shot my son. Pellet gun or not.

I am Pro Gun (is that the correct way to say it ?) I believe it is my right (and yours) to own a gun. I also believe gun saftey is very important. Guns are NEVER toys. NEVER. Please teach this to the boys in your neighborhood.

 

[mickeyfan2]

She is overreacting, but what Scott did was wrong. I would sever all ties with Dustin now and forever. The next time it could be Joey.

 

[piglet too]

I agree that even toy guns should never be pointed, much less shot, at someone. I think it is a shame that Scott is in trouble over this, but he does have to take responsibility for his actions.

 

[inaminute]

I'll bet that if Dustin had been the one to shoot at the other kid, he'd be in a heap of trouble.

Scott aimed a weapon at another child and fired. He got caught. He should be willing to face the consequences.

I, too am concerned about a neighborhood where young teen boys are shooting each other with pellet guns. Even more concerned that the police don't seem to have a problem with it.

 

[tarmand]

My husband is a hunter and we have several guns in our house, however, I agree with the above poster that all guns need to be treated with respect. Shooting another kid with any type of bullet, pellet or otherwise should not be permitted. I wouldn't have called the police, but there's no way that I would find it acceptable that 14 year olds are shooting each other with any type of gun. Maybe this mother thinks it's time for "all of the kids" to stop behaving this way and this is her way of putting her foot down.

 

[golfgal]

Do you wonder why Dustin is a trouble maker? It comes from the mom. What a waste of everyone's time! I don't agree with aiming guns at other people either, but for crying out loud, it was a TOY. I would talk to your son about choices and friends and discuss what happened. If you forbid him to see Dustin, you know what will happen, but if you help him to see that choosing to be friends with Dustin, especially with a mom like that, is going to land him in BIG trouble some day.

 

[padams]

Boys don't shoot each other with pellet guns for fun in my neighborhood (and they didn't do it in the Chicago neighborhoods I grew up in 25 years ago-the neighborhood must have changed).

Furthermore, even if everyone in my neighborhood ran around shooting each other with pellet guns in the summer, I still wouldn't let my boys do it just because everyone else does it.

I also don't buy the "they're boys" excuse. The Columbine killers were just being "being boys" too.

I don't think Dustin's mom is out of line. Joey and Scott and every other kid in the neighborhood take a chance every time they play with their toy guns that someone might not like what they're doing. I wouldn't have brought the police into this situation but it's not an unreasonable option.

 

[CathrynRose]

OOOPS ! Duplicate!

 

[minniecarousel]

Sounds like it's time for all the boys to give up their "airsoft" guns.

 

[CathrynRose]

I am Pro Gun (is that the correct way to say it ?) I believe it is my right (and yours) to own a gun. I also believe gun saftey is very important. Guns are NEVER toys. NEVER. Please teach this to the boys in your neighborhood.

I totally understand what youre saying - and we've stressed this to all of them. But they find joy and amusement in shooting each other with plastic pellets.

And it bothers me that Dustin has one of these "guns" - I find it hard to beleive that she thinks her son only shoots aluminum cans.

And you know why she was driving around the neighboorhood - she's checking up on her son. I dont need to drive around checking up on Joey, nor does Scott's mom.

 

[Wish I lived in Fl]

Good kids, bad kids, doesn't matter.

It was a toy gun. One step up from a rubber band toy gun, 1 step below a paintball gun.

 

[Planogirl]

Yes, this is a toy and apparently quite common. Maybe Scott should be punished in some manner for pointing the thing but involving the police seems ludicrous and total overkill.

 

[VSL]

I'm not *entirely* sure of the facts, but I'm sure a youth (no idea what age) was either killed or seriously injured after being shot in the head with some kind of 'toy' gun.

I'll have to see if I can find the story (it was a few years back!).

 

[MamaLema]

note to self - don't move to CathrynRose's neighbourhood

Seriously, even if all the boys are doing it, I would NOT be happy if teens were shooting pellet guns at each other in my neighbourhood.

 

[jenks0718]

I'll bet that if Dustin had been the one to shoot at the other kid, he'd be in a heap of trouble.

Scott aimed a weapon at another child and fired. He got caught. He should be willing to face the consequences.

I, too am concerned about a neighborhood where young teen boys are shooting each other with pellet guns. Even more concerned that the police don't seem to have a problem with it.

I agree with this. If the bad kid did it everyone would be saying "See, I told you he was bad."

 

[Toby'sFriend]

Well I am sorry for Scott because he honestly does not need a Police record over this.

But honestly, the guns need to go IMHO. Alot of that is my own personal bias toward weapons -- in our house we stress that guns are adult objects, not ever to be used for play. Yes, boys will be boys and they will point sticks at each other and say BAM BAM BAM regardless - but that doesn't mean I'm going to provide them with pellet guns.

They are 14 year old boys. Believe me, they will have no trouble at all finding plenty of joy and amusement without the guns. It leads to trouble.

But I do feel sorry for the kid. What a mess!

 

[CathrynRose]

Not that it's going to change many peoples mind - BUT:

These are toy guns. Theyre not a Be-Be gun... they CAN be sold to minors.(how do you think Joey got one? Think I marched on in and signed for him?)... theyre toy guns. There's no liscense required.

I do understand that, of course - one wrong shoot and "youll shoot your eye out, kid" But some of the comparison's being made?/ Come on, now - Columbine?

I just felt bad for Scott - thats it. It was about a mother of a troubled kid (with an airsoft!) taking some kind of vengence out on a GOOD kid.

And they dont just randomly run around shooting at people. They basically play tag - in one of the neighborhood parks, yards, whatever... except they tag with itty bitty plastic pellets - which are spring loaded.

 

[Southern4sure]

My boys each have paint ball guns and BB/pellet guns. BUT they do not run around the neighbor hood shooting at each other and other kids. There are specific areas you can take your kids so they can enjoy these "toys" and are under controlled conditions. Sure it isnt cheap but then again you "know" where your kids are. My grandfather (who carried a pistol in his front pocket at all times until the day he died) always told us kids growing up...it is not the gun that kills people, its the finger of the person holding the gun. I think this would apply to toy guns also.

I think the mom is over reacting to get the police involved but maybe for once she was glad to know her son was on the other end of the situation and wanted the other kid/kids punished just like her son would have been.

 

[VSL]

Sorry, it was an air-gun (my mistake): http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/south_yorkshire/4527211.stm

Another case: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/4374777.stm
The above states that legislation was recently changed so that legal age to posess one rised from 14 to 17yrs.

I imagine that the air gun is more dangerous though..?