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Boy punished for t-shirt with gun image

Flintlock

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http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080310/ap_on_re_us/t_shirt_gun

LANCASTER, Pa. - The family of a middle school student who was given detention for wearing a T-shirt bearing the image of a gun has filed a federal freedom of speech lawsuit against the school district.

Donald Miller III, 14,went to Penn Manor High School in December wearing a T-shirt he said was intended to honor his uncle, a U.S. Army soldier fighting in Iraq.

The shirt bears the image of a military sidearm and on the front pocket says "Volunteer Homeland Security." On the back, over another image of the weapon, are the words "Special issue Resident Lifetime License — United States Terrorist Hunting Permit — Permit No. 91101 — Gun Owner — No Bag Limit."

Officials at the Millersville school told him to turn his shirt inside out. When Miller refused, he got two days of detention.

His parents, Donald and Tina Miller of Holtwood, have accused the Penn Manor School District in a lawsuit of violating their son's First Amendment rights with a "vague Orwellian policy" that stifles both patriotism and free speech.

But an attorney for the school district said school must create a safe environment for students in the post-Columbine era, and bringing even the image of a gun to school violates the district's policy.

"There's a much higher level of sensitivity these days," Penn Manor attorney Kevin French said. "But it's based on reality."

The lawsuit was filed in January. A federal judge will hold a conference on the case March 31.
 

LEO 229

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I posted once before... read about a kid suspended for drawing a gun on paper in like 3rd grade.

Schools are going overboard. I understand their fears but this is a bit much.
 

Legba

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How is an image of a gun creating an unsafe environment? There are probably disturbing images in the history textbooks at the same school - or there ought to be anyway, if they teach it right. Perverse hypersensitivity does not make anyone safer.

-ljp
 

LEO 229

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It doesn't.... they simply violated his rights as the schools think they can do just about anything they want.

I do not see how suspending a kid for some clothing does any good at all.

My God!!! Imagine if he brought a copy of Guns and Ammo to school...!!!!!
 

Flintlock

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LEO 229 wrote:

My God!!! Imagine if he brought a copy of Guns and Ammo to school...!!!!!

No kidding..

Or Soldier of Fortune, Combat Handguns,or better yet, SWAT Magazine.

Public schools nowadays arelike a brainwashing, concentration camp and there does not appear to be any end to their restrictions, fear mongering, or misinformation campaigns.
 

LEO 229

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OK.. some of those are gentleman's magazines.... Those would be out of line for a child to have.
 

Flintlock

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Doug Huffman wrote:
Or Playboy, Penthouse or Lester the Molester.
Forgive me, but what the hell is Lester the Molester...? :?

Or do I not want to know...? :shock:
 

PFC Helms

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Yea, this is about what happened to me whenI was in my freshman year of High School. I had spoken with my parents about maybe buying a SoftAir toy pistol to have some fun and target practice with. Since we didn't have internet at home or a place in town that sold them at the time, they were very new to the market. So at schoolI printed out an order form to take home and show my parents to mail off.An extra copyinadvertantlygot printed out, and left at school by accident.At which point the next dayI was immediately suspended indefinately, pending an expulsionhearing by the board of education.

Helms, Thomas S

PFC

1/149th BSTB

U.S. Army

:banghead::banghead::banghead:
 

Doug Huffman

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The Invincibly Ignorant ignore the dilemma of the heap through labels like "pre-teen." If appropriateness is determined by age, is 21 too young? 20? 19, 18, 17, ... 15, 14, 13, ... ? Maybe 60 is too old. Ignorance can be cured (evidently with great difficulty) but stupidity goes clean to the bone!


Better to conflate Loki's Wager with an eager tyrant and argue where his neck ends. The conspiracy of ignorance masquerades as common sense.

Either we are equal or we are not. <<That is a koan unanswered)) Good people ought to be armed where they will, with wits and guns and the truth. NRA KMA$$
 

lockman

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The child should have complied and turned his shirt inside out, revealing a much more graphic first amendment message in response to the misguided request.
 

t3rmin

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The "thought police" strike again. Either these adults have trouble separating reality from pictures, or they think the image of a gun conveys the intent to use one for a murderous rampage. Thank goodness my kids will never see the inside of a government school.
 

Evil Ernie

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My 16 yr old wears his Tapco T-shirts regularly and hasn't had any issues with school officials yet. Although last year they did give him some grief about the Guiness shirt...eh, whatever...
But yeah, the Thought Police are alive and well. And probably browse these forums on a regular basis, so hey! Thought Police! Yeah you!! :cuss:Sheesh, we need a birdie emot...
 

ComSec

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There just making the mind set of the kid that is made to believe guns are a NO NO. They will want to do stupid things like bring a gun to school, When kids have learned about weapons and respect for them they will be less likely to do dumb stuff
 

Deanimator

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LEO 229 wrote:
It doesn't.... they simply violated his rights as the schools think they can do just about anything they want.

I do not see how suspending a kid for some clothing does any good at all.

My God!!! Imagine if he brought a copy of Guns and Ammo to school...!!!!!
In Catholic highschool, I reliably had more gunbooks and magazines in my bag than schoolbooks.
 

LEO 229

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Deanimator wrote:
In Catholic highschool, I reliably had more gunbooks and magazines in my bag than schoolbooks.
Oh... You would probably be punished hard today. :D
 

squarepeg

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Yeah I have a feeling that myself and a few friends would have been expelled from school if we were 10 years younger. In third grade we created a comic that had a bad guy who was one of our classmates. It was drawn in pencil with the only color being the blood of the bad guy when the day was saved. (The bad guy came back to life every day at recess:)) I had a buddy in high school who drew guns on his papers all the time. Something tells me they can through him in jail for that now.
 
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