Pastries can’t kill you. At least, they won’t for a while. If pastries are a safe (though unhealthy) food item, why did one school recently suspend a seven-year-old boy for having one? He artfully bit his pop tart into the shape of a gun. Terrifying, we know. If the authorities hadn’t interceded, who knows what kind of violence could have erupted. Obviously I’m being facetious here. But, some people thought the “pop tart gun” was serious enough to warrant the child’s suspension. This is a ridiculous over-reaction which creates unnecessary fear and hype surrounding guns and bullies children for being children. When people have a fear of firearms (so much so that they are in an uproar over a pastry shaped like one), rights are taken away from citizens. Here at the O’Malley Law Office, we firmly believe in the right to bear arms, and protect this right as criminal defense attorneys in Larimer, Jackson, and Boulder County.
Bizarre Behavior in Response to Guns and Firearms
Across the nation, little boys and girls continue to be little boys and girls. They like to play in the mud. They enjoy eating weird food concoctions. They are constantly warned by their parents that their faces will “freeze like that” if they’re not careful. And, they still like to play with guns. No matter how afraid their parents are, children still manage to play with them, even on school property. There have been many reports of children being punished for drawing pictures of guns, having tiny plastic guns hanging as decorations on their key chains, and the creation of guns out of pop tarts and Legos. One high school girl wasn’t allowed to walk in her graduation because a pink water gun was found in her car. In one incident, school officials decided that a boy pretending to be a cop during the cops and robbers game was displaying an “act of violence” by pretending he had a gun. This is absolutely ridiculous. Make believe and actual violence are very different things. Pretending they are the same is to belittle victims of real violence, and cause confusion in our children’s minds. The little boy was pretending to be a cop – someone who should have a gun. By teaching children than guns are bad (even the ones used by good people whose duty is to protect) creates fear and uncertainty.
[pullquote align=”center” textalign=”center” width=”60%”]”We fear things in proportion to our ignorance of them.” – Christian Bovee[/pullquote]Some States Making Headway in Limiting Over-Reaction: The Pop Tart Bill
A Florida bill called the “Pop-Tart bill”, seeks to fight against over-reactions about guns in schools. This bill seeks to temper the zero-tolerance towards guns in schools by discriminating between real firearms and representations of guns. Colorado would be wise to follow in Florida’s footsteps. Teaching children in Fort Collins, Loveland, and Estes Park schools about gun safety in a non-reactionary manner will give them a healthy respect for firearms. Teaching children about the correct use of guns and the right to bear arms will go a long way. After all, “we fear things in proportion to our ignorance of them.” – Christian Nestell Bovee.
The O’Malley Law Office: Gun Rights Attorneys in Larimer County
Here at the O’Malley Law Office, we believe firmly in the right to bear arms. Our government is scared of this right, and will go to great lengths to take it away (even going so far as the suspension and bullying of school children). If your gun rights are being violated, contact one of our experienced criminal defense attorneys. Together, we will fight for your second amendment rights.