Teen Suspended For Stopping Gun Violence

The Last Resistance

March 4, 2013

We live in a strange world; a world where someone doing something right can be punished; a world where stopping violence leads to unfortunate consequences. Ever since the spate of recent shootings, all gun related incidents are garnering huge attention. A student wearing a Marines tee shirt, with guns on it, was punished; a kindergartener with a toy gun gets severely punished; the most ridiculous and innocuous incidents are overreacted to. Now, we have yet another incident–in this case, someone stopping potential violence–which was greatly overreacted to.
According to Town Hall“A 16-year-old high school student in Fort Meyers, Florida was suspended for 3 days for wrestling a loaded gun away from another teen who was threatening to shoot. The 16-year-old tackled a 15-year-old classmate on the school bus after he allegedly pointed the gun at another student.”
 The apparent reasoning behind the suspension was not only that the teen was “involved” in the incident, but that he refused to cooperate when questioned. According to his mother, he was scared.
Obviously, none of us can be entirely sure of the particulars of what went on, but that being said, I think I can safely say that this is insane.
1. A teen had a gun on a school bus–which should be the highest point of concern here.
2. This other teen–with heroic effort, and of his own initiative–took it upon himself to remove the gun from the hands of the offender.
3. Despite the possibility that this heroic teen could have been killed, he took the risk to potentially save others on the bus.
4. With all of this, he was still suspended.
Just as Heather Ginsburg says in her column on Town Hall, have we reached a tipping point? Have we come to the point where we are so reactionary when it comes to violence and guns, that even those on the right side are being punished for simply coming in contact with those weapons?
F. Scott Fitzgerald said: “Show me a hero and I’ll write you a tragedy.” This teenager was a hero; he acted in a selfless way; a way that could have gotten him killed. He deserves to be commended, not suspended. This is a tragedy.