Boy punished for T-shirt with gun image

[Hazcat]

Mon Mar 10, 1:29 PM ET
 


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.

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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.


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

[Outlaw]

Stand your ground kid

[Pathfinder]

Mon Mar 10, 1:29 PM ET
 


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.

ADVERTISEMENT
 
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.


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

To quote the Hitchhikers Guide to Galaxy - or was it the Encyclopedia Galactica?? - can these morons in the schools boards, and especially their attorneys, please, please, please be the first up against the wall when the revolution comes?

Please???

 

[jnevis]

There was a High School student that had that happen to him a couple years ago for wearing an NRA Sports shirt to school.  The family sued and the NRA helped (Duh) and they went to the Supreme Court (I think only at the state level though,could be wrong) that upheld it as legal.  The School Board had to pay through the bloody nose for it.  Some people just don't have a sense of humor and are WAY to sensitive.

[Teresa Heilevang]

You got to be kidding me!
 How in the hell is that T-short any more offensive than all the creepy black clothed  Goth advocating the dark side. Or the gangs wearing their "colors".
??
Stupid scared Sheeple's that are running schools are absolutely going over the edge.

And since when does a T-shirt with a gun on it "harm " anyone..
That just pisses me straight off!
 I hope the kid and his parents hang in there.

[Sponsor]

[tombogan03884]

There was a kid in Ca. (of course) who got suspended for having a pen with the WORD Glock on it.   

[Teresa Heilevang]

My youngest almost go suspended his sophomore year for having a potato gun in the back seat of his car..
Kind of a hoot now.. but it wasn't then.

You have to remember that we are in a town of 800 people. Our school consolidated with the 2 other small towns (8 miles on each side) so we have about 300-400 kids in the whole school. We have known the teachers ( some were in my class) and the parents and the kids all of our lives. ( typical Mayberry type town) We never had any type of "federal or state law saying that the kids couldn't park their trucks and not have a rifle in the back window in the rack or anything like that or that they couldn't have a knife or pliers on their belt. The kids all around here haul hay and are rancher and farmers kids...so this was always just a given.
Never in all of my day in this town has there ever been a problem with this.
But then they had to put the signs up about drug and gun free zones yada yada yada.. and things changed.
Well....
Mark ( my husband) and Derek and Danny ( my sons) had made this potato gun.. and it was a big one.. looked like a cannon...and painted black no less. 
Anyway, the boys had taken it behind the little Quick Trip out on the highway and shot the damned thing before school. Someone saw them and called the local yokals and instead of calling us ( we were 5 blocks away working at our Hardware store) they went out to the school and proceeded to play Barney Fife. Well, Derek's car was locked and the P Gun was in the back seat.. with a few rounds  of "ammo" (potatoes) on the floor. They saw it and freaked out. ( like I said, it looked like a cannon)
 
They went in and got him out of school and made him unlock his car and Derek proceeded to tell them how it worked and explained what it was etc.. ( Keep in mind that they all  knew that he and most all the boys in that school had been raised with guns and hunted and shot etc so it shouldn't have been a big deal after he explained .. but they went over the top. Needed to play big shots and make a big deal about it.
Called us... we went out.. Mark talked to them and they insisted that it was a "dangerous weapon" ( not nearly as dangerous as I wanted to be with them    ) so we finally convinced then instead of kicking him out of school for the REST OF THE YEAR!??  ....... they kicked him out for 3 days..
Jeese what a mess.....
We grounded him for 2 weeks for shooting the damned thing at the quick trip... but it was just one of the many many times of raising boys that gave me the wrinkles I have now.. LOL

But that potato gun is the funnest thing to shoot. It WILL shoot a long long ways too. PVC , igniter switch , hairspray and spuds... Who would have thunk it! 

[Hazcat]

So what you're saying is that your kids are 'normal' (as teenage boys ever are ) and that once the gov't nose was under the tent life got worse (there's a big suprise  ).

Once you let them in they never leave and whatever you give it's never enough. 

[MikeBjerum]

There was a time I would have said there was room for discussion on both sides.  I have no problem with the front of the shirt, but the back could be argued as inappropriate for a school setting.  Even given that I would applaud the youth for his stand on free speech in honoring his uncle.  However, given the extremes other groups have used free speech to take away so many of our freedoms I would side with this youth 100%.  He doesn't cross any lines by showing pictures with bullseyes on them or saying we should shoot someone.  It just expresses the true meaning of the 2nd Ammendment - the right to keep and bear arms for the protection of self, others and the Nation.

One of the things that changed my mind on all this was a young lady that has participated in shooting sports for years.  She went to State and Nationals in many areas of shooting sports through her high school career, but was not allowed to express her self on this.  Her senior picture was holding her trap gun, and she was told she could not use it for the annual.  She even caught greif when she used it in her graduation invitations.  Following all this she was given a t-shirt that said "I participate in an olympic sport, but I can't talk about it at school."  When she wore it to class in college, she was called aside after a class and told to never wear it to class again.

We need more youths and adults that will speak on their legal rights and stand their ground.  Many don't like the NRA because of its all or nothing inflexible stance, but this is the inflexibility we face daily.

[tombogan03884]

We need more "ADULTS" who will speak their mind and hold their ground. he Constitution was written to protect us from the compulsive "Do Gooders"