Suspended for Playing Cops and Robbers

America has a new weapon against it's rising gun crime problem - Zero Tolerance in schools. Now you'd think this was a good idea, cracking down on gun carrying students, gang-bangers and the like, metal detectors in doorways, armed guards, etc.

But that's not quite what they mean everywhere.

At Wilson School, Sayreville, New Jersey, there is a ban on playground violence of any sort. Again, this sounds like a good idea but the school seems to have been a little too zealous in policing this policy, because four infants have been suspended for playing cops and robbers.

I'll say that again; four infants have been suspended for playing cops and robbers. Yes, really.

The children in the kindergarten class were given three-day suspensions for making pretend guns with their fingers - which were interpreted by the school as 'unacceptable threats'.

The children's plans to 'shoot' each other in the game were reported by other pupils, and the school's head teacher, following the local authority's guidelines, suspended those involved.

School district superintendent William L Bauer said "This is a no tolerance policy. We're very firm on weapons and threats. Given the climate of our society, we cannot take any of these statements in a light manner."

It's An Outrage!!

How can children's games be blamed for a culture which has grown up over hundreds of years and is based on the Constitutional Right to bear arms?!

I don't think they can see the wood for the trees here. You can ban everything you want, but as long as you can walk into a Woolworth's and pick up anything from a pistol to a semi-automatic rifle, gun crime and killings are still going to happen.

(Don't believe me? Ask me about Kip Kinkel...)

In the wake of a series of school shootings in the US, there have been large-scale anti-violence programmes in cities including New York teaching skills such as conflict resolution and anger management. In Illinois, schools have attempted psychological profiling of pupils, in an attempt to identify individuals who might have a propensity to violence.

HELLO!? You're missing the point!!! I'll lay it out for you again - people can only shoot guns if guns are available.

Let's compare to Britain for a moment - every child I have ever know (myself included) has made 'gun fingers' but our gun crime rate is almost non-existent compared with the US. The only difference is the availability of weaponry, and you'd have to be either a complete fool or a gun manufacturer to say otherwise.

America was built on and by guns. Until you remove them from society, the problem will remain. But for all their political bluster, no-one has the balls to push for this.

My advice? Until you stop shooting blanks and address the real cause, shut up!!