Oh my.

From news of the weird:

Schools' conventional "zero tolerance" policies prohibiting guns or weapons on campus not only apply (as they have recently) to drawings of guns and to a 2-inch-long toy charm in the shape of a gun, but, at an Ionia, Mich., school, to making the familiar, thumb-up hand representation of a gun, for which Mason Jammer, 6, was suspended in March. [Grand Rapids Press, 3-4-10]

Next thing you know, kids will be suspended for using GNU Unix, because "GNU" can be rearranged to form "gun."

Drawings of guns and tiny toy guns, that's ridiculous. Do they think they can wipe all recollection of "guns" from the kids' minds? But the thumb-up pointed-finger hand sign of a gun, I might actually agree with that, given more context. I've never seen that used when it wasn't a threat, and I have a real bad knee-jerk emotional reaction to it. I don't think little kids should learn that it's okay to make that threat.

I have to agree with Zen. It's one thing if a group of kids are playing a game and going bang-bang at each other. It's another when a pissed off kid knows enough to point at shoot at someone he's mad at, then he's communicating a threat and it needs to be addressed.

I am reminded of when my not-quite two year old nephew (now 17) who had no gun like toys pointed a banana at me and said, "POW!"

Frisco uses his finger as a gun all the time now. He saw other kids doing it at daycare, knows it is not allowed, and thus loves to "shoot" at Ellie, who promptly hits the roof because she knows it is not supposed to happen. I try telling her to ignore him because he only does it to get a response, but at almost 5, she doesn't really get that.

ION, there are census workers checking in with their supervisor at the coffee shop I'm working from this morning (MIL in the house) and it seems sort of patriotic - like our constitution is working right in front of me.

I think kids should *definitely* be suspended if the do the "gun" thing with their hands -- as long as they're doing it in the cheesy way that, say, Larry from Marketing does to indicate something along the lines of "You betcha, sporto!"

(Does everyone know what I'm talking about? I don't know a shorthand term for that cheesy I'm-"shooting"-at-you-to-indicate-I-agree-and-am-totally-cool" thingy.)

Like this, Teppy? Owen's cousins taught him how to do it. I wasn't there when it happened.

Doing the douchebag finger-gun should carry heavy penalties! Especially if they wink and click their tongues at the same time.

Like this, Teppy?

Yes!

Especially if they wink and click their tongues at the same time.

You know exactly what I'm talking about! It's SO obnoxious!