Brickbat: Making a Felony Out of It

Some Georgia lawmakers say they want to change the state's "zero tolerance" law on weapons at school after two teens were charged with felony violations of that law in separate instances. Andrew Williams was charged after an assistant principal at Allatoona High School found a pocket knife in the center console of his car, and Cody Chitwood was charged after police found knives in a tackle box he'd left in his car after a fishing trip. Both face up to 10 years in prison and a $10,000 fine if convicted of the charges.

Comments

[Fist of Etiquette]

After the Marietta Daily Journal reported on the cases of Andrew Williams, 18, of Acworth and Cody Chitwood, 17, of Marietta, the newspaper's comment boards lit up with criticism over how one particular weapons law is written and enforced in Cobb County schools.

Please tell me it didn't take the comments section of a newspaper website to make lawmakers, law enforcement and school admins to recognize the absurdity of the law and its application.

[Swiss Servator, Zurichmania!]

Who says they have recognized the absurdity of the law and its application?

[Live Free or Diet]

If pocket knives were a felony in the 70s, half my HS class would be in prison today.

[in4mation]

No ... they would have been released in the 80s.

[WTF]

And as convicted felons would have difficulty finding decent employment and many would likely end up back in jail.

[Blinded by the Derp]

When I was a teacher, I fixed a wobbly chair with a keychain pocket knife. The next day an administrator wanted to see the pocket knife I "flashed" around. I pulled it out and she demanded to take it for further evaluation. At the end of the day or the next one I got it back since it was determined to not be dangerous.

[Fist of Etiquette]

Williams, a senior at Allatoona High School, became the subject of a warrantless search after a fellow student told a campus police officer that he or she saw smoke rising from Williams' car in the student parking lot and it smelled like marijuana.

Remember, kids, if you have a beef against a fellow student, you can always have your school administrators dance on your strings by crying drugs.

[Ted S.]

For all the anti-bullying talk, this is example #473215484321085782175402 of how the State teaches children to use the State to bully people they don't like.

[SugarFree]

Name them and shame them. Stamp this little narc into the ground, or risk another Keven Sabet.

[Fist of Etiquette]

But you have to admit, he made a helluva Hercules.

[Clich? Bandit]

+1 pecs

[Rich]

Remember, kids, if you have a beef against a fellow student

*or* a teacher or administrator.

"I know this sounds crazy, but I walked by the principal's office and it smelled like marijuana."

[Fist of Etiquette]

That won't work. If the principal touched you, however...

[Rich]

"I know this sounds crazy, but I walked by the principal's office and he looked at me like he was going to touch me. It's that creepy smile. He does it to all the girls."

[Snark Plissken]

When did they start searching cars? I never heard of anyone's car getting searched when I was in HS.

[Fist of Etiquette]

The problem with the law, in Setzler's opinion, is, like all zero-tolerance laws, it does not require a person to have any criminal intent to be in violation.

Unlike all the other criminal statutes?

[Scruffy Nerfherder]

For the most part, intent as a requirement for a crime is a dead concept. The regulatory state is not compatible with it.

[Drake]

So how does a plumber or carpenter do maintenance work at the school? I bet their toolboxes are full of deadly weapons.

[Rich]

So *that's* why our schools are physically falling apart!

[Fist of Etiquette]

"At the end of the day there are common things that adults do ? like carry bladed tools or pocket knives in their cars ? that need to be allowed and not criminalized," he said. "We need to have a complete discussion about this. I don't have all the answers. That needs to come over the next two months. But if there's no criminal intent it should not be a crime, for students or adults. I'm very committed to discussions between now and Thanksgiving so this can be resolved in the next session."

"That is, unless the students commit suicide first. Then at the end of the day we'll know maybe we shouldn't have waited until the end of that metaphoric day to think about doing something."

[Snark Plissken]

I think there should be zero tolerance for using the clich? at the end of the day.

[Swiss Servator, Zurichmania!]

At the end of the day, I think you may be correct.

[Snark Plissken]

People really need to start thinking outside the box.

[Scruffy Nerfherder]

To achieve maximum synergies. Who's going to champion this effort?

[Snark Plissken]

In today's highly competitive marketplace it depends on economies of scale.

[Sy]

+shifting paradigms

[Clich? Bandit]

Commission a blue ribbon panel to flange up with Q&A. We will touch all the bases and close the loop from a 50,000 ft perspective. Do we all have alignment?

[Drake]

What good is a tackle box without a couple of knives?

[Bee Tagger]

Why is the media inciting violence by calling the consensual hug box a a tackle box?

[Steve G]

I got permission and performed a show & tell in middle school on gun cleaning procedures using a .45 colt single action. This was circa '85 in suburban Portland, OR. It's amazing to think how far we've shifted in a couple decades.

[Rich]

like all zero-tolerance laws, it does not require a person to have any criminal intent to be in violation.

Alrighty, then -- make it zero tolerance for violating one's oath of office.

[Rich]

A "weapon" is defined as follows: "?any pistol, revolver, or any weapon designed or intended to propel a missile of any kind, or any dirk, bowie knife, switchblade knife, ballistic knife, any other knife having a blade of two or more inches, straight-edge razor, razor blade, spring stick, knuckles, whether made from metal, thermoplastic, wood, or other similar material, blackjack, any bat, club, or other bludgeon-type weapon, or any flailing instrument consisting of two or more rigid parts connected in such a manner as to allow them to swing freely, which may be known as a nun chahka, nun chuck, nunchaku, shuriken, or fighting chain, or any disc, of whatever configuration, having at least two points or pointed blades which is designed to be thrown or propelled and which may be known as a throwing star or oriental dart, or any weapon of like kind, and any stun gun or Taser."

Ha! You left out *hand grenades*!

whether made from metal, thermoplastic, wood, or other similar material

That is some mighty fine specifyin' right there.

This paragraph excludes any of these instruments used for classroom work authorized by the teacher.

"Today, students, we will be comparing and contrasting the effects of nunchaku and stun guns on the human body. Count off by twos."

[some guy]

This paragraph excludes any of these instruments used for classroom work authorized by the teacher.

I would become a very, very popular teacher very, very quickly.

[Ted S.]

But not as popular as the young lady teachers who sleep with their teenaged male students.

[pan fried wylie]

The roast beef ceiling.

[Nephilium]

Looks like you could still get away with a roll of quarters.

Must be tough for them to play baseball there without any bats...

[Invisible Finger]

First they came for the ice hockey...

[wareagle]

nothing highlights the buffoonery of educrats like zero tolerance. It's a mentality that treats nail clippers like Uzis and puts Mydol on a par with crack. Zero tolerance cannot be mocked loudly enough or long enough.

[some guy]

I'm surprised more teachers and administrators aren't against zero tolerance because it means legislators think they are too stupid to make decisions about the safety of the school/classroom.

Then again, I'm sure they enjoy getting to push students around without having to justify their actions.

[sarcasmic]

They like zero tolerance because they can't be blamed. Just following the rules. Sorry kid. You're going to prison. Rules are rules.

[Tulpa (LAOL-VA)]

That is pretty much it -- the heart and soul of bureaucracy.

[wareagle]

they're part of the borg so they have already surrendered any pretense of critical thinking. They firmly believe in activity disguised as action.

[Tulpa (LAOL-VA)]

A major goal of ZT is to remove the school's liability, both from victims of a potential attack AND from members of "protected classes" who are disciplined. If they let these redneck kids get away with having knives in their cars but disciplined black gangbangers for having weapons in their cars, that's a discrimination lawsuit waiting to happen.

[Clich? Bandit]

taking Mydol away from hormonal, newly cramping, emotional teenage girls is like release nerve gas into the school pep rally.

[DWC]

Additionally, people have to drop the notion that the people who promote this type of thinking (zero tolerance) are well intentioned, but misguided. Same with the thinking of prohibitionists in general.

[Ted S.]

^ This. So much this.

I like to say that you cannot care about the children if you wish to bequeath them a world without liberty and the rule of law, and that you cannot care about the children if you're working to infantilize them. Most people don't like it when I question their intentions, but it's not as if they believe we libertarians have good intentions.

[Rich]

Jinx!

[Ted S.]

The timestamps do away with having to call "Jinx". :-p

[Rich]

You're right. I really should refresh before posting my unhastily-composed snark.

[sarcasmic]

Most people don't like it when I question their intentions, but it's not as if they believe we libertarians have good intentions.

Questioning results is quite often interpreted as questioning intentions.

[Ted S.]

Foreseeable consequences are not unintended.

[sarcasmic]

Not if you believe policy is magic.

[Clich? Bandit]

RCz Law

[Rich]

This.

Parent: "Kindly state your intentions in instituting this regulation."
School Board Member: "Ensuring the safety of all our students, and ...."
Parent: "So, you're claiming that Andrew and Cody will be safe in prison?"
School Board Member (whispering aside): "Get security in here now."

[Ted S.]

Parent: "So, you're claiming that Andrew and Cody will be safe in prison?"

When Obama had his meltdown back in April over the gun control legislation not passing, he wailed something to the effect of, "If this common-sense [sic] legislation can save the life of even one child, don't we have an obligation to try it?"

My immediate thought was, "If rounding up the children and putting them in concentration camps where only responsible adults can have contact with them will save the life of even one child, don't we have an obligation to try it?"

[Rich]

Yep. These clowns don't listen to the crap they utter.

[sarcasmic]

Without zero tolerance, the people tasked with enforcing the rules might have to exercise some judgement! Oh no! Then they'd have to be like responsible and stuff! Oh no! Can't have that! Must... blame... the... zero... tolerance... policy...

[SugarFree]

You anarchists might not like this policy, but it guarantees that after they get out of jail they will never leave a knife in their locked car in a parking lot of a high school they are attending ever again.

[Clich? Bandit]

Ya know, in chem in HS we dropped cesium into water, electrolysed water and ignited both h2 and o2 and even performed a thermite reaction (that one was supervised and damn fucking hot). Seriosuly...that was in 89.

[Ted S.]

Even Anonbot gets it.