Ireland: School Principal Calls Cops on Student After He Posted Picture of Squirt Gun on Social Media


Ballinteer Educate Together National School principal Paul O’Dwyer

The Irish are really making a lot of sense these days.

We’ve needed common sense squirt gun control for a long time, but people are scared to speak out about it for fear of looking totally retarded.

Gript:

Gardai were called to the home of a student in a Dublin school this summer after the school principal complained to them over images of a water pistol shared in a student’s whatsapp group, Gript Media can reveal.

On Wednesday June 21st of this year, parents and guardians of students at Ballinteer Educate Together National School received an email from that school’s principal, Mr. Paul O’Dwyer.

Mr. O’Dwyer told parents that he had contacted Gardai over a “serious incident” where “disturbing images” had been shared in a student’s whatsapp group. Mr. O’Dwyer wrote that he had been made aware of the incident “within the past 45 minutes” and that the student in question had been suspended for an initial two day period:

“I have been in contact with the family of the child concerned as well as the Chairperson of the Board of Management, Colette Kavanagh. A decision was reached that the child will not attend school for at least the next two days owing to the seriousness of the messages sent and the need to ensure the safety of our school community. Additionally, I made Dundrum Garda station aware of the issue.”

A second student was also, subsequently, suspended for sharing a similar image in the group.

Parents were not made aware of the nature of the “disturbing images” in question by the principal, which led to considerable speculation as to their nature.

The images, according to multiple parents familiar with the incident, were of a toy water pistol. The context was that students at the school were discussing the possibility of an end-of-year water pistol fight to celebrate the ending of the school year.

On foot of the school’s complaint to the Gardai, members of the Garda National Firearms unit paid a visit to the home of one of the students where it is understood the student was given warnings about the dangers of firearms.

The incident has been the subject of some disquiet amongst parents at the school, who believe that the school’s actions – and those of the gardai – constituted a considerable over-reaction.

One parent, speaking to Gript Media, described the incident as “f**king outrageous”. There were significant concerns about the nature of the email from the principal, which was felt to have suggested conduct much more serious than that which actually occurred. “When you read that distressing images and comments were shared, your mind immediately goes to almost anywhere other than a water pistol”, the parent said. “Your first reaction is that this is something violent, or sexual, or abusive. Those students must have felt like they were utter criminals, to be described that way. It was a water pistol, and they treated the child like he was a terrorist sympathiser”.

Guns kill people, period.

This whole “well, it shoots water, not bullets” is just a way for criminal gun-owners to justify their actions.

It’s time for a real crackdown.

Ireland is once again at the front of the issue.

This is from a year ago:

The Irish keep on winning, and keep on leading the way for the rest of the world as we all hope to transform into a utopia.