41 Comments - Big Joe - Monday, Mar 4, 19 @ 2:33 pm: Not sure if a year expulsion is the right type of punishment, but I am all for banning guns of any type in schools. There is no need for those things to be in a school at any time. If a student wants to study the use of guns, join the military as soon as they are old enough. Learn in that setting. - 47th Ward - Monday, Mar 4, 19 @ 2:37 pm: If you bring a paint ball gun to school you’d better have a good explanation. OTOH, I brought a twelve gauge shotgun to my high school in 1982. It was for a demonstration project in a speech class. I got an A. Also asked the Principal for permission in advance. But I walked in the front door with a shotgun in its case and kept it in my locker between classes. Nobody thought twice about it. Those were the days. - wordslinger - Monday, Mar 4, 19 @ 2:39 pm: Just another useless liberal law designed to punish law-abiding paint gun guys and gals. If paint guns are outlawed, only outlaws will have paint guns. - DuPage Saint - Monday, Mar 4, 19 @ 2:41 pm: In my opinion should read may be expelled not shall be Also I would assume school district would have to pay for alternative school. Can’t just have kid sit home looking for trouble - Huh? - Monday, Mar 4, 19 @ 2:44 pm: “Nobody thought twice about it.” In 1967, when I was 10 years old, bought 2 boxes of .410 shotgun shells. Same year walked through the LaSalle Street train station carrying the cased gun to catch a train to my grandparents house. Now a day, kids get suspended for using a finger pistol and going “pwee pwee”. - wordslinger - Monday, Mar 4, 19 @ 2:45 pm: –In my opinion should read may be expelled not shall be– The difference between “may” or “shall” can make all the difference in the world when it comes to gun laws. - Gooner - Monday, Mar 4, 19 @ 2:46 pm: The provision allowing for discretion is the problem. It really opens the door for students who do the same thing to be treated very differently. The other is “bears a reasonable relationship to school.” If the school’s baseball team decides that they want to attend a Cubs game together, they buy their own tickets, and someone is messing around with a paint ball gun prior, is that a “reasonable relation to school”? - illini - Monday, Mar 4, 19 @ 2:47 pm: Now if only Chapin Rose were as concerned about continued, adequate funding for his Alma Mater. Priorities, I guess. - Otown Beatdown - Monday, Mar 4, 19 @ 2:51 pm: Key phrase folks: Provides that expulsion for these types of guns may be modified by the superintendent and the superintendent’s determination may be modified by the school board on a case-by-case basis. However, it seems having that discretion piece at all really shows that Chapin knows the one year expulsion in the sentence before is overkill - Blue Dog Dem - Monday, Mar 4, 19 @ 2:51 pm: Since someone started it. Do we need a FOID card to by one of these paint ball gun thingies.? - A Jack - Monday, Mar 4, 19 @ 2:52 pm: A year seems excessive. - JS Mill - Monday, Mar 4, 19 @ 2:56 pm: What he is proposing- since the law provides for modification by the school board or superintendent- is already allowable now. We can already expel a kid for bringing a paintball gun or any of the other “guns” he lists to school. Check your kids’ school handbook. Chapin Rose-behind the times as always. - Anonymous - Monday, Mar 4, 19 @ 2:57 pm: You’ll shoot your eye out, kid. - revvedup - Monday, Mar 4, 19 @ 3:02 pm: So the school suspends the child, who then….???…sits at home? Attends an alternative school (and possibly becoming more of a delinquent) at taxpayer expense? Runs the streets, becomes a politician and…? - RNUG - Monday, Mar 4, 19 @ 3:06 pm: Government nannyism overreach. Seems to be already covered under other provisions. - OneMan - Monday, Mar 4, 19 @ 3:10 pm: So you could be expelled for bringing a potato gun (the one that shoots little chunks of potato?) - 360 Degree TurnAround - Monday, Mar 4, 19 @ 3:11 pm: Where is Todd Vandermyde? - Michelle Flaherty - Monday, Mar 4, 19 @ 3:13 pm: Mandate expulsion, but then give locals discretion to undo your mandate. It’s almost like Rose feels the need to look responsive to gun issues at schools without actually doing anything. Bold. - City Zen - Monday, Mar 4, 19 @ 3:14 pm: Before assessing future state, I like to know current state. How often does this scenario occur in a school year? - Earnest - Monday, Mar 4, 19 @ 3:16 pm: I don’t support. I’m not a big fan of mandatory minimums. I acknowledge I could be biased. When I think of kids with bb guns I picture thugs like these: http://www.newstrib.com/news/peru-bb-gun-club-outguns-olgesby-s-shooters/article_060e1320-3d22-11e9-8f73-fb51ba1817ce.html - Actual Red - Monday, Mar 4, 19 @ 3:16 pm: Are bb/airsoft guns with a velocity over 700 fps already banned? Otherwise I’m confused by the “less than 700 feet per second” provision. - lost in the weeds - Monday, Mar 4, 19 @ 3:20 pm: Why does this need to be state law? - DuPage Bard - Monday, Mar 4, 19 @ 3:23 pm: Darn Central Illinois gun grabbers - d. p. gumby - Monday, Mar 4, 19 @ 3:25 pm: Suspension from school doesn’t really help solve the situation. - Wha? - Monday, Mar 4, 19 @ 3:33 pm: I’m about as anti-gun as it gets but even I think expulsion around paintball guns is pretty ridiculous. - former principal - Monday, Mar 4, 19 @ 3:46 pm: The require to expel is unreasonable. When I was a principal, I had a school offer who was desperate for me to suspend a high schooler who wore a bullet belt (THAT HE PLACED ON THE METAL DETECTOR) before he entered. I can just see the misuse. If someone has intent to do harm, but 47th ward’s point should be considered. “May be” is fine. - Ron - In Texas - Monday, Mar 4, 19 @ 3:54 pm: One of the things to think about with something like this that is often ignored is things like parking lots. So some junior in high school, who plays paintball on the weekends leaves his paintball “gun” in the trunk of his car at school… 1 year off? really… The other thing to ask, is there really a surge of paintball and bb gun crime in schools? are we solving a problem that already has solutions? - Ron - In Texas - Monday, Mar 4, 19 @ 3:54 pm: One of the things to think about with something like this that is often ignored is things like parking lots. So some junior in high school, who plays paintball on the weekends leaves his paintball “gun” in the trunk of his car at school… 1 year off? really… The other thing to ask, is there really a surge of paintball and bb gun crime in schools? are we solving a problem that already has solutions? - FormerILLobster - Monday, Mar 4, 19 @ 4:04 pm: When I coached High School sports, not so long ago, we often had “alternative” practices where, instead of practicing our actual sport, we played kickball, flag-football, went to movies, and yes, went and played paintball. Would this have been grounds for expulsion? Seriously, stop the madness - Hieronymus - Monday, Mar 4, 19 @ 4:05 pm: “So you could be expelled for bringing a potato gun (the one that shoots little chunks of potato?)” and what about Nerf guns? Minion guns? /s - A Jack - Monday, Mar 4, 19 @ 4:06 pm: Many schools have archery teams. A bow and arrow is considerably more dangerous than a paint ball gun. - Todd - Monday, Mar 4, 19 @ 4:17 pm: ==Where is Todd Vandermyde?== In Indianapolis going to get a steak at St. Elmos - lincoln's beard - Monday, Mar 4, 19 @ 4:37 pm: Who exactly is this supposed to deter? Are we supposed to believe that there are kids out there who were willing to bring their BB gun to school and cause a ruckus but who would only do it if they wouldn’t get expelled? - Anonymous - Monday, Mar 4, 19 @ 4:38 pm: Mandatory policies are misused to always avoid case by case decisions. #CommonSense - Friend of the Family - Monday, Mar 4, 19 @ 4:39 pm: I thought we were trying to keep kids in school and be reasonable about responses. I don’t see how minimum of 1 year expulsion makes sense for these items, even if there is a case by case basis. We know that school boards, superintendents, etc., are only human. - XonXoff - Monday, Mar 4, 19 @ 5:17 pm: – If paint guns are outlawed, only outlaws will have paint guns. – Paintball guns don’t paint people. People paint people. - FormerParatrooper - Monday, Mar 4, 19 @ 6:03 pm: I can’t see what issues this addressing. As others have asked is there a problem with bb guns and paintballs at schools happening? I looked at other Bills he has proposed and signed up too. Maybe he is just trying to fill his page up to look like he is busy? - Anonymous - Monday, Mar 4, 19 @ 8:04 pm: This proposed legislation seems to be addressing a single constituent issue somewhere… seriously, people are just now discovering that airsoft is a thing? I think this is a case where it’s better to write to a broader guideline with room for reasonable exceptions, rather than try to address every potential permutation. - Anonymous - Monday, Mar 4, 19 @ 11:23 pm: Paintball? A Republican? Not The Onion??? Incredible. - NorthsideNoMore - Tuesday, Mar 5, 19 @ 8:01 am: Cook Co please Tax the air canisters and balls …Make $millions$ - j - Tuesday, Mar 5, 19 @ 8:16 am: A major concern here should be how similar some of these “toys” are in appearance to actual handguns. The responses of others who see them in a school could be tragic. In my experience, as a cop, the more realistic the gun is, the more likely that the orange cap at the end is filed off. Sorry, comments for this post are now closed.