With all the reports of violence in schools lately, the news of a student bringing a gun onto school property is enough to send everyone into a panic. It happened right near here in Williamsburg County in early February. In the early hours of the school day, reports came out that a student had shown up to school carrying a gun.
The school was put on lock down while the Williamsburg County Sheriff’s Office conducted an investigation. One male student was taken into custody by police and by 9 a.m. the lock down had been lifted.
Initially, the 18-year-old student was charged with possession of a weapon on school premises, which is felony in the state of South Carolina. A felony of this nature would carry severe penalties. However, upon further investigation, the charge was dropped to a count of disturbing schools, which the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division lists as a misdemeanor. That’s because authorities discovered that the gun was in fact a BB gun.
Of course, any kind of weapons charges should be taken seriously, especially on school grounds. However, there is room in the law to allow for mistakes in judgment. In other words, did this student pose a threat or was this a simple mistake that deserves a bit of understanding?
As in all cases, the courts will decide this. So if you’re facing misdemeanor weapons charges or any misdemeanor, it may be a wise idea to have an experienced attorney at your side to argue your case.
Source: wbtw.com, “Charge reduced for Kingstree student who reportedly brought weapon to school,” February 2, 2017