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Bill proposed to ban students from wearing bulletproof vests to school

BATON ROUGE, LA (WAFB) - Legislators are considering a proposal to restrict kids from wearing bulletproof vests at school. A young man wearing a vest and carrying a gun approached a middle school in East Baton Rouge earlier this year. Sheriff's officials say they could not legally do enough to punish him, so they want the legislature's help.

A 13-year-old boy disturbed the peace of McKinley Middle School by bringing a .38 caliber revolver and bulletproof vest onto school grounds. Colonel Ricky Adams with the East Baton Rouge Sheriff's Office says the young man told them he wore the vest to protect himself from bullies. "We question the need for bulletproof vests in schools in the first place, and we always have to be cautious what someone's motivations may be," Adams says. Adams charged the young man with carrying a firearm onto school grounds, but says he fears the young man's motivation was more complex. "Most often, the aggressors were victims of some type of violence and bullying in schools and others, so we want to bring that to the attention of school officials."

Now, Adams is working with state legislators on a bill to stop students from wearing bulletproof vests or other types of body armor to school. If it passes, the only way a student can wear a bulletproof vest is if he/she goes to the school administrator first and asks for permission. "It would deter someone's thoughts from saying I need to go to this extreme to wear a vest to protect myself in school. Instead, it will push them to go talk to school officials and let them know they are victims of bullying."

The bulletproof vest bill does allow law enforcement officials on school campuses to suit up. The bill unanimously passed out of a House committee Wednesday. It now goes to the House floor for another vote.

Posted by: Puchiko
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Posted in: News on July 19, 2008 @ 12:00 AM

Tags: School

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