Mom Gives Gay Son Stun Gun to Take to School

An Indianapolis mom fed up with the amount of bullying her 17-year-old gay son was enduring, took matters into her own hands. Equipping her son with a stun gun, she sent him to school ready to defend himself against the bullies. And that is exactly what he did.

A stun gun is different from a taser, which has barbs attached to long wires to attach to a target. The stun gun is used by pressing against, or at least very close to, a person to shock him or her. On April 16, 2012 when Darnell “Dynasty” Young was surrounded by six other taunting teens on school grounds, he pulled the stun gun out from his backpack and sent an electric charge in the air. The students scattered and luckily no one was hurt from the incident.

But that didn’t mean school officials were going to let this pass without repercussions. Young was arrested and taken away in handcuffs. Although the school does not condone bullying, they have a strict rule against bringing weapons to campus, and will hold those that violate it, responsible for their actions. The school district announced Tuesday that he will also be expelled from school, allowed to return in January 2013.

Young told CNN:  "I got kicked out of school for me bringing the weapon to school, but I honestly don't think that that was fair… I didn't use it on nobody ... all I did was raise it up in the air and went back to my class."

Did Young take it too far?

His mom doesn’t think so. She still backs her original decision since she felt that she had to do something to protect her child, even if that means getting him expelled.

Although I agree that bullying is out of hand, and must be stopped, I don’t agree that bringing a weapon to school is the answer. What if this had been a knife or a gun? What if someone had been hurt, or killed? We need to focus on ways to stop bullying, create interventions, and support children in a positive manner. Using violence to stop violence only causes more pain. In Young’s case, I understand his expulsion, but I hope school officials are seeking punishment for those bullies as well because bullying in schools should not be tolerated.

What do you think? Should he have been expelled for defending himself? What would you do if your child was being bullied at school?