Six Year Old Accused of Gun Threat: Police Turn Up Nothing

7/6/2012 (Updated 7/7/2012 9:13:07 AM)

Kids and guns in schools:

It's a serious concern these days, but so is bullying and false accusations which can victimize the innocent.
 
Earlier this week-- we told you about two eighth graders who were given a year's suspension from Jennie F. Snapp school--after they were accused of planning to bring guns into the school and shoot students.

Their mothers and their lawyer say the accusations were false, and made by bullies--and the school system did not follow proper procedures--

At around the same time, in late May, a six-year old boy was accused of a similar plan-- this time, it was at the George F. Johnson school:
"I don't have any guns...I have a nerf gun, but I don't bring it to school...guns scare me" --his name is Tyler Bronson, in the first grade at George F Johnson School in Endicott--

He and his mother, Jessica Bronson, say another student aboard a school bus with Tyler said that Tyler threatened to bring a gun to school--
that happened on a Friday--but it wasn't until early Monday morning
that  there came a knocking at their door.

A policeman entered, without asking permission, she says, and searched Tyler's bookbag and other parts of the house.
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She says, he was "banging at the door....I didn't know what had happened...I was wondering if a member of my family was in trouble."
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Later, police concluded that there was no reason for concern, and the case was closed.

Jessica  Bronson believes the matter could have been handled in a way that would not have frightened her son, and caused her to panic.
John Bertoni, the mayor of Endicott seems to agree:  He says it could have been handled in a way that would not have frightened the six year old....it was a little rough...it didn't start with a Teddy Bear like you see in the movies."  Bertoni tells Fox 40 he's talked with the police department about using a softer approach.
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Meantime, Jessica Bronson says she wasn't given many details of how it all came about-- and is still left wondering.
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The Union Endicott School District says it was a police matter from the beginning, and the district was not involved in any way.
It has no other comment on the matter

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