Opinion: Gun Control? More Like Overreaction

Ever since the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting on Dec. 14, gun control has been a huge political issue. Some schools all across the country are taking huge precautions with children and guns. If the person dropping a child off at school is not a parent or a sibling, these schools are demanding to know who they are. Something even worse happened in an elementary school in Sumter, South Carolina.Naomi McKinney, a six-year-old girl from Sumter, South Carolina, was expelled from her school for bringing a clear, plastic toy gun for show and tell.  She left her house with the toy gun in her bag, saying that she wanted to show it to her friends at school. Her parents were unaware of what McKinney brought to school until they received a phone call from the principal. Her father went down to the school after being notified by the principal saying that McKinney brought a gun to school. When her father arrived to the school and asked McKinney to show him the gun, she pulled out a toy gun.Apparently the school has a very strict weapon policy, saying that any weapons or weapon look-a-likes are not allowed on school property. The school faculty has never really specified to the children on what they can and cannot bring to show and tell. Not only was McKinney expelled from the school, she is not allowed to be on school property, even when her parents go to pick up her other siblings from that school. The Sumter School District would not elaborate more on the topic and refused to release a photo of the toy gun.This is the most ridiculous event that has happened dealing with guns since the Sandy Hook shooting. A little girl brought in a clear, plastic, toy gun for show and tell, and she was expelled. Expulsion is way over the top. Suspension would still be too drastic. The best way to take care of this situation was to send McKinney home for the rest of the day and have her parents discipline her. After that, the faculty in the Sumter School District should have elaborated on what not to bring to show and tell so an incident like this would not happen again.Gun control is a political issue that needs to be addressed. However, parents around the nation have started to become helicopter parents. Parents, as well as government, need to stop being so overprotective of youth.  These children will make mistakes; one cannot stop them from failure. They will learn from their mistakes. Let them be.