The Tool is not the Enemy; Knives Out and Pencils?

Which came first, the chicken or the egg? It is a long standing debate. Can't have a human without the egg and sperm. What came first? That is up for many a heated discussion. 

In a violent society, and this world is a violent one, some like to blame the tool. They ignore the circumstances, motivation and legal authority of the person using it. Well, that is, if the tool is a gun. I am not hearing any national outcry to ban knives nationally, even from the emotional victims of AK or the students from Franklin Regional High School. 

Media Mention: Easy to conceal, harder to detect: Knives more prevalent than guns in schools | Institute for Firearm Injury Prevention https://share.google/f27Z1ru1eJYLA9LkE link may have to be copied.

Weapons are in society, but are not legally allowed in some settings (SCHOOLS) for good reasons. If we were a Miss Manners world or paid attention to the 10 Commandments, maybe we wouldn't need millions of laws and policies that explain decent behavior. Ignorance of the ones that apply to our circumstsnces is not a legal defense. It is an excuse.

Try this information from Pennsylvania on for size.  Copy link into browser if necessary.

Section 2702.0 - Title 18 - Reading Mode https://share.google/e4mjaykvfLRJuK58R

Some think the weapon came first and then the  hatred.  I know the hatred came first. But those wbo want gun ownership rights taken away do not agree. They blame the weapon. They have many debates.

Do they also blame the table when a baby stumbles? Do they blame the sidewalk when they trip? I know tennis players blame the racket. It's tennis season, watch those expensive behaviors when a player misses a ball. The action is not at all Miss Manners behavior even in high society venues. 

Many times in my post and book I have not blamed the weapon because, even if it is a knife, it is pointless. The tool is an inanimate object, a human makes the tool a weapon. How did the term "poison pen" come about? I will have to check on that. Another writer talked about pens today. 

This short report may give you a throw back to What I learned in Kindegarten. Listen carefully to the pencil! 

https://youtu.be/JJ1rfDPK7ZQ?is=p5-DN8Gug9V7Txq0

Ban the Boat! I have personal reasons why I could get on that bad wagon. I do not hear those cries coming out of a recent trial. Accidents, intentional hits, not knowing how to drive one, being under the influence, the boat does not think on its own ( well, not yet). Humans have the control.

Now, back to common tools used in school attacks.  Are there copy cat crimes with knives? Are schools any more open to give information when a knife is the tool used as a weapon? AK trial would point to "NO".

Here are a few recent examples:

2 teachers injured in school hallway stabbing at Roye-Williams Elementary in Havre de Grace | WBAL Baltimore News https://share.google/Rx4IPIrEGJXv7hU7z 

A few years ago: 2024 Epic failure? IDEA play a part. Read carefully.

Union leader says ‘epic’ failure led to boy stabbing teachers – NBC10 Philadelphia https://share.google/7eGEF8x7JH7XobDls ( copy link into browser) 

Knife Incidents, School Children Knives, School Knife Crimes https://share.google/2Q6VkZ3owBK2SXhF5 ( copy link into browser if necessary.

Are we tired of this yet? I got tired of the violent behavior impacting almost every aspect of my students' school day. It was not a knife, but what was in the bookbag?

Marian R. Carlino

June 18, 2026

Public school, public knowledge; Teacher and Principal did their jobs

I saw these videos in my feed today. Google knows before we do. It is because of my history of searches. Oh really!?

I used to get upset at pulled fire drills. Dust in the detectors was always the BS at my children's high school. It is a crime to pull a fire alarm or to shout "Fire" when there is none.

Connecting dots with these two videos.

So it is ok to publish videos. Public knowledge. In the first linked YT video, the student is 18.  No FERPA needed. Read the comments. 

The teacher and this principal did their jobs.  Do you think at the school in Newport News the VP, E Parker did her job. (See other posts and why I do not.) 

Felony to have a gun on school grounds. Bullying used as an excuse. 

Listen to the end. Typical parental response.

https://youtu.be/u2ze1tWynJE?is=XJ6BdCeLkpe89mOZ

In this next video, a student faked a hostage situation; police called to school;  hard lockdown.  Public school, public knowledge. This parent gets it at this point. Explusion on the table. Parent present for an underage student. Still on video and released to the public. Faces blanked out.

https://youtu.be/F9awg3xd3_Y?is=zbyGHQbL3LtLtBb9

Follow up to previous posts on AK.

Why did a high school in Frisco, Texas limit access to the video of the stabbing scene? Why did a Judge place a gag order? Why did another  Judge limit access to the court?  Was it because of improper protocol at the track meet? History of violence of the student with the knife? What high school had the video? They could have blanked out the faces too. The handling of the crime makes people question and they should. 

The defendent admitted his crime. Nobody on the jury bought the defense argument. The video and trial should have been public. More questions would have been answered.

Do you see a pattern with the bullying reason used for taking vengeance. It has become just BS. Luckily, the jury in the AK did not buy it.

School settings are public. The ADA speaker at ACCC  ( a community college) circa 2011 advised us in a mandatory meeting that is why teachers can be recorded. No right to privacy. But that moronic ADA representative was adamant that teachers could not know reasons why students needed accomodations. FERPA and 504 Plans are part of the problem when interpreted incorrectly. I wonder if she had to ever testify at a murder trial.

Do your research. Public education is paid for with your tax dollars. 

After watching the first video, if interested, go back to the posts on Newport News trial or watch part of the testimony in the civil case as well as Day 2 of the criminal case. Do you think the Judge in the criminal case got it wrong?

ASK..Asking Saves Kids. It could be your kid. No one is immune. 

Marian R. Carlino

June 17, 2026