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:
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