5-Year-Old Suspended, Labeled a 'Terrorist Threat' for Threatening Friend With Toy Bubble Gun

A 5-year-old girl from Pennsylvania has been suspended after telling a friend she was going to shoot her with a pink toy gun that spits out bubbles, the Associated Press reports.

The kindergartener was waiting for the bus at the time, and did not have the fake gun with her.

PennLive.com has all the unbelievable details:

Elementary school officials learned of the conversation and questioned the girls the next day, Fickler said. He said the girl did not have a parent present during the 30 minutes of questioning.

The result, he said, was that the student was labeled a "terrorist threat" and suspended for 10 days, Ficker said. The school also required her to be evaluated by a psychologist, [attorney Robin Ficker] said.

"This little girl is the least terroristic person in Pennsylvania,” he said.  [Emphasis added]

The family's attorney helped reduce the punishment from ten days to two, but the school is keeping the incident on the girl's record.  It has apparently been modified, however, to say she intended to harm another student.

Ficker told The Daily Item that school employees have become "hysterical" since the tragedy at Sandy Hook, and while we need to address genuine issues, there's certainly a line to be drawn.

“You can’t make light of what happened to this girl either,” Ficker argued. “The incident goes on her permanent school record. She has been branded a troubled person. But she was suspended for her words. She had no gun. She had a bubble-making machine.”

The girl's mother added: “All I know is what my daughter has told me and she said she was told she could go to jail, which is a very traumatic thing for a 5-year-old to live with.”

School officials said on Friday they weren't at liberty to discuss disciplinary actions.

But one clever ebay user utilized the story in attempting to sell his son's bubble gun, which he warned "may lead to the suspension of your kindergarten aged child."

The question and answer section reads:

Q: Does the winning bidder have to submit to a background check? Does this item come with the standard 10 oz bottle of bubble ammo or am i limited to the New York 7oz bottles?

A: No background check required. This item will include 5 fluid oz of "bubble ammo" to pass any New York State regulations/laws.

Related:

• 'It's Ridiculous': Three 6-Year-Olds Suspended for Making 'Gun' Signs With Hands During Recess
• School Allegedly Asks Deaf Preschooler to Change His Name Because Sign Language Version Resembles ‘Weapons’
• ‘I Beg You to Try Very Hard to Make Guns Not Allowed’: White House Releases Letters From Children on Guns