WINONA, Minn. – Something wasn’t right about a Snapchat image of a teen-age boy holding a gun with the message: “No school tomorrow.” This was a Saturday. But police investigated anyway. The image had been posted on a 17-year-old Winona high school boy’s account. The kid with the gun was a 16-year-old buddy. Another tip-off to the threat being less than real was the orange end of the barrel. Toy manufacturers put orange tips on their make-believe guns to clarify they aren’t real. But, as police know, criminals are no strangers to orange paint. As it turned out, the weapon was an air gun. How to punish the teens? A police spokesperson said that there had been a stern lecture. But also, the spokesperson said, the case remained under review.
A toy. But nothing to kid around about.