Well England is much safer now, eh what?
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/mai.../01/20/ixhome.html/news/2003/01/20/ngun20.xml
Lecturer is sacked over student's plastic gun
By Athalie Matthews
(Filed: 20/01/2003)
A lecturer who allowed a student to bring a plastic toy rifle into a college for use in a photography project has been sacked for breaching health and safety regulations.
Richard Browning, 40, from Doncaster, was dismissed as a photography teacher at Doncaster College in South Yorkshire last Monday.
The student, a 16-year-old girl, had brought a two-foot green and black rifle to the college last November to photograph it for her HND course.
Mr Browning's dismissal comes days after the Government said it would ban replica guns in public. The Home Office has confirmed this will cover anything looking like a firearm, not just fake weapons capable of conversion to live ammunition.
Mel Battersby of the National Association of Teachers in Further and Higher Education, the union representing Mr Browning, said it had been the student's decision to use a toy gun as the subject of her project.
Mr Browning had checked that it was a toy before allowing the photo session to go ahead. Mr Battersby said: "Despite the current worry over replica guns and what happened in Dunblane, the school has taken a very harsh view and we are appealing against the decision.
"Perhaps at a distance it could look like a real gun but there were no health and safety rules on such items. The school had banned guns which fire pellets or ball-bearings, but there was no policy on toy guns which cannot fire any sort of missile.
"As a result, Mr Browning thought that he was acting appropriately and ensured that the student in question kept the toy in her locker at all times when it was not being used in class.
"The day after the toy gun was brought in another student of the college who was not in Mr Browning's class brought in a gun which fires ball-bearings and the school created a link between the two incidents and accused Mr Browning of perpetuating a gun culture.
"If there had been a clear policy on replica weapons that everyone knew about, this would not have happened."
Mr Browning, who is married with a family and had been at the school for four years, was off sick with stress in November and December. He returned to work at the start of the new term in January before being informed of the decision last week.
Stephen Clough, senior deputy principal at the college, said: "Richard Browning had his employment with Doncaster college terminated on Monday Jan 13 after the college's disciplinary procedures had been followed.
"Since the dismissal is subject to appeal, the college is unable to discuss the details. Obviously, the health and safety of our students and staff is paramount." The appeal will be heard by college governors a week on Monday, he added.
John Dunford, the general secretary of the Secondary Heads Association, said that although most schools had not yet formulated a policy on toy guns, it would be desirable for them to do so.
"This is something most schools will probably not have a policy on and will only make one when an incident of this nature happens. In the current climate, it would be advisable for schools to give the question some thought.
"A decision like this reflects the fact that after September 11 and with the increase in gun crime in Britain, we have all become more nervous."
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/mai.../01/20/ixhome.html/news/2003/01/20/ngun20.xml
Lecturer is sacked over student's plastic gun
By Athalie Matthews
(Filed: 20/01/2003)
A lecturer who allowed a student to bring a plastic toy rifle into a college for use in a photography project has been sacked for breaching health and safety regulations.
Richard Browning, 40, from Doncaster, was dismissed as a photography teacher at Doncaster College in South Yorkshire last Monday.
The student, a 16-year-old girl, had brought a two-foot green and black rifle to the college last November to photograph it for her HND course.
Mr Browning's dismissal comes days after the Government said it would ban replica guns in public. The Home Office has confirmed this will cover anything looking like a firearm, not just fake weapons capable of conversion to live ammunition.
Mel Battersby of the National Association of Teachers in Further and Higher Education, the union representing Mr Browning, said it had been the student's decision to use a toy gun as the subject of her project.
Mr Browning had checked that it was a toy before allowing the photo session to go ahead. Mr Battersby said: "Despite the current worry over replica guns and what happened in Dunblane, the school has taken a very harsh view and we are appealing against the decision.
"Perhaps at a distance it could look like a real gun but there were no health and safety rules on such items. The school had banned guns which fire pellets or ball-bearings, but there was no policy on toy guns which cannot fire any sort of missile.
"As a result, Mr Browning thought that he was acting appropriately and ensured that the student in question kept the toy in her locker at all times when it was not being used in class.
"The day after the toy gun was brought in another student of the college who was not in Mr Browning's class brought in a gun which fires ball-bearings and the school created a link between the two incidents and accused Mr Browning of perpetuating a gun culture.
"If there had been a clear policy on replica weapons that everyone knew about, this would not have happened."
Mr Browning, who is married with a family and had been at the school for four years, was off sick with stress in November and December. He returned to work at the start of the new term in January before being informed of the decision last week.
Stephen Clough, senior deputy principal at the college, said: "Richard Browning had his employment with Doncaster college terminated on Monday Jan 13 after the college's disciplinary procedures had been followed.
"Since the dismissal is subject to appeal, the college is unable to discuss the details. Obviously, the health and safety of our students and staff is paramount." The appeal will be heard by college governors a week on Monday, he added.
John Dunford, the general secretary of the Secondary Heads Association, said that although most schools had not yet formulated a policy on toy guns, it would be desirable for them to do so.
"This is something most schools will probably not have a policy on and will only make one when an incident of this nature happens. In the current climate, it would be advisable for schools to give the question some thought.
"A decision like this reflects the fact that after September 11 and with the increase in gun crime in Britain, we have all become more nervous."
