Dubuque, IA- The student who was suspended for possessing a BB gun inside of a car will no longer be facing further disciplinary action from the school district. However, the student faces a misdemeanor charge for possessing the BB gun.

Previously, KWWL had reported that a parent called the police after spotting the BB gun in a vehicle. Police and school officials are now alleging that the student had been seen by the parent holding the BB gun in public view across the street from Dubuque Senior High School. In a letter to families after the incident, Dubuque Senior High School Principal Dan Johnson had written that the BB gun “was not displayed in a threatening manner.”

According to Dubuque’s city ordinance, it’s illegal to conceal or carry certain items considered by the city to be weapons, including slingshots, brass knuckles, and replica firearms that resemble actual firearms. Lt. Scott Baxter of the Dubuque Police Department provided clarification to the context surrounding the investigation of the student and the BB gun.

“We understand some of the concerns that people felt, maybe that we or the school over-stepped our boundaries, but we feel the exact opposite,” Baxter told KWWL. Regarding the student’s possession of the BB gun, “It’s not necessarily illegal to possess them or to shoot them in some cases, but you have to fall within the ordinance guidelines and in this particular case that didn’t happen,” Baxter said.

The student was suspended for one day during the school’s investigation, but the suspension was considered by the school to be standard procedure, not punishment. The incident will not be placed on the student’s permanent record.

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