I was looking through some of the headlines this week, and apparently, it was “Take a Gun to School Week” and nobody told me.

I’m not just talking about the Demopolis Middle School student who brought a BB gun that looked like a handgun to school on Feb. 19. He has been expelled and may face criminal charges soon.

Here is a rundown of the news items I noticed this week, all happening last Thursday:

A 17-year-old Bryant High School student is facing four criminal charges — two of them felonies — after allegedly bringing a .25-caliber handgun to school.

The gun was not loaded, and no bullets were found during a search of the school.

A student of Daphne Middle School was charged with disorderly conduct for bringing a toy handgun onto a school bus. The gun was tucked into the student’s waistband.

Huntsville police have charged two students of Whitesburg Middle School with carrying a concealed weapon after it was found inside the school.

What’s even more worrying is the reaction that adults have to this.

“They suspended my son for bringing a gun, but the thing is, he never shot anybody,” writes one genius of a mother on an online Q&A site. “Can I sue?”

Another poster showing his IQ says the DMS case has been “over-sensationalized,” has “too much drama” and is “proof positive we live in a police state.”

Kids, listen to a voice of reason. It is illegal (that means “against the law”) to bring a weapon of any kind onto school grounds. Please do yourselves and your families a favor: Think before you bring a weapon of any kind to school, and regardless of what you think of, leave the weapon at home anyway.

Anything can happen with a weapon. Even if you intend just to show it off to your friends, someone could take it and actually use it. It could fall out of your hands and discharge, seriously injuring somebody.

Weapons are not toys; they are serious business.

There is no reason for you to bring a weapon to school unless you want to ruin your education, your future and your lives.

David B. Snow is the managing editor of the Demopolis Times.