Today's Apocalypse Sign: Texas, Handguns, Pickups a Bad Combination

In Texas there is one thing most small towns can claim: everyone owns a handgun and most people drive a pick up truck. But if you mix those two things with a high school senior trying to get a baseball scholarship it can be a bad combination.

Brandon Hyles is a high school senior in Maypearl, TX. Located about 45 minutes south of Dallas (where I live). It is a small town where you never hear about anything happening. Sound familar? Aren't those always the words used in cases like I am about to describe? Of course they are.

Brandon's dad is an ex-firefighter, hunter, and all around good guy according to everyone who knows him. Brandon is a pitcher on the school baseball team, hunter, owns a pick up truck, and is an all around good kid just trying to get a scholarship to play small college baseball. They are the all-American family.

But circumstances have a way of derailing even the most idyllic of stories. In this case the jury of society is sharply divided on what happened a few weeks ago.

Brandon went to school same as every other day. He was in class as he always was. At some point during this day he was pulled out of class to have his truck searched. The reason: the schools drug sniffing dog had tagged his truck. (Why does this tiny community where nothing ever happens have a drug sniffing dog in the first place? Sign of the times??)

Brandon, not having the fainest idea what the hell is going on, is taken to his truck to unlock it for searching. The school security search his vehicle and find a holstered, unloaded handgun under the drivers seat. Brandon is stunned when they pull it out. He is immediately suspended.

Now there are 11 weeks of school left. He is not in class with his fellow seniors. He is not allowed to play baseball for the small college scouts that have come to see him and others on the team. His future is fading fast along with his hopes of a college scholarship.

His dad comes forward to explain that the night before he had gone hunting (in Texas you can hunt SOMETHING any time of the year!) for wild pigs. He had put the handgun unloaded under the driver's seat of his son's truck when he left out. Unfortunately dad had a successful hunt. The wild game had been placed in the back of the pickup to bring home and butcher. Dad forgot to take out the unloaded handgun when he got home.

Brandon goes to school the next day as usual and the scent of the kill from the night before attracts the drug sniffing dog and gets him all yapping and foamy. There were no drugs, only the unloaded handgun which was registered to Brandon's dad and claimed as such. Brandon had no knowledge it was under the seat of the truck. There was no ammo anywhere in the truck. Brandon is suspended.

Last week they had a hearing of the school board. Everyone in town including the entire baseball team rallied in silent support. No decision was rendered. All Brandon wants to do is get back to school and baseball with his team mates. This is supposed to be the best time of his youth and he is left twisting in the wind.

Now in most peoples eyes the fact that the MISD has a Zero Tolerance policy about weapons on campus (and I don't blame any school for this due to events of the last decade) is enough to hang their hat on for permanent suspension which may lead to Brandon not graduating. And I get that Zero Tolerance sounds like there is little room to wiggle. But I would be a horrible administrator, judge, jurist, etc. because of my common sense and "judging each case on its own merits" mentality.

I have read several stories and comments about how the language in the ISD's policies dictate what leeway the Board or Superintendent has. Words such as "shall" indicate no wiggle room and words like "may" create an avenue for the "right thing" to be done. The rift on this one is as I said, sharply divided.

So now I am the arbiter in this case. Agree or not. But this is what I say.

I come from a long line of good fortune in my youth. Much like Pat Tillet who skated on some close ones, I too look back and say, "how the hell did I not (get killed, go to jail, get framed, etc.) for doing something that seemed like a good idea at the time. I have had second chances even later on in life. I have turned out alright, generally speaking.

So in the spirit of paying my good fortune forward, as I sit in judgement of this case, I say cut the freakin' comedy and let the kid finish school, get a scholarship, and become a good citizen. THIS is one of those opportunities for someone to grow some balls and say we are not going to destroy another "youth of America". Enough of those happen every day. Let's allow this kid an opportunity to pay it forward himself at some future crossroad in his life.

I understand rules, regulations, policies, procedures but when all the facts (and there are very few to consider) are weighed, this is what we call no harm no foul. Brandon was not writing dark demonic thoughts in his Facebook or MySpace page. He was not dressing like the grim reaper when he went to school (see Columbine). He was not in a gang or burning cats for entertainment with friends. None of the normal "hang 'em from the highest tree" activities were going on here.

His dad went hunting, his dad killed a pig, the truck smelled like a meal to a dog, an unloaded gun was accidentally left under the seat, and one of the good kids is about to have his life shattered. What horrendous words to hear when they are describing your son...life shattered. His dad could not feel any worse.

Let's be real about this and put the Hyles family back together. Let Brandon finish high school, play baseball, go to college, and from there who knows where he might end up. But it will all be good.

And to all you closet Gestapo out there who have written about the downfall of society if things like this are excused and secretly believe everything is black and white, I say:

Fuck You. Watch This.