Crazy kids these days. What will they think of next to keep themselves occupied?
How about playing at killing someone? That’s the aim of “Senior Assassin,” which nearly became deadly last week in Gurnee.
While many students and their parents worry about active shooters barging into classrooms — which happens with frequency in gun-happy America — a bunch of goofballs are walking around trying to “eliminate” their fellow high schoolers. Ah, the irony.
It must have been a scary scene on April 9 inside the normally quiet The Point, the popular pancake house and lunch spot at the triangle of Route 41 and Riverside Drive. That’s when a group of seniors — reportedly not from Gurnee — wearing ski masks went into the restaurant with water guns that appeared to be firearms, targeting another group having a meal.
When that occurred, a concealed carry license holder also dining in the eatery figured the faux gunmen were genuine threats. He was in the process of drawing his weapon and displayed it, according to a Gurnee Police Department spokesperson, when he must have thought better of it.
The scene could have ended badly for not only the water-pistol-carrying high school seniors, but fellow diners. This isn’t the only instance of fake water pistols being mistaken for the real things in the game, which originated a few years ago and easily trends on TikTok (here’s yet another reason to ban the social media site).
“The gravity of the situation cannot be emphasized enough; it had the potential to lead to serious consequences,” Gurnee police said in a statement. “We urge community members to reconsider their participation in such activities and recognize the seriousness of their actions.”
Fortunately, Illinois isn’t one of the 29 constitutional carry states, which allow gun owners to legally carry a handgun, openly or concealed, without needing a permit. Some in those states have been known to shoot first and ask questions later.
Gurnee police added that displaying weapons, real or imitation in a community setting, “is a matter of concern and may instill fear among the public.” Authorities noted such actions could bring disorderly conduct charges for showing lookalike weapons in places such as restaurants.
From Boston west to the San Francisco Bay Area and points in between — including several instances in the Chicago region — “Senior Assassin” has provided law enforcement and school officials with a new worry. In west suburban Itasca the other day, a would-be “assassin” rolled a vehicle while trying to squirt another teen. No one was hurt.
Nor has anyone been shot yet while carrying a water pistol in this “game.” It’s a tragedy waiting to happen, and parents need to give their children stern warnings about the consequences of “Senior Assassin”.
Apparently, this “tagging” is a spring rite in many locales, sort of like a semi-violent senior “ditch day.” In some cases, money is involved as students ante up some cash with the last one standing winning the pool. Not unlike Super Bowl gaming pools with no make-believe assassinations.
Kinda like “Squid Game,” but not in a dystopian South Korea and with no one dying, just getting soaked. By squirt guns that seem all too realistic wielded by kids in ski masks.
Once upon a time, teens did madcap things like TP-ing trees of friends’ or enemies’ homes with rolls and rolls of toilet paper, hence the name. Or “ring and run,” where somebody’s doorbell is rung and the perpetrator high-tails it. What fun.
Then there were Halloween pranks of soaping windows or smashing pumpkins. What zany times those were. Or so I was told.
But going around towns spraying fellow teens sounds nonsensical in this era when police across Chicagoland train often and with intent to tackle the unthinkable — An active shooter inside an area school. Weren’t these the same students just a few short years ago who were stressed out by remote learning during the COVID-19 pandemic?
Guess they’re over that, and on to playing semi-war games. If they like that sort of adventure, the military continues to seek out enlistees.
Perhaps this increase in martial play is a holdover from the dark days of coronavirus concerns and “Senior Assassin” is a way to manage the stress high school students say they face daily. After all, April is recognized as National Stress Awareness Month, with healthcare professionals pointing out that managing stress is an essential component of a healthy lifestyle.
However, those inside The Point last week certainly were stressed out from a situation that could have gotten someone killed or severely wounded. Life’s dangerous enough without playing at death.
Charles Selle is a former News-Sun reporter, political editor and editor.
sellenews@gmail.com
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