"Lots of kids knew about this gun," lawyer Michael Kramer told the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner.
Kramer said the dishonest students simply denied knowledge of the gun and weren't punished. But he said his eighth-grade client was raised to tell the truth and had no idea what the consequences could be, including being branded a "dangerous kid."
The incident occurred Sept. 29 at the Randy Smith Middle School. The school was briefly locked down when administrators were informed that a student had brought a gun to campus.
"Having a gun on campus is completely unacceptable, and any student who has knowledge of a gun on campus has an obligation to tell an adult," Superintendent Pete Lewis said.
The student who brought the gun to school is facing a one-year expulsion, and other students accused of not cooperating with the investigation face the similar consequence, a one-year expulsion each.
Kramer said school officials are overreacting. He said his client was told by the boy who had the gun that he was authorized to carry it for self-defense because he had been recently shot at.
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