in the UK (perhaps across Europe) there is a rule that real toy guns must be a bright colour. Any realistic looking imitation gun is going to be a BB airsoft gun which discharges 6mm BB pellets, or even a .177 calibre air pistol. It has always been illegal to carry these in public in this country.
Both of these are still dangerous at close range, they can cause life-changing injuries and should be treated with the same respect as “real” firearms.
They should not be used without appropriate safety precautions, and there’s nothing wrong with a group of friends firing at cans or paper targets in their back garden (provided they are careful of where stray rounds end up!) but it is just unsafe to bring these weapons to somewhere like a high school.
You have to question the lads motive as well, most people do read the news these days, so I think its safe to assume he would have been aware of the panic he would cause. Also, that part of England is heavily influenced by South London and the associated “wannabe gangsta” culture.
I don’t think he should get a harsh penalty (and it looks like it was a standard arrest with unarmed bobbies and he would only have been in the cells for a couple of hours) – but he should get a warning from both the cops and school and be checked out by social workers in case he is at risk of violent offending.
