Kid charged with felony for bringing his fishing tackle box to school

by Austin Petersen

Felons! Felons everywhere!

Cody Chitwood is another in a long line of victims created by “zero tolerance” laws that ensnare innocent citizens in a legal net everyday in this country.

Chitwood accidentally left his tackle box with his fishing knives in his vehicle at Lassiter High School in Cobb County, Georgia. Georgia law states that any knife that has a blade of two or more inches is a weapon and anyone who carries that weapon onto school property is guilty of a crime. If the District Attorney prosecutes Chitwood, he could face up to two years minimum and ten years maximum, with a $10,000 fine… for doing nothing more than being forgetful.

State Representative Ed Setzler (R) was said to have been stepping in on the boy’s behalf. “We’ll inspect the current state of the law, but our school leaders don’t like it, our law enforcement doesn’t like it, and we’re finding out the citizens who understand the current state of the law certainly don’t like it,” he said.

Oh, so you know, at least they meant well! Hopefully that will make Chitwood feel better while he’s sitting in jail.

Austin Petersen is a homegrown Missourian with a lifelong passion for liberty. He grew up on a horse farm in Peculiar, Missouri and went on to attend Missouri State University, graduating with a degree in the Fine Arts. After developing a career in media in both New York City and Washington, D.C., he returned to Kansas City, MO, the city he now calls home. In 2016, Petersen appeared on the national stage as a candidate for president of the United States. He took second place in the crowded Libertarian primary behind Governor Gary Johnson and ahead of cyber security maverick John McAfee. During his campaign, Petersen earned many high-profile conservative endorsements, including Mary Matalin, Erick Erickson and Leon Wolf of RedState.com. Petersen also brings decades of professional experience in a wide variety of fields, from content production and media to business and political activism. He is the owner and chief executive of Stonegait LLC, a consulting firm specializing in photo and video services. He was also the director of production at FreedomWorks and an associate producer for Judge Andrew Napolitano’s show “Freedom Watch” on the Fox Business Network. Additionally, Petersen has a national following as a commentator and professional pundit. He is the founder of The Libertarian Republic, a powerful online news source for the public that receives an average of 1 million unique visits monthly and whose podcast, The Freedom Report, receives an average of one million monthly downloads. He is also a frequent contributor on television, appearing on Fox News, Fox Business, CNN, MSNBC and on dozens of local radio shows.