History Main / AxesAtSchool

* Done very rarely in ''Manga/RanmaOneHalf'': in the Neko Ken arc it was revealed that Akane carries a yumi (traditional Japanese bow) with relative arrows that [[ItMakesSenseInContext she uses to fire catnip at Ranma]], and in one occasion Kuno replaced his wooden sword with an actual katana (actually three times, but only one was at school). {{Justified|Trope}}: Akane is [[HeirToTheDojo the heiress of the Tendo branch of the Anything Goes Martial Arts]] that makes heavy use of traditional Japanese weapons, hence the bow (in fact it's likely she carries the bow and other weapons all the time and is just disciplined enough to not use them unless the situation demands it), and that time Kuno was carrying a wish-granting sword and wanted to keep it around in case he needed to use its powers. In the AnimatedAdaptation, Akane actually borrowed the yumi from a passing member of the school archery club when she needed it, which could also have been the case "off-panel" in the manga.

%% Image removed per Caption Repair Thread: https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=1404492079030138900&page=224#5577

[[caption-width-right:350:"Some of you angels are alright. Don't come to school tomorrow."]]

** The first is, of course, UsefulNotes/{{Columbine}}. However, with [[ForWantOfANail Polly Klaas's survival]], she encourages Dylan Klebold to [[HeelFaceTurn refuse to participate]]. Eric Harris attempts it alone, and fails miserably: he only manages to kill his ex Caitlyn before shooting himself.

** The second, more bigger incident, is the Valentine's Day Massacre. After one slight too many, [[spoiler:[[Webcomic/{{Sonichu}} Chris Chandler]]]] goes on a mass murder spree, shooting 21 people dead (including Creator/ShondaRhimes) before turning the gun upon themselves. The Valentine's Day Massacre results in huge ramifications within society, leading to [[MoralGuardians Jack Thompson]] getting his foot in the door against [[MurderSimulators violent video games]] and prejudice being directed against autistic (and eventually transgender as well) people.

* ''Series/MacGyver1983'': Exaggerated in the episode "Hell Week": a genius university student, despairing at having lost the titular competition[[note]]because the JerkJock cheated[[/note]] and thus [[WellDoneSonGuy disappointed his academic hard-ass father even more]], decides to commit suicide by using all of the gear in the college's well-equipped lab to build a bomb that [=MacGyver=] deems impossible to defuse in time[[note]]he still manages, but that's after [[GodzillaThreshold truly running out of other options with one minute remaining]][[/note]] ''[[WorseWithContext and]]'' will take out the university's nuclear physics lab as collateral damage if it explodes, so Mac and said father [[NitroExpress try to roll the bomb to the building's basement so it won't cause Three Mile Island II]].

* In the original ''VideoGame/{{Persona|1}}'' game, the character Masao ("Mark" in the [=PS1=] English version) Inaba starts off wielding a very large axe in the first battle in the hospital. Since he traveled directly to the hospital from school, the only explanation as to how he has one is that he brought it with him to school and kept it in his backpack; this just begs the question as to WHY he would bring an axe to school.
* In ''Videogame/{{Persona 5}}'', during the second time Joker and Ryuji go into the Metaverse, Ryuji produces a handgun that he brought for protection. Since this takes place right after they get done with school, it means that Ryuji's been carrying the gun around all day. Downplayed as the gun is immediately revealed to be an airsoft gun instead of a real pistol, but from then on the characters will be attending school every day with airsoft firearms and realistic-looking rubber melee weapons.

* ''WesternAnimation/TheOwlHouse'' opens up with Luz having been sent to the principal's office for having brought in live snakes and a large firework rocket [[{{Cloudcuckoolander}} to spice up her book report]].

* In the ''Literature/{{Discworld}}'' fanfics by Creator/AAPessimal, the Assassins' Guild School, an institution where pupils are ''expected'' to bring weaponry, is expanded from its portrayal in canon. Pupils of different ethnicities, and indeed, species, may carry culturally approved weapons if these are an accepted part of everyday dress. A Dwarf pupil is allowed to take her axe into class, and a Zulu pupil is permitted an assegai of regulation length. At all other times, approved weapons, and only approved weapons, are to be kept securely in a School-issue armoire in their dorm. These are regularly inspected to ensure ''only'' approved weapons are kept in there. A typical dorm inspection happens [[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/12321109/36/Gap-Year-Adventures here]].

* In ''Film/{{Storm}}'', made in 1987, Booker threatens a fellow student ''at gunpoint'', and none of the witnesses so much as tell a teacher. [[spoiler: The gun was a water pistol loaded with ketchup, as the film predates the law requiring toy guns to look fake.]] A major plot point involves two main characters sneaking up and shooting each other with dart pistols every day.

* ''Literature/RaiseSomeHell'': Justified, as it's a school for defending the world against demons. [[spoiler: Even though this ends up being a lie perpetrated by Lucifer/Satan to get people to send their souls to Hell]]

** In "[[Recap/BuffyTheVampireSlayerS3E18Earshot Earshot]]", when Buffy gained the ability to read thoughts and discovered that someone was planning to kill everyone in the school. Cue Jonathan who is up on the abandoned clocktower putting together a high powered rifle [[spoiler: to shoot himself with. Buffy stops him and he goes into therapy (whether he gets better is a matter of opinion, although he stops being suicidal). It turns out the would-be mass murderer is the Evil Lunch Lady who is planning to poison the jelly]].

* ''Series/WaterlooRoad'': The series 4 opener, in particular, saw the arrival of The Kelly Family (aka the family from hell) getting enrolled at Waterloo Road. However [[spoiler: Earl Kelly]] has a [[spoiler: gun]] in his hand. However, his younger son [[spoiler: Denzil Kelly]] has the [[spoiler: gun]] which eventually turned into a serious situation after a note was found at the door by Melissa Ryan that a [[spoiler: gun]] is in the school.

* In ''Theatre/PunkRock'', there is [[spoiler: the terrifying penultimate scene, when William shoots three of his classmates]]. This is alluded to in the scene before the attack, with the line "don't come into school" being uttered.

* Max from ''VideoGame/LifeIsStrange'' discovers her TimeTravel powers after classmate Nathan Prescott pulls a gun on a girl in a school bathroom. Since her only evidence is hearsay, the teachers don't take her claims seriously until [[spoiler: a student he bullied tries to kill herself]]. The fact that the Prescotts are incredibly wealthy [[spoiler: and Nathan's in cahoots with one of the teachers]] helps too, of course.

* In ''Webcomic/MitadakeSaga'', the Boy with Sunglasses is carrying an axe as a weapon. [[spoiler: Apparently, he was working with the teacher to uncover Kira's identity, and realized just what it meant when the school went under lockdown.]]

** On one occasion in TheSeventies, when a Delaware high school received bomb threats (that were later determined to be pranks) [[https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/armed-students-delaware-high-school-1973/ students took their guns and stood guard outside to protect their classmates]].

* Happens on ''Series/{{Smallville}}'', where [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qg1z-SlHGOs Lana tries to kill Chloe with an axe]] (and actually doesn't completely [[KarmaHoudini escape punishment]], since the brawl got both of them suspended -- [[spoiler:she is under mind control, though]]). Also the {{Trope Namer|s}}. Of course, while going crazy and attempting to kill classmates is a big thing in most schools, for [[WeirdnessMagnet Smallville High]] it's... [[ButForMeItWasTuesday Tuesday.]]

* ''Manga/ChainsawMan'': The [[CreatureHunterOrganization Devil Hunter Club]] at Four East High, which doubles as an AbsurdlyPowerfulStudentCouncil, bring weapons to school, though they're only shown carrying them in emergencies. [[FantasyGunControl Though guns are inaccessible to them as to most of the world]], their armaments included swords, spiked knuckle dusters, and a crossbow. Considering the world-wide frequency of [[OurDemonsAreDifferent devil attacks]], [[CrapsackWorld this is depressingly necessarily]].

* Pictured above: ''Anime/GabrielDropOut'' with Satanichia's gun she bought in Hell's online store. In this case, this is downplayed, since the gun is actually non-lethal, and all a shot can do is make its target laugh uncontrollably for ten minutes. [[HoistByHisOwnPetard It did not go as Satanichia planned]].

* Done very rarely in ''Manga/RanmaOneHalf'': in the Neko Ken arc it was revealed that Akane carries a yumi (traditional Japanese bow) with relative arrows that [[ItMakesSenseInContext she uses to fire catnip at Ranma]], and in one occasion Kuno replaced his wooden sword with an actual katana (actually three times, but only one was at school). {{Justified}}: Akane is [[HeirToTheDojo the heiress of the Tendo branch of the Anything Goes Martial Arts]] that makes heavy use of traditional Japanese weapons, hence the bow (in fact it's likely she carries the bow and other weapons all the time and is just disciplined enough to not use them unless the situation demands it), and that time Kuno was carrying a wish-granting sword and wanted to keep it around in case he needed to use its powers. In the AnimatedAdaptation, Akane actually borrowed the yumi from a passing member of the school archery club when she needed it, which could also have been the case "off-panel" in the manga.

* A gun being brought into Tim Drake's (a.k.a Robin's) school drives the plot of the 1993 one-shot ''Franchise/{{Batman}}: Seduction of the Gun''. It was also the subject of a storyline in the regular ''[[ComicBook/RobinSeries Robin]]'' title.

* ''Series/ThirteenReasonsWhy'': The Season 1 finale ends on a cliffhanger showing that Tyler has bought illegal guns and has made a hitlist of the students. [[spoiler:One season of continuous abuse later, he actually goes through with it - Clay ends up having to dissuade him from opening fire]].

* Technically didn't bring a gun to school, but initiated a sniper attack on a school from her house across the street: [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brenda_Ann_Spencer Brenda Ann Spencer]], whose shooting spree inspired the Boomtown Rats' [[LyricalDissonance piano-based ballad]] "I Don't Like Mondays". The song title was her actual reason given.

* In ''Theatre/PunkRock'', there is [[spoiler: the terrifying penultimate scene, when William shoots three of his classmates.]] This is alluded to in the scene before the attack, with the line "don't come into school" being uttered.

* ''VideoGame/DoItForMe'': [[spoiler:The story turns out to be about a school massacre. The VillainProtagonist has been using his knife to kill innocent school-goers at the behest of his AxCrazy girlfriend.]]

* Done very rarely in ''Manga/RanmaOneHalf'': in the Neko Ken arc it was revealed that Akane carries a yumi (traditional Japanese bow) with relative arrows that [[ItMakesSenseInContext she uses to fire catnip at Ranma]], and in one occasion Kuno replaced his wooden sword with an actual katana (actually three times, but only one was at school). {{Justified}}: Akane is [[HeirToTheDojo the heiress of the Tendo branch of the Anything Goes Martial Arts]] that makes heavy use of traditional Japanese weapons, hence the bow (in fact it's likely she carries the bow and other weapons all the time and is just disciplined enough to not use them unless the situation demands it), and that time Kuno was carrying a wish-granting sword and wanted to keep it around in case he needed to use its powers.

* The CruelTwistEnding of ''Film/TheWave2008'' occurs when Tim, the class's [[LonersAreFreaks loner desperately seeking friends]], has a FreakOut when his teacher reveals what [[ANaziByOtherName the Wave movement truly is]] and pulls out a gun because how dare he destroy the only thing that allowed Tim to connect with the rest of the class. [[spoiler:The teacher is able to talk down Tim from shooting anybody else, but Tim [[DrivenToSuicide blows his brains out]] and the teacher [[FelonyMurder is arrested as a result]].]]

* Linus van Pelt from ''Franchise/{{Peanuts}}'' provides a weird example with his trademark SecurityBlanket. He takes it with him to school, to which Charlie Brown asks him if other kids find it weird. Upon whipping a nickel away with the force of a [[WhipItGood real whip]], Linus points out that they don't say much about him having his blanket with him.

[[folder:Films -- Live-Action]]

Unfortunately, [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/School_shooting this can also be]] TruthInTelevision, as school shooting tragedies such as UsefulNotes/{{Columbine}} have proven — otherwise, schools wouldn't have metal detectors and X-ray scanners, and teachers wouldn't be issued Kevlar vests and, in some US states, allowed to bring guns of their own. Of course, the real life portion of this is OlderThanTheyThink; the UsefulNotes/{{Columbine}} incident in 1999 was simply one of a handful of shootings that earned national attention. In his book ''Brain Droppings'', Creator/GeorgeCarlin refers to schoolyard deaths back in his childhood.

* An instructional video about school dress codes [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AudGd7-QkN8 attempts to show]] that baggy jeans and a large T-shirt could hide weapons but quickly becomes ridiculous as it is clear that a person hiding [[HyperspaceArsenal several handguns, what appears to be a Cobray [=MAC=]-11]] machine pistol[[labelnote:note]]A slightly smaller version of the more famous [=MAC=]-10 submachine gun[[/labelnote]] [[HyperspaceArsenal and a full-length pump-action shotgun]] in their clothes as demonstrated would barely be able to walk.

* An instructional video about school dress codes [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AudGd7-QkN8 attempts to show]] that baggy jeans and a large T-shirt could hide weapons but quickly becomes ridiculous as it is clear that a person hiding [[HyperspaceArsenal several handguns, what appears to be a Cobray M11]][[labelnote:note]]resembling a MAC[[/labelnote]] [[HyperspaceArsenal and a full-length pump-action shotgun]] in their clothes as demonstrated would barely be able to walk.

* In ''Literature/{{Pygmy}}'', the TeenSuperspy VillainProtagonist takes down a fellow student who shoots up the LARP/ModelUnitedNations meeting. The fallout from this incident, with Pygmy becoming a hero in the media and at school, [[spoiler:causes him to start doubting his mission to destroy America]].