Is this actually physically possible/how scared should I be of this kid?
October 11, 2015 1:54 PM Subscribe
One of my students is a physics genius who is also obsessed with guns. After showing me his ultra-detailed blueprint-style drawings of historical gun models, he told me he's actually building one, and that he's built others, which he claims work. Not out of metal, but out of...compressed paper? Physics/engineering people: is this possible and if yes, what should I do about it? Details inside.
So I tutor this kid in English, even though he doesn't really need it, but his parents are rich and (according to him) stereotypically Chinese in that they want him studying 24/7. He's very smart and obviously a genius at physics and engineering, and has won lots of contests and awards. If he was just one of those idiot teenagers who loves drawing guns, I wouldn't be THAT worried, but he's smart enough and talks enough about high-level engineering shit that I don't understand that I believe he's actually doing these things. This plus his personality/demeanor concerns me enough that I want to investigate.
He claims he builds the bodies of the guns by layering thousands of sheets of paper with some kind of paste, then, using a vise or something, compresses them into a solid block, from which he can carve whatever he wants. He lines (?) the insides of the barrels with some kind of metal, DIYs gunpowder, and makes bullets by melting scrap metal and then shaving it down. He alternately claims that these "could never actually kill anyone" and that they definitely could, as he puts it, "cause your organs to cease functioning." He has mentioned trying to get this new model shooting "up to a lethal velocity" and says he has broken the sound barrier with one of his builds.
His personality/psyche is, obviously, very, very fucked up: he is definitely a pathological narcissist and also maybe a sociopath, or at least wants to be seen as one because he thinks it's cool. (Is that still a kosher psychology term? He has no potential for empathy and no understanding of moral codes.) I tutor him along with two other kids at the same time, and whenever the conversation moves away from him/his guns/his achievements, he'll jump in with a random or cryptic statement completely unrelated to the topic at hand in order to drag the focus back his way. Out of nowhere, he will start listing his grades or test scores or talk about some contest he's just won or trend he just "started." He doesn't feel emotional connections to other people yet obviously craves their approval/worship. Has a "cool," peacocky haircut. Huge misogynist. Will look away when I'm explaining commas or something and just start doing something else, or just brings out his huge gun blueprints and starts working on them, even after multiple, "Yo, come on, get back to work"-s from me, just to demonstrate that he doesn't give a shit about what I say.
Basically, he's the exact type of kid who would shoot up a school to feel cool and powerful, or at the very least kill a homeless person to get a power-rush or something, and spend enough time, energy, and brainpower planning it to pull it off. He also does competitive shooting (?) and claims he's invented some new technique or something that allows him to shoot really fast. In his words, he now "doesn't need an automatic weapon to kill a bunch of people at once." One of my other students goes to his high school and thinks he's the coolest kid in the world while also being similarly fucked-up re:weapons, morality, etc., so I'm also worried about a folie a deux situation.
Okay, so: is this paper gun stuff actually possible? If one of the other students gets freaked (which they usually don't, they usually just think he's cool and awesome, what the fuck) he'll backpedal and say his guns couldn't actually kill a person, but then says the exact opposite the following week. I don't know anything about this stuff. As it stands, I'm very, very afraid of him, which is obviously what he wants, but what can I do? And if it is possible, what then? I tutor him at a center, not at home, but I'm worried talking to my boss could make things worse: she tells his parents, they punish him, he snaps and comes in next week and blows my head off. Of course, he could do this anyway. It seems somewhat less likely that he would shoot up his tutoring center than his school (since his identity isn't focused/built here, just exercised, and that's clearly at the heart of this) but if he goes off at school and I never said anything, I'm as guilty as he is.
We were also talking about his college options, and since someone else in the group was applying to Virginia Tech and it's a good engineering school, I asked if he was thinking about going there. He said no, because there had been the shooting there, among other reasons. At first I was like, oh, okay, he's worried about gun violence too! But in retrospect I'm worried it's because there's hugely increased security at VT, so it would be harder for him to pull something off. I could go on for pages about the fucked-up, scary, cold shit he's said every week.
I'm really, really worried and scared--for myself, my other students, his high school classmates and future college classmates--but should I be? Can this 16 year old boy actually be making working weapons out of compressed paper? And if so, what should I do about it? Advice from people who know physics/engineering especially welcomed, but anyone who has insight into child psychology or how I can, uh, defuse the situation, or anything, please help.
So I tutor this kid in English, even though he doesn't really need it, but his parents are rich and (according to him) stereotypically Chinese in that they want him studying 24/7. He's very smart and obviously a genius at physics and engineering, and has won lots of contests and awards. If he was just one of those idiot teenagers who loves drawing guns, I wouldn't be THAT worried, but he's smart enough and talks enough about high-level engineering shit that I don't understand that I believe he's actually doing these things. This plus his personality/demeanor concerns me enough that I want to investigate.
He claims he builds the bodies of the guns by layering thousands of sheets of paper with some kind of paste, then, using a vise or something, compresses them into a solid block, from which he can carve whatever he wants. He lines (?) the insides of the barrels with some kind of metal, DIYs gunpowder, and makes bullets by melting scrap metal and then shaving it down. He alternately claims that these "could never actually kill anyone" and that they definitely could, as he puts it, "cause your organs to cease functioning." He has mentioned trying to get this new model shooting "up to a lethal velocity" and says he has broken the sound barrier with one of his builds.
His personality/psyche is, obviously, very, very fucked up: he is definitely a pathological narcissist and also maybe a sociopath, or at least wants to be seen as one because he thinks it's cool. (Is that still a kosher psychology term? He has no potential for empathy and no understanding of moral codes.) I tutor him along with two other kids at the same time, and whenever the conversation moves away from him/his guns/his achievements, he'll jump in with a random or cryptic statement completely unrelated to the topic at hand in order to drag the focus back his way. Out of nowhere, he will start listing his grades or test scores or talk about some contest he's just won or trend he just "started." He doesn't feel emotional connections to other people yet obviously craves their approval/worship. Has a "cool," peacocky haircut. Huge misogynist. Will look away when I'm explaining commas or something and just start doing something else, or just brings out his huge gun blueprints and starts working on them, even after multiple, "Yo, come on, get back to work"-s from me, just to demonstrate that he doesn't give a shit about what I say.
Basically, he's the exact type of kid who would shoot up a school to feel cool and powerful, or at the very least kill a homeless person to get a power-rush or something, and spend enough time, energy, and brainpower planning it to pull it off. He also does competitive shooting (?) and claims he's invented some new technique or something that allows him to shoot really fast. In his words, he now "doesn't need an automatic weapon to kill a bunch of people at once." One of my other students goes to his high school and thinks he's the coolest kid in the world while also being similarly fucked-up re:weapons, morality, etc., so I'm also worried about a folie a deux situation.
Okay, so: is this paper gun stuff actually possible? If one of the other students gets freaked (which they usually don't, they usually just think he's cool and awesome, what the fuck) he'll backpedal and say his guns couldn't actually kill a person, but then says the exact opposite the following week. I don't know anything about this stuff. As it stands, I'm very, very afraid of him, which is obviously what he wants, but what can I do? And if it is possible, what then? I tutor him at a center, not at home, but I'm worried talking to my boss could make things worse: she tells his parents, they punish him, he snaps and comes in next week and blows my head off. Of course, he could do this anyway. It seems somewhat less likely that he would shoot up his tutoring center than his school (since his identity isn't focused/built here, just exercised, and that's clearly at the heart of this) but if he goes off at school and I never said anything, I'm as guilty as he is.
We were also talking about his college options, and since someone else in the group was applying to Virginia Tech and it's a good engineering school, I asked if he was thinking about going there. He said no, because there had been the shooting there, among other reasons. At first I was like, oh, okay, he's worried about gun violence too! But in retrospect I'm worried it's because there's hugely increased security at VT, so it would be harder for him to pull something off. I could go on for pages about the fucked-up, scary, cold shit he's said every week.
I'm really, really worried and scared--for myself, my other students, his high school classmates and future college classmates--but should I be? Can this 16 year old boy actually be making working weapons out of compressed paper? And if so, what should I do about it? Advice from people who know physics/engineering especially welcomed, but anyone who has insight into child psychology or how I can, uh, defuse the situation, or anything, please help.
This post was deleted for the following reason: Some significant privacy concerns here. -- taz
P.S. it's probably not worth wondering whether this kid's actually making guns out of paper or not. He's introducing a threatening element into the classroom. That's enough.
posted by Miss T.Horn at 2:07 PM on October 11, 2015 [3 favorites]
posted by Miss T.Horn at 2:07 PM on October 11, 2015 [3 favorites]
I have no idea if it's possible to make a firearm out of paper, but if it is, it is most definitely illegal.
posted by telegraph at 2:07 PM on October 11, 2015 [2 favorites]
posted by telegraph at 2:07 PM on October 11, 2015 [2 favorites]
Teacher here. Tell your supervisors. I would also call his school tomorrow and speak to the Principal/AP/Dean of Students. Stick to the facts - what he has actually said - not your speculation. They will take this VERY seriously.
posted by gnutron at 2:13 PM on October 11, 2015 [13 favorites]
posted by gnutron at 2:13 PM on October 11, 2015 [13 favorites]
I can't speak to the plausibility of paper gun technology, but I would suggest you do report this to someone for the following reasons:
1. This is a lot for you to hold! Share the burden so that you are not the only one feeling responsible for the situation. This is for your own well-being as well as general safety.
2. This kid is clearly asking to be seen and noticed! Whether or not he is manufacturing weapons, he is coming to tutoring and talking about his ability to kill people! This is not a kid who is trying to be subtle- he needs attention in some way. All human beings need to be seen, and in my experience kids who don't feel noticed will start asking for the attention they lack in strange and disturbing ways. If you share what you are observing, maybe he will get some of these needs met in healthier ways.
3. The risks are too high not to say something.
Take care of yourself. It sounds like you are an attuned and aware teacher- keep up the good work!
posted by Otis the Lion at 2:15 PM on October 11, 2015 [2 favorites]
1. This is a lot for you to hold! Share the burden so that you are not the only one feeling responsible for the situation. This is for your own well-being as well as general safety.
2. This kid is clearly asking to be seen and noticed! Whether or not he is manufacturing weapons, he is coming to tutoring and talking about his ability to kill people! This is not a kid who is trying to be subtle- he needs attention in some way. All human beings need to be seen, and in my experience kids who don't feel noticed will start asking for the attention they lack in strange and disturbing ways. If you share what you are observing, maybe he will get some of these needs met in healthier ways.
3. The risks are too high not to say something.
Take care of yourself. It sounds like you are an attuned and aware teacher- keep up the good work!
posted by Otis the Lion at 2:15 PM on October 11, 2015 [2 favorites]
If I remember correctly, you are a private tutor? If so, you may not have the same support system a schoolteacher might have but I'd definitely report it to your supervisors. I'd leave out any of the personal judgments (even if they're full accurate) and stick to the facts of what he's said. I'd also consider bringing this up with his parents; I'd use a tone of respect and concern rather than judgment as well. "Student XYZ is such a talented engineering student. He's been talking a great deal about making guns at home and has shown us his blueprints, etc. Have you all seen these? What do you think?" While it's your "job" to share this with others, it's ultimately not your responsibility to try to change him, especially if you feel uncomfortable. (Understandably so, I'm sorry!) If all else fails, you could stop being his tutor? You could always claim something like a time conflict or new responsibility at work.
FWIW, it sounds a lot like this kid feels very insecure and socially awkward, so he's trying to use his smarts and the power that can come with weapons to garner attention and boost his ego among his classmates. It sounds like he'd really benefit from a STEM mentor who can give him social advice and guide him to put his talents to use for good. Ideally, it'd also be someone male who is a responsible gun owner who could help him understand the line between being creepy (like right now) and a conscientious weaponry fan. While VT is a great school, there have been other examples of student violence there after the initial shooting; his lack of interest in going there may a sign of something worrisome but it may simply be genuine concern.
posted by smorgasbord at 2:27 PM on October 11, 2015 [1 favorite]
FWIW, it sounds a lot like this kid feels very insecure and socially awkward, so he's trying to use his smarts and the power that can come with weapons to garner attention and boost his ego among his classmates. It sounds like he'd really benefit from a STEM mentor who can give him social advice and guide him to put his talents to use for good. Ideally, it'd also be someone male who is a responsible gun owner who could help him understand the line between being creepy (like right now) and a conscientious weaponry fan. While VT is a great school, there have been other examples of student violence there after the initial shooting; his lack of interest in going there may a sign of something worrisome but it may simply be genuine concern.
posted by smorgasbord at 2:27 PM on October 11, 2015 [1 favorite]
All of these concerns really need to be addressed by your superiors. You might stress that you think the parents should know how this stuff affects the overall learning environment in the group and see what they say. If they fail to do anything about it after that, then you'll be facing a different set of decisions about whether you want to tutor this student and work for this company.
To a degree, the STEM mentor seems to be onto something by asking the kid to show him his work at the end of the semester. He's both calling his bluff and listening to him, which is what the student wants. You could even take that tack if you wanted to. Ask him to write about his biggest non-academic interest and what he aspires to do with that knowledge. You could assign something similar to everyone in the group (re: their own interests). You might be surprised by what he writes. Also, you have something tangible to show to supervisors, if need be.
posted by Miss T.Horn at 3:13 PM on October 11, 2015 [4 favorites]
To a degree, the STEM mentor seems to be onto something by asking the kid to show him his work at the end of the semester. He's both calling his bluff and listening to him, which is what the student wants. You could even take that tack if you wanted to. Ask him to write about his biggest non-academic interest and what he aspires to do with that knowledge. You could assign something similar to everyone in the group (re: their own interests). You might be surprised by what he writes. Also, you have something tangible to show to supervisors, if need be.
posted by Miss T.Horn at 3:13 PM on October 11, 2015 [4 favorites]
He's making fancy body zip guns. They can be as lethal as any other gun though the chance of them blowing up in the user's hand is pretty high.
telegraph: "I have no idea if it's possible to make a firearm out of paper, but if it is, it is most definitely illegal."
His guns having a metal barrel might not be regulated by this law.
posted by Mitheral at 3:15 PM on October 11, 2015 [3 favorites]
telegraph: "I have no idea if it's possible to make a firearm out of paper, but if it is, it is most definitely illegal."
His guns having a metal barrel might not be regulated by this law.
posted by Mitheral at 3:15 PM on October 11, 2015 [3 favorites]
I recently saw a video by a guy who tried to DIY gunpowder. It was hard, required a lot of work, required some knowledge of chemistry, and resulted in only a little, weak gunpowder. So, I think he is exaggerating.
Also, "thousands" of sheets of paper is too many. Think of a team of copy paper.
But, yes, make a report.
posted by SemiSalt at 3:52 PM on October 11, 2015 [1 favorite]
Also, "thousands" of sheets of paper is too many. Think of a team of copy paper.
But, yes, make a report.
posted by SemiSalt at 3:52 PM on October 11, 2015 [1 favorite]
I'm struggling to separate your fear of the kid and of guns from what he's actually doing.
The part where you say his personality is "obviously" fucked up after describing his experiments doesn't follow at all to me. He sounds mostly like a "maker" type, doing these things because he thinks it's cool. It's also likely to me he's entirely bluffing (no way did he make a automatic zip gun), but for the purposes of this I'll assume his statements are accurate. You may not agree, but a large portion of America is A-OK with guns and this kind of experimentation is not unusual in that context, given the fact that the kid is really into physics and inventing. Zip guns are not hard to make, but they're unlikely to be used in a mass shooting incident because they are seriously unreliable. They are also legal, assuming you register the weapon with the authorities (I'll assume he has not done this, but who knows).
It does not sound, to me, like you actually think this kid is planning anything, it just sounds like you think he is a shitty person and you fear the idea of guns inherently. This is different thing from thinking he is an imminent threat to someone.
All that said, I do think you should send this up the report chain, mainly because what he's doing is dangerous (to him) and possibly illegal. But I do NOT think you should send this up the chain as a possible school shooter situation, given that your only evidence seems to be that you really seem to dislike the kid and you fear guns, not because he has plans to actually shoot anybody.
posted by zug at 4:26 PM on October 11, 2015 [4 favorites]
The part where you say his personality is "obviously" fucked up after describing his experiments doesn't follow at all to me. He sounds mostly like a "maker" type, doing these things because he thinks it's cool. It's also likely to me he's entirely bluffing (no way did he make a automatic zip gun), but for the purposes of this I'll assume his statements are accurate. You may not agree, but a large portion of America is A-OK with guns and this kind of experimentation is not unusual in that context, given the fact that the kid is really into physics and inventing. Zip guns are not hard to make, but they're unlikely to be used in a mass shooting incident because they are seriously unreliable. They are also legal, assuming you register the weapon with the authorities (I'll assume he has not done this, but who knows).
It does not sound, to me, like you actually think this kid is planning anything, it just sounds like you think he is a shitty person and you fear the idea of guns inherently. This is different thing from thinking he is an imminent threat to someone.
All that said, I do think you should send this up the report chain, mainly because what he's doing is dangerous (to him) and possibly illegal. But I do NOT think you should send this up the chain as a possible school shooter situation, given that your only evidence seems to be that you really seem to dislike the kid and you fear guns, not because he has plans to actually shoot anybody.
posted by zug at 4:26 PM on October 11, 2015 [4 favorites]
SemiSalt: "I recently saw a video by a guy who tried to DIY gunpowder. It was hard, required a lot of work, required some knowledge of chemistry, and resulted in only a little, weak gunpowder. So, I think he is exaggerating. "
Servicable black powder style gun powder is really easy to make. Five minutes googling for the proportions and the savvy to whip up pancake batter from a mix is about all you need to know knowledge wise. Sourcing the potassium nitrate and sulfur is a bit more difficult but they are widely available at hardware and gardening stores.
posted by Mitheral at 4:32 PM on October 11, 2015 [3 favorites]
Servicable black powder style gun powder is really easy to make. Five minutes googling for the proportions and the savvy to whip up pancake batter from a mix is about all you need to know knowledge wise. Sourcing the potassium nitrate and sulfur is a bit more difficult but they are widely available at hardware and gardening stores.
posted by Mitheral at 4:32 PM on October 11, 2015 [3 favorites]
You also mention in another post that you're in the Northeast. If you are in the rural northeast (i.e. Ithaca), this is pretty normal behavior for teenage boys. Most of the boys I grew up with in rural Michigan were using guns to hunt deer by middle school. If you're in the middle of Boston or something, there's a very different context with guns there.
posted by zug at 4:33 PM on October 11, 2015 [4 favorites]
posted by zug at 4:33 PM on October 11, 2015 [4 favorites]
I think you need to be very clear on your intentions--are you really concerned about safety or do you just want to see this kid taken down a peg? (What does his haircut have to do with you?)
I'd say that a teenaged boy with demanding parents who may be somewhat new to the US could have plenty of reasons to want to act out in a rebellious way. Maybe you could see if a male colleague would take over for you with this kid.
Sure, report the gun stuff to your boss, but take a look at your motivations.
posted by Ideefixe at 5:26 PM on October 11, 2015 [3 favorites]
I'd say that a teenaged boy with demanding parents who may be somewhat new to the US could have plenty of reasons to want to act out in a rebellious way. Maybe you could see if a male colleague would take over for you with this kid.
Sure, report the gun stuff to your boss, but take a look at your motivations.
posted by Ideefixe at 5:26 PM on October 11, 2015 [3 favorites]
This is something that needs to be taken to the higher-ups: whoever your employers are and whoever is responsible for managing/supervising you. This sounds like something that should be taken very seriously, despite my personal suspicion that this is another one of those kids who "makes CPUs" at home.
Also, are home-made firearms legal where you are? Imagine if he pulled out blueprints for, I dunno, a big bomb, and talked about how he makes bombs at home. Regardless of your personal feelings on the kid, he needs to be pulled into line as far as this issue is concerned. If he's bored during lessons and wants to do something else then that's perfectly fine, but he needs to find a more appropriate outlet for his public creativity.
posted by turbid dahlia at 5:46 PM on October 11, 2015
Also, are home-made firearms legal where you are? Imagine if he pulled out blueprints for, I dunno, a big bomb, and talked about how he makes bombs at home. Regardless of your personal feelings on the kid, he needs to be pulled into line as far as this issue is concerned. If he's bored during lessons and wants to do something else then that's perfectly fine, but he needs to find a more appropriate outlet for his public creativity.
posted by turbid dahlia at 5:46 PM on October 11, 2015
Thanks for the update. I agree with the posters above on various points. I'd still report it to your supervisor but do so from a point of concern or do so as a request for advice. I'd also really try to find a different tutor for him: it'd probably be least complicated to ask the scheduling person to assign him a different tutor when possible. You could always give a somewhat-true reason, like "I know he's so interested in XYZ, and I know he and Person ABC have a great rapport!" (It's taking the approach of your doing what's best for the kid, which just happens to be best for you, too!)
If you cannot avoid tutoring him, I'd try to fake it till you can make it in terms of kindness. (It sounds like you are already doing this.) I'd also try to find compassion for him: he may be wealthy, he may be smart, he may be popular, and he may be cocky but high-achieving and well-liked teens can be just as much at risk. I can imagine it's hard feeling "different" (if he's an immigrant or simply at a place without many Asian-Americans) and, gifted as he may be, he may constantly feel like a failure in his parents' eyes. The tutoring sessions with you may be the highlight of his week, and a chance to totally nerd out; ditto to zug's remark about guns and hunting being the norm in rural areas. You could see his sharing everything with such exuberance as a sign that he actually really likes and respects you!
I tutor him along with two other kids at the same time, and whenever the conversation moves away from him/his guns/his achievements, he'll jump in with a random or cryptic statement completely unrelated to the topic at hand in order to drag the focus back his way. Out of nowhere, he will start listing his grades or test scores or talk about some contest he's just won or trend he just "started." He doesn't feel emotional connections to other people yet obviously craves their approval/worship.
Annoying and obnoxious as this may be, it's a textbook example of a teen lacking in self-confidence who is desperate for approval. I really feel for this guy because he sounds rather unhappy: not so much unhappy at risk of hurting others but simply being unhappy being himself right now. That said, I feel for you and hope you don't have to work with him anymore.
posted by smorgasbord at 5:57 PM on October 11, 2015 [2 favorites]
If you cannot avoid tutoring him, I'd try to fake it till you can make it in terms of kindness. (It sounds like you are already doing this.) I'd also try to find compassion for him: he may be wealthy, he may be smart, he may be popular, and he may be cocky but high-achieving and well-liked teens can be just as much at risk. I can imagine it's hard feeling "different" (if he's an immigrant or simply at a place without many Asian-Americans) and, gifted as he may be, he may constantly feel like a failure in his parents' eyes. The tutoring sessions with you may be the highlight of his week, and a chance to totally nerd out; ditto to zug's remark about guns and hunting being the norm in rural areas. You could see his sharing everything with such exuberance as a sign that he actually really likes and respects you!
I tutor him along with two other kids at the same time, and whenever the conversation moves away from him/his guns/his achievements, he'll jump in with a random or cryptic statement completely unrelated to the topic at hand in order to drag the focus back his way. Out of nowhere, he will start listing his grades or test scores or talk about some contest he's just won or trend he just "started." He doesn't feel emotional connections to other people yet obviously craves their approval/worship.
Annoying and obnoxious as this may be, it's a textbook example of a teen lacking in self-confidence who is desperate for approval. I really feel for this guy because he sounds rather unhappy: not so much unhappy at risk of hurting others but simply being unhappy being himself right now. That said, I feel for you and hope you don't have to work with him anymore.
posted by smorgasbord at 5:57 PM on October 11, 2015 [2 favorites]
To me, it sounds like he resents the hell out of being there and is taking it (and whatever else) out on you because he thinks he can (it's not "real" school, he knows you have little power, etc). I think you do need to report the behaviour and I think you need more support from your superiors.
Huge misogynist.
I'm as nice as possible and try to just redirect the conversation or, if he's just drawing, ignore what he's doing for a minute before asking him to get back to his essay.
Are you a woman?
posted by cotton dress sock at 6:02 PM on October 11, 2015
Huge misogynist.
I'm as nice as possible and try to just redirect the conversation or, if he's just drawing, ignore what he's doing for a minute before asking him to get back to his essay.
Are you a woman?
posted by cotton dress sock at 6:02 PM on October 11, 2015
I'm not even remotely qualified to try to give you advice on how to handle this, but I have a couple of thoughts:
1. This "compressed paper" thing sounds a lot like homemade Micarta, which is a fiber laminate made from thermoset plastic and some kind of woven material. Micarta projects are very popular among the online gun-and-knife enthusiast set, and you can find all kinds of "make your own Micarta knife handle from old jeans" Instructables and such. Micarta is used for non-structural parts like knife handles or scales, gun grips, and maybe less commonly/wisely, whole stocks. These are the parts of guns and knives that make the easiest target for hobbyists, as they have really nothing to do with the actual function of the weapon. I'm fairly certain that there is no way that you could make the actual business parts of a gun (a barrel or firing pin) out of this stuff in a way that, as noted upthread, wouldn't pose a significant risk of harming yourself much more seriously than your target. So, no, this kid does not sound like he has spun this out of whole cloth, but it does sound a lot like he has taken a pretty bog-standard gun fancier DIY project and confabulated it into a self-aggrandizing, possibly delusional narrative about how much of a weapons/physics genius he is.
2. Some of the other things you've mentioned, specifically the "I've developed a new way of shooting that allows me to be a human automatic weapon" sound disturbingly like a friend of mine in the weeks before he was hospitalized in the throes of a manic episode. My friend was deeply interested and involved in a martial art and his mania developed along the lines of "my martial arts training has allowed me to pioneer new techniques that make me preternaturally fast/deadly." In reality, he was neither of those things. He was a risk to himself and others, though--the major scary incident in the runup to his hospitalization was a car accident after he went 36 hours (or possibly much longer) without sleep. Two cars were totaled but no humans were harmed, thank goodness.
posted by pullayup at 7:23 PM on October 11, 2015 [1 favorite]
1. This "compressed paper" thing sounds a lot like homemade Micarta, which is a fiber laminate made from thermoset plastic and some kind of woven material. Micarta projects are very popular among the online gun-and-knife enthusiast set, and you can find all kinds of "make your own Micarta knife handle from old jeans" Instructables and such. Micarta is used for non-structural parts like knife handles or scales, gun grips, and maybe less commonly/wisely, whole stocks. These are the parts of guns and knives that make the easiest target for hobbyists, as they have really nothing to do with the actual function of the weapon. I'm fairly certain that there is no way that you could make the actual business parts of a gun (a barrel or firing pin) out of this stuff in a way that, as noted upthread, wouldn't pose a significant risk of harming yourself much more seriously than your target. So, no, this kid does not sound like he has spun this out of whole cloth, but it does sound a lot like he has taken a pretty bog-standard gun fancier DIY project and confabulated it into a self-aggrandizing, possibly delusional narrative about how much of a weapons/physics genius he is.
2. Some of the other things you've mentioned, specifically the "I've developed a new way of shooting that allows me to be a human automatic weapon" sound disturbingly like a friend of mine in the weeks before he was hospitalized in the throes of a manic episode. My friend was deeply interested and involved in a martial art and his mania developed along the lines of "my martial arts training has allowed me to pioneer new techniques that make me preternaturally fast/deadly." In reality, he was neither of those things. He was a risk to himself and others, though--the major scary incident in the runup to his hospitalization was a car accident after he went 36 hours (or possibly much longer) without sleep. Two cars were totaled but no humans were harmed, thank goodness.
posted by pullayup at 7:23 PM on October 11, 2015 [1 favorite]
Actually, scratch that, only one car was totaled. The other was a Volvo 240, though, and I now remember helping him replace the radiator.
posted by pullayup at 7:31 PM on October 11, 2015
posted by pullayup at 7:31 PM on October 11, 2015
Thanks for your recent update with additional details. I think it's really, really important for you to no longer teach this boy, whatever it takes. At the best, it's a bad match and, at the worst, it's a dangerous situation for you.
posted by smorgasbord at 7:33 PM on October 11, 2015 [3 favorites]
posted by smorgasbord at 7:33 PM on October 11, 2015 [3 favorites]
A little Googling reveals that paper Micarta is already a thing. Apparently it can look a bit like ivory.
posted by pullayup at 7:36 PM on October 11, 2015
posted by pullayup at 7:36 PM on October 11, 2015
Alarm bells aren't really ringing in my head about this. He sounds like a totally normal 16 year old in that he really wants to be cool. He thinks the things he's talking about will make him seem cool. To YOU, as much as other kids around him. I think he actually wants to impress you, not scare you. He's not a disaffected, angry person who is blaming everyone else for his problems. He's not "trolling" you. He's a kid who is overcompensating with a persona.
If ANY of what he's talking about is real, the only danger he is, is to himself, but I highly doubt he actually has made anything. And my guess is that he's saying misogynistic things because he thinks it's a cool attitude to affect. Same with the laughing at the person who was shot, etc. It's a front, and I think he's intentionally saying outrageous things.
The guy needs to be set straight, and you should definitely talk with your supervisors about this, but I'd try to be honest about why you feel he is not an eminent threat. That is, I feel like he's at a fork in the road here, and down one path is him being a person who is confident in themselves who is really embarrassed about how he was as a kid, and the other path is like a really unfortunate lesson in how adults/authority/institutions handle threats, and ends up developing some actual bitterness and hate.
Bottom line is you have a right to feel safe in your workplace, and it's not your responsibility to make him a better human. Honestly it sounds like his STEM teacher is better suited to push him down the better path anyway. I guess I would say... I hope your institution has a measured response. Because they typically don't.
posted by danny the boy at 7:41 PM on October 11, 2015 [5 favorites]
If ANY of what he's talking about is real, the only danger he is, is to himself, but I highly doubt he actually has made anything. And my guess is that he's saying misogynistic things because he thinks it's a cool attitude to affect. Same with the laughing at the person who was shot, etc. It's a front, and I think he's intentionally saying outrageous things.
The guy needs to be set straight, and you should definitely talk with your supervisors about this, but I'd try to be honest about why you feel he is not an eminent threat. That is, I feel like he's at a fork in the road here, and down one path is him being a person who is confident in themselves who is really embarrassed about how he was as a kid, and the other path is like a really unfortunate lesson in how adults/authority/institutions handle threats, and ends up developing some actual bitterness and hate.
Bottom line is you have a right to feel safe in your workplace, and it's not your responsibility to make him a better human. Honestly it sounds like his STEM teacher is better suited to push him down the better path anyway. I guess I would say... I hope your institution has a measured response. Because they typically don't.
posted by danny the boy at 7:41 PM on October 11, 2015 [5 favorites]
Like I recognize a lot of myself in your description of him, and recognize my idiot friends I had back in those days, in him. Like my friend who insisted, way too late into our teenage years, that he had an uncle in "special forces" that would give him grenades, who also claimed to be a black belt in everything, and swore he made C4 in his basement that one time, etc.
I think if you're going to profile for violence, it's not perpetrated by the kids who speak up, who brag about their grades(!), who have cool haircuts; they're the ones who crave your attention. It's the kids who are desperate to hide from everyone's attention that I'd be concerned about. It's the ones you don't notice at all--except to yell at the other kids for picking on them--but have an elaborate internal narrative about all the wrongs they've endured from you.
posted by danny the boy at 7:56 PM on October 11, 2015 [3 favorites]
I think if you're going to profile for violence, it's not perpetrated by the kids who speak up, who brag about their grades(!), who have cool haircuts; they're the ones who crave your attention. It's the kids who are desperate to hide from everyone's attention that I'd be concerned about. It's the ones you don't notice at all--except to yell at the other kids for picking on them--but have an elaborate internal narrative about all the wrongs they've endured from you.
posted by danny the boy at 7:56 PM on October 11, 2015 [3 favorites]
I'm sorry to be an irritant but you guys have a school shooting or some other mass shooting incident what seems like once a week. Not to tar with the same brush or anything but this is exactly the precursor to one of those "troubled kid" but "we never saw this coming" incidents that is causing your President to visibly give up hope. Take this to your supervisor immediately and don't let this become another one of those incredibly frequent "anomalies".
posted by turbid dahlia at 8:53 PM on October 11, 2015 [5 favorites]
posted by turbid dahlia at 8:53 PM on October 11, 2015 [5 favorites]
You're allowed to think shitty people are shitty. If you're an English tutor though, I don't think it's your job to help him not be a shitty person, or even listen to anything about his personal life. If you have to keep working with him, which I would recommend avoiding, then 100% of your tutoring session should be focused on English and tutoring. No chit-chat. Does your tutoring center have an agreement that the students sign for their behavior, or a code of conduct for the tutorees? Does your center have a policy on disruptive or disturbing behavior by students? Please look into all this for your own protection and for the sake of the other students in the session.
If your instincts are warning you about this young man, you should trust yourself. I think some of the comments here have been dismissive of your experience working with this guy - you're the one spending time with him and you should trust your judgement.
I would recommend first trying to document the behavioral aspects you've observed, much more concisely and less emotionally than your initial question here. Obviously no swears and no armchair diagnoses, just brief factual descriptions of events.
"Student is disrespectful in tutoring by ignoring me when I explain something to him, interrupts to talk about personal things." "Student talks often about creating a gun which he claims will destroy people's organs." "Student distracts others in the session, and disrupts the sessions by talking about selling weapons to other students."
Try to get someone else to read your write-up to make sure it's very, very professional and then go to your boss.
At the very least, the other kids in the session parents are paying for services that they're not getting because of this guy. He's making you uncomfortable on purpose and sounds like a waste of your time and his parents' money. I'm not sure why you care about having his trust - don't let your ego talk into thinking that's important. And I don't know why you care about him getting into trouble, when it sounds like he's earned it.
posted by Squeak Attack at 9:10 PM on October 11, 2015 [5 favorites]
If your instincts are warning you about this young man, you should trust yourself. I think some of the comments here have been dismissive of your experience working with this guy - you're the one spending time with him and you should trust your judgement.
I would recommend first trying to document the behavioral aspects you've observed, much more concisely and less emotionally than your initial question here. Obviously no swears and no armchair diagnoses, just brief factual descriptions of events.
"Student is disrespectful in tutoring by ignoring me when I explain something to him, interrupts to talk about personal things." "Student talks often about creating a gun which he claims will destroy people's organs." "Student distracts others in the session, and disrupts the sessions by talking about selling weapons to other students."
Try to get someone else to read your write-up to make sure it's very, very professional and then go to your boss.
At the very least, the other kids in the session parents are paying for services that they're not getting because of this guy. He's making you uncomfortable on purpose and sounds like a waste of your time and his parents' money. I'm not sure why you care about having his trust - don't let your ego talk into thinking that's important. And I don't know why you care about him getting into trouble, when it sounds like he's earned it.
posted by Squeak Attack at 9:10 PM on October 11, 2015 [5 favorites]
He doesn't respect you, he can't stand it when the focus isn't on him, he ignores what you try to teach him, he's making threats....nthing squeak attack and having him kicked out of the program.
posted by brujita at 9:38 PM on October 11, 2015 [2 favorites]
posted by brujita at 9:38 PM on October 11, 2015 [2 favorites]
Okay, so: is this paper gun stuff actually possible?
Yes, roughly.
You can make a tube out of laminated paper that you can fire a bullet-sized pellet from. That's how fireworks mortars and roman candles work.
You can make diy black powder.
You're not going to get the pressures and projectile speeds that you'd get with a good blackpowder rifle barrel but you can make a paper tube really thick (half inch to one inch, say) and shoot a pellet fast enough to impress someone who's not into guns. Although it may be an accidental pipe bomb.
He did not claim his gun was actually automatic, just that he's come up with some special way of shooting that allows his shooting to be as effective as an automatic.
Having multiple barrels is a traditional way to do this. Starting with a double barreled shot gun and ending with what is called a pepperbox gun.
Or stacking the pellets and black powder in the barrel exactly like a roman candle or the contemporary (and oversold) experimental guns from Metal Storm. This would be a really good way to make an accidental pipe bomb.
Stuff like this is effectively what a friend's male relatives got up to in highschool, which mostly involved diy rocketry and ammonium-nitrate explosive payloads launched over bodies of water. Or the older relative who with his frat brothers make a light shoulder-slung cannon that could send a potato pretty far or a lead slug through the side of a dumpster. (This was in farming country or in the 60s, but describes a few kids in every highschool for the last hundred years.)
The massive difference being that they weren't contemptuous to their classmates and mentors and they were smart enough to realize that this stuff would be deeply inappropriate in today's legal and cultural climate. This is probably what kids got up to in high school when the Swedish STEM mentory dude was in school, and why he's underreacting.
I think this guy is just a jerk who is probably shooting pellets out of paper tubes but statistically isn't going to shoot up his school. And he's using it to wind you up, because he's a jerk and an idiot. (He's almost certainly lying about the competitive shooting and the bullet going faster than the speed-of-sound stuff).
He could get arrested for making zip guns. If you go to the police, this is what may happen and you'll have to decide if you think that's ok with you. I think it's more ok than the current situation but ymmv.
If you don't want your boss at the tutoring center to get involved, consider having the STEM guy talk to his parents with a couple of printouts of articles like that and have them talk to their lawyer who will take this seriously and tell them to stop this instantly. If STEMy dude doesn't blow you off (again) and if the parents don't blow him off. Considering STEMy dude thinks it's appropriate for him to bring a zip gun to the tutoring center to show him!?!
Frankly, I'd go to your boss, and strongly suggest she talk to his parents in the company of their lawyer. Tell her if she's not willing to do this and not willing to escalate by instead going to the police, then you will go to the police, because you need to have this kid's zip guns taken away from him and you need him away from you and your other students. (This may be naive on my part because I don't know if you could force her to force them to bring their lawyer who can tell them how serious this is.)
I agree with Squeak Attack's points about how you present this.
posted by sebastienbailard at 10:15 PM on October 11, 2015 [2 favorites]
Yes, roughly.
You can make a tube out of laminated paper that you can fire a bullet-sized pellet from. That's how fireworks mortars and roman candles work.
You can make diy black powder.
You're not going to get the pressures and projectile speeds that you'd get with a good blackpowder rifle barrel but you can make a paper tube really thick (half inch to one inch, say) and shoot a pellet fast enough to impress someone who's not into guns. Although it may be an accidental pipe bomb.
He did not claim his gun was actually automatic, just that he's come up with some special way of shooting that allows his shooting to be as effective as an automatic.
Having multiple barrels is a traditional way to do this. Starting with a double barreled shot gun and ending with what is called a pepperbox gun.
Or stacking the pellets and black powder in the barrel exactly like a roman candle or the contemporary (and oversold) experimental guns from Metal Storm. This would be a really good way to make an accidental pipe bomb.
Stuff like this is effectively what a friend's male relatives got up to in highschool, which mostly involved diy rocketry and ammonium-nitrate explosive payloads launched over bodies of water. Or the older relative who with his frat brothers make a light shoulder-slung cannon that could send a potato pretty far or a lead slug through the side of a dumpster. (This was in farming country or in the 60s, but describes a few kids in every highschool for the last hundred years.)
The massive difference being that they weren't contemptuous to their classmates and mentors and they were smart enough to realize that this stuff would be deeply inappropriate in today's legal and cultural climate. This is probably what kids got up to in high school when the Swedish STEM mentory dude was in school, and why he's underreacting.
I think this guy is just a jerk who is probably shooting pellets out of paper tubes but statistically isn't going to shoot up his school. And he's using it to wind you up, because he's a jerk and an idiot. (He's almost certainly lying about the competitive shooting and the bullet going faster than the speed-of-sound stuff).
He could get arrested for making zip guns. If you go to the police, this is what may happen and you'll have to decide if you think that's ok with you. I think it's more ok than the current situation but ymmv.
If you don't want your boss at the tutoring center to get involved, consider having the STEM guy talk to his parents with a couple of printouts of articles like that and have them talk to their lawyer who will take this seriously and tell them to stop this instantly. If STEMy dude doesn't blow you off (again) and if the parents don't blow him off. Considering STEMy dude thinks it's appropriate for him to bring a zip gun to the tutoring center to show him!?!
Frankly, I'd go to your boss, and strongly suggest she talk to his parents in the company of their lawyer. Tell her if she's not willing to do this and not willing to escalate by instead going to the police, then you will go to the police, because you need to have this kid's zip guns taken away from him and you need him away from you and your other students. (This may be naive on my part because I don't know if you could force her to force them to bring their lawyer who can tell them how serious this is.)
I agree with Squeak Attack's points about how you present this.
posted by sebastienbailard at 10:15 PM on October 11, 2015 [2 favorites]
Honestly, this all sounds insanely out of your lane. Why don't you talk to the guidance counselor?
posted by corb at 10:34 PM on October 11, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by corb at 10:34 PM on October 11, 2015 [1 favorite]
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How do you deal with him possibly having vengeance on the class? Well, this is something you should be discussing with your supervisors. That's why they're there.
posted by Miss T.Horn at 2:05 PM on October 11, 2015 [7 favorites]