Ridgewood High School opposes annual student Nerf gun game called Dart Wars

RIDGEWOOD — An annual Nerf gun tournament organized by local high schoolers may be cancelled this year in light of concern regarding youth gun violence and whether the event is appropriate so soon after 17 people lost their lives in the Parkland, Florida school shooting.

"Because of the heightened awareness of shootings, we strongly urge students to not participate," stated the school's principal, Thomas Gorman, in a letter sent to parents on Monday.

"Although students use Nerf guns during these games, the strategies employed by students to target other teams may be misinterpreted in today's climate," Gorman wrote.

The game, named Dart Wars, has been a mainstay of the high school for more than a decade. The event runs around the clock from March until June, although it is prohibited during school hours. Participants are also prohibited from bringing the ballistic toys on school grounds. Those provisos have been longstanding rules for the game, set forth by Ridgewood seniors in 2007, when the tradition was established.

Played by teams of four who attempt to shoot each other after school and on weekends throughout the town, the game has no boundaries or set times, but is otherwise reflective of laser tag or paintball tournaments. A player can be targeted at any point if seen by a rival. Each player pays a $15 entrance fee, which goes into a pool paid to the winner.

Gregory Brown, a Ridgewood parent, says he allows his children to play with Nerf guns, but that he does not encourage his 8-year-old son to use his against other children, and does feel the timing of Dart Wars is inappropriate. For him, the random, or surprise aspect, of the game is part of the problem.

"If two kids are in the backyard, and they both know they're playing this game together, or we get all geared up and played paintball, you're in an environment where you understand that's what you're doing," Brown said.

In this case, he continued, "you're ambushing them, you're chasing them," adding, "it just seems like, with what we're going through as a nation, the timing is not great."

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Police Chief Jacqueline Luthcke noted that with a heightened sensitivity toward perceived danger, public safety is a key issue.

"In this day and age, any type of game that involves running around with any kind of gun increases people's fear," Luthcke said. "You can't tell from a distance if it's a fake gun."

The game's rules have also long prohibited players from painting or altering their guns to make them more similar to real weapons.

"It's very well regulated," said Ian Dartley, a high school senior who intends to participate in this year's tournament, which he said is still planned to take place. "I know kids who got warnings, and their guns taken away for painting them black and making them look too real," he said of years past.

Although Dartley will participate, and lamented that current events have colored the town's perception of a longstanding tradition, he understands the hesitation felt by many residents.

"I don't like it, but I feel like it's reasonable," he said. "I get why they feel it needs to be secure, and obviously kids don't need to be running around with fake guns. It's unfortunate, but I understand why."

While Gorman's letter referenced open participation from the police department, Luthcke said the department's role was to aid the school in educating residents on why the tournament should be preempted.

"It's not illegal to play the game," she said. "It's about getting people to think about their actions, and how [other] people feel about those actions."

Dartley couldn't say if the school and police's opposition has lowered participation this year, as the team brackets have not yet been devised. He was also unsure whether organizers had considered donating this year's winnings to a nonprofit against gun violence, or victims of the Parkland shooting.

"I'm sure that's going to happen, with the way everything is," he said, referring to the surge of support for the Florida victims, and an upswing in youth advocacy for stricter gun laws.

"Last year they did make a donation to a family in the school after a personal tragedy," he added. "I could definitely see them making another donation like that, and I wouldn't disagree with it."

Brown spoke at a Board of Education meeting Monday night, urging district officials to "think outside the box" when it comes to school safety, beyond the addition of a school resource officer, such as anti-violence curriculums.

Board President Vincent Loncto said at the meeting that the school had been proactive in updating safety policies since before the shooting in Florida.

"Safety has been the number one email topic from parents since Parkland," Superintendent of Schools Daniel Fishbein told Brown.