Carson councilman proposes anti-bullying law - Carson, CA

We all know bullying is wrong, but is it a crime? The city of Carson is considering a proposal that could make it one.

Bullying comes in all shapes and sizes, from the big kid punching the smaller kid, to the less typical, like a school bus driver accused of bullying a student and encouraging other kids on the bus to join in.

A recent survey by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services found that 28 percent of kids in grades 6 through 12 felt they were being bullied at school.

"I grew up in a time when people said, 'Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt.' How many know words do hurt, and sometimes those words are so heart-piercing that will cause you to commit suicide," said Carson City Councilman Mike Gipson.

Gipson is co-sponsoring an anti-bullying ordinance that would target bullies who cause anyone from kindergarten through age 25 to feel "terrorized, frightened, intimidated, threatened, harassed or molested and which serves no purpose." It would cover bullying and cyberbullying and would induce fines and require counseling for offenders.

"We are going to draw a line in the sand tonight and we are going to say 'enough is enough,'" said Gipson. "We are going to protect not only the kid that is bothered in school, but when you leave school and go home, we're going to protect you as a city."

While it's hard to find anyone who is in favor of bullying, there are people who worry the proposed law is too broad and overreaching, and possibly a threat to freedom of speech.

http://abclocal.go.com/kabc/story?section=news/local/los_angeles&id=9529956