Public lucky they weren’t menaced with the infamous pop tart shaped like a gun…

WAUSAU — Police have issued disorderly conduct citations to six high school seniors in Wausau for a toy Nerf gun battle.

Some residents of Wausau called police when they saw the young people pointing a gun at a car Tuesday night. But, it was only a toy Nerf gun that shoots foam bullets. Police Capt. Ben Bliven tells WAOW-TV a number of people were frightened by the plastic Nerf guns, so officers had to respond appropriately.

One parent who saw the Nerf gun battle, Scott Hansen, says police went too far in issuing disorderly conduct citations. Wausau West High School officials have also placed some students on athletic probation. School spokesman Jeff Lindell says the Nerf gun game comes up from time to time and keeps evolving.

The fight was a part of Nerf Wars, also called Senior Shoot Out, a popular game played every spring by seniors at Wausau East and Wausau West high schools in which teams of four try to eliminate other players by shooting them with soft Nerf pellets. Last week, school officials sent notices to parents at both high schools asking them to speak to their students about the possible consequences of playing the game if behavior got out of hand.

The potential problem, according to the letter, are rules associated with the game that include having students remove clothing to avoid being eliminated.

HT: Adam Olsen