In the Police Beat section of Monday's Wildcat, it was reported that UA freshman basketball player Will Bynum was caught with a B.B. gun in his dorm room on Feb. 27.

Not only was the gun in his room, he was suspected of shooting out seven windows in the La Paz Residence Hall. Bynum denied shooting out the windows but was still sent to the diversion program for having the weapon.

Having a B.B. gun might not seem like a big deal to some people, but on the UA campus, having a B.B. gun is illegal - especially in a residence hall.

UAPD Cmdr. Brian Seastone said being caught with a B.B. gun on campus is a Class One misdemeanor and can warrant a fine of up to $2,500 and six months in jail.

Plus, having a B.B. gun is not allowed by Residence Life policy under the administrative code, and La Paz Residence Hall director Julia Dukes said she considers the gun a weapon on a campus that is supposed to be a weapon-free zone.

Don't get me wrong, playing with a B.B. gun is mostly all fun and games. I have countless stories of shooting friends where the sun don't shine, but I would never bring one on campus, because I know this campus is a weapon-free zone.

So why is Bynum only getting a slap on the wrist?

UA head coach Lute Olson, who is known as quite the disciplinarian, seems to be taking an easy stance on his "sharp shooter."

When Olson was asked about the incident earlier this week, he said he had no knowledge of the incident and could not respond. Bynum was also unavailable at media day on Monday, along with the other UA freshmen.

But when Olson was asked about the incident again yesterday at the Pacific 10 press conference at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, he said, "There is no issue."

He then went as far as asking, "Does anyone have an intelligent question to ask?"

Asking the head coach about why one of his players was sent to the UA diversion program and escaped with a misdemeanor charge is a pretty intelligent question in my book. Especially if this means that Bynum will have to move out of his dorm room.

If this were walk-on Mike Schwertley, would Olson take the same stance?

If you ask me, a misdemeanor is a misdemeanor, and Bynum's penalty can land you in the slammer.

So is this another case of an athlete sliding by because he is an athlete?

Imagine the headlines if Bynum was suspended from the Pacific 10 Conference tournament because he was caught shooting a B.B. gun on campus.

I can picture them now - "Willy the Kid," "Bynum shooting more than baskets" and "Sharp shooter suspended."

However, because it looks like his charge will just be handled by the diversion program and no penalty will be handed down by the basketball team, Bynum will be able to play against the Sun Devils today.

It is not like Bynum has been a model player for the team thus far. In his short career with Arizona, he has been suspended twice. The first time, he was benched in Corvallis, Ore., for violating a team rule. Then, on Feb. 28, a day before the gun was found in his room, Bynum was suspended for missing practice because he flew home to Chicago. Coincidence?

Let's just hope for the Wildcats' sake that Bynum is able to shoot baskets today as well as he shoots other things.