Pippa’s Gun Scandal

Every celebrity knows that with fame and fortune comes loss of privacy and hordes of paparazzi at every turn. Even celebrity offspring must tolerate the flashing bulbs from time to time, but what about siblings?

Since her international debut at her sister’s wedding wearing that figure-flattering bridesmaid’s dress, Pippa Middleton has been on everyone’s radar, and it seems she’s a bit tired of the star treatment.

This weekend while Pippa and her friends visited Paris, the paparazzi were met with something more than one of her trendy outfits. A friend who was driving the group of four pointed a pistol from their Audi convertible at a photographer who was following them on a moped.  Though there are many reports that it was a toy gun, this information is not stopping a full investigation with Paris police questioning Pippa. If it turns out the gun is real, all of those involved in the incident can face up to seven years in prison. If the gun was a phony, the sentence will be dropped to two years.

It looks like what the 27-year-old had originally planned as an innocent weekend away to celebrate Paris fashion entrepreneur Arthur de Soultrait’s 29th birthday has taken a bad turn.  France is less likely to take this case lightly after Islamic terrorist Mohammed Merah used a handgun to murder seven people in the southwest of France last month. The country has heightened security alert. Also,  two men were arrested in Paris last weekend in relation to four murders that took place in nearby Essone. And let’s not forget that Princess Diana’s tragic  death occurred in Paris after a high speed paparazzi chase.

According to the Daily Mail, at least one witness made a formal complaint to Paris police with photos of the incident.

All pranks aside, this incident raises the question: should Pippa’s new-found popularity warrant more security?

-Tianna Robinson