Let me begin by saying I am a nerd and, yes, I do love the Pokemon games. I used to take part in the trading card game and would compete in small, local tournaments, but I was a hobby player rather than someone who spent every waking moment figuring out every nuance and strategy the game had to offer. And never, never once in my many years of being a nerd, did I ever once think “This would be a lot easier if I just killed the competition.”

BOSTON — Police and prosecutors said Monday they thwarted a massacre planned for the Pokemon World Championship held here this weekend.

Boston police arrested James Austin Stumbo and Kevin Norton of Iowa on Saturday “because of threats of violence made over social media.” When police searched Stumbo and Norton’s vehicle parked in a garage several blocks from the Pokemon event, they found a shotgun, an AR-15 assault rifle, a hunting knife, and 250 rounds of ammunition.

Stumbo, 27, and Norton, 18, are charged with unlawful possession of several firearms and unlawful possession of ammunition. Both men were held without bail pending a dangerousness hearing on September 1.

“We mitigated the threat by intercepting those people,” Suffolk County District Attorney Daniel Conley said at a press conference Monday.

This story isn’t really catching on much, and I’ll tell you why: There were already laws preventing them from possessing those guns. Those laws didn’t work. The kids still had access to them and still brought them to a place that was going to be filled with people. Thank the Lord that the convention staff, police, and concerned citizens did their part to prevent what was going to be a major tragedy.

I never once thought that I would have to talk about gun control in a piece about Pokemon, but here we are. The world makes me very sad sometimes.

P.S. Parents, caretakers, guardians, etc.: Please, for the love of all that is holy, pay attention to your child’s social media. This kind of thing can be prevented with a little extra care. If you let your children (granted, these boys were 17 and 18, respectively) use social media, do not hesitate to check up on them. It makes it far easier down the road if you can see the signs early on. Don’t be overbearing, but like anything else in life, be aware of what your kids are doing.