Danny Masaniai wasn’t allowed into a Tempe nightclub one night in May because of the clothes he was wearing.

So he grabbed a .380 and fired six shots into the air. The shell casings landed in the parking lot outside the bar.

On Tuesday, Masaniai pled guilty to a misdemeanor charge of disorderly conduct with a weapon.

Arizona State’s response: A two-game suspension for the senior defensive tackle.

You call athletic director Gene Smith and ask if he has ever heard of “Shannon’s Law.”

“I’ve learned about that,” he says.

What, you wonder, did he learn?

On June 14, 1999, Shannon Smith was standing in her backyard talking to a friend on the phone when she was struck by a random bullet that had been fired in the air.

The bullet killed her. She was 14.

In response, the Arizona state legislature enacted “Shannon’s Law,” which changed the charge for firing a gun within city limits from a Class 2 misdemeanor to a Class 6 felony.

The idea: Deter idiots who think popping off a few rounds into the air is a harmless pursuit.

Masaniai is lucky. His bullets didn’t kill anyone. Lucky for him, too, that he has a coach and athletic director who are soft on crime.

Smith justified Masaniai’s slap on the wrist by saying that under the university’s code of conduct, an athlete is not kicked off the team for conviction on a misdemeanor charge. Masaniai pled down to the misdemeanor.

“We’re reacting to the law,” Smith said. “If it would have been a felony, then he wouldn’t be here. We can split hairs all day, but the bottom line is he was charged with a misdemeanor, not a felony.”

How convenient. And what a cop-out.

Because Masaniai’s bullets hit gray asphalt instead of gray matter, it’s OK for him to play again? His actions are no less reckless than the perpetrator who fired the bullet that killed Shannon Smith.

Masaniai displayed a careless disregard for life. ASU should have had the courage to do the right thing. Instead, it used the plea bargain as an easy way out.

Smith said Masaniai’s punishment is consistent with previous cases in which athletes were convicted of misdemeanors. Not all misdemeanors are created equal, though. Defensive end Quincy Yancy was suspended one game of the 2000 season for shoplifting two DVD movies worth $53. Fire a gun and endanger human life: two games.

Masaniai’s attorney, Robert Precht, said there are two sides to every story, although no one is saying what led to Masaniai’s outburst. Let’s see. Masaniai walked to his car, took out a gun and fired several shots into the air. What’s his story, that he was dove hunting?

Playing collegiate sports is a privilege, not a right. Masaniai forfeited that privilege when he decided to play shoot-em-up because he couldn’t get in a nightclub.

He can keep his scholarship and finish school. But he should never put on the uniform again.

“We think our suspension is a huge, punitive measure,” Smith said. “This sends a huge message to other kids as well.”

He’s right, you know. In fact, the Sun Devils can use Masaniai’s case as a recruiting enticement.

Have gun, will travel? Come to ASU. Just make sure you can’t shoot straight.