Young children bringing guns to school has started to become a reoccurring phenomenon in the United States. A couple months ago, the ultimate tragedy resulted when an elementary school teacher in Newport News, Virginia was shot by one of her students. The teacher barely survived and is now suing the parents of her student. In the latest incident, a loaded handgun was discovered in a first grader’s backpack in Gainesville, Florida.
According to WFLA:
A teacher at Meadowbrook Elementary School in Gainesville found the gun at around 1 p.m. School resource deputies confirmed the weapon was loaded and “made it safe” before taking it off campus, according to a Facebook post from the Alachua County Sheriff’s Office.
Deputies learned the teacher asked the student to start bringing a backpack to class so they could send materials home with them. The child “has not brought any type of backpack to school in months,” the sheriff’s office wrote.
The child’s mother asked them to take the backpack – which deputies described as “old and tattered” – from the trunk of her car. The gun belonged to her, but she told deputies she did not know it was inside the backpack at the time.
The mother told deputies a family member recently borrowed the car and was uncomfortable with the gun being inside the car. The family member moved the gun from its usual spot in the glove compartment to a pocket inside of the backpack. They told deputies they didn’t believe the bag belonged to the student.
When guns are found on children at such a young age it is often the parents which authorities must look at. Parents need to ensure their children are going to school, and anywhere, without carrying dangerous weapons or other materials. We need to protect America’s youth and ensure children don’t come into possession of deadly materials. Some of these objects include guns, drugs, and pornography.
