5-Year-Old Took Loaded Gun To School, Kept In Locker The Entire Day

A loaded gun was confiscated from the backpack of a kindergarten student Monday at Faison Elementary School in South Homewood, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

The five-year-old boy was able to carry the firearm inside the school’s premises because there was no strict security checking for students at the entrance of the institution. Till Monday, only adults who entered the school building were required to pass through metal detectors – a policy that was set to get revised starting Tuesday. In the light of the recent events, even students would have to walk past the detectors.

The reason the gun did not make into the classroom was because students were required to leave their bags in their lockers. The student reportedly kept the loaded gun in his locker the entire day without anyone noticing. Only when another student informed the school bus driver about the weapon was the gun removed from the student’s bag and school officials notified.

“Due to the quick actions of a student and school bus driver, a firearm with the safety in place was secured from a Pittsburgh Faison kindergarten student this afternoon," Pittsburgh Public Schools spokeswoman Ebony Pugh told ABC-affiliated WTAE. "Parents were notified of the incident via the district's phone system and alerted that beginning tomorrow all students will now go through metal detectors."

Pugh added the student got the gun, whose safety lock was on, from home. Pittsburgh City Police were investigating how exactly the student got his hands on the gun and how it ended up in the student’s bag.

Concerned residents expressed shock at learning a young child had access to a loaded gun.

“It’s shocking, upsetting. I have a niece and nephew that go here. I couldn’t imagine anything happening to them. For a five-year-old to bring a gun to school, the parents should get in trouble,” South Homewood resident Latoya Murphy told CBS Pittsburgh.

Lee Williams of Homewood said, “I cannot believe that a five-year-old brought a loaded gun to school. That’s too young,” while another resident, Frank Harrison, said “The parents need to check on their kids a lot more than what they are doing. It’s a shame.”

In a similar incident, a student arrived at the Rogers Park Elementary school, Alaska, with a loaded handgun in a backpack, Thursday. Anchorage Police Department spokesperson Kendra Doshier later said, “In regards to whether or not the gun was loaded, it had a full magazine, however, no round in the chamber."

According to CBS-affiliated KTVA, an email notification sent out to parents of the school on the same day informed them of the situation, saying: “A weapon was found in the backpack of one of our students. Staff reacted quickly and at no time were students of staff in danger. Rogers Park staff appropriately followed all the ASD safety protocols and procedures, including contacting our School Resource Officer."