A Gun Discharged In A Kindergartner’s Backpack So Happy Back To School Everyone!
I can’t even. You guys, I love my job, I love talking to you all, I love reading all your comments but one of the shittiest, suckiest, most difficult aspects of my job, and I am sure Koa Beck and Maria Guido will agree with me, is writing up stories like this. I need to go back and figure out exactly how many school shootings we covered last year, but there were plenty, including Sandy Hook where I think all of us, readers included, had our hearts break a million times and left us all just devastated. It’s really simple at the core of it: The majority of people should not own guns. if you do have a gun, keep it securely locked up and away from children at all times. But then something like this happens and it just reminds us all that you and I may feel that gun owners need to be more responsible, but obviously people aren’t or things like this would not happen. From Fox News:
A Westside Elementary kindergartner in Frayser was detained by Memphis Police after a gun inside the child’s backpack discharged in the school’s cafeteria before class Thursday morning.
There were no reported injuries.
The gun, an RG Revolver, commonly known as a “Saturday Night Special,” discharged inside the 5-year-old student’s backpack at 7:40 a.m., inside the elementary school, located at Benjestown Road and Frayser Drive.
FOX13 News discovered there was nearly an hour gap between the gun firing and the principal at Westside Elementary calling police. Memphis Police received the call some 40 minutes later at 8:21 a.m., and Shelby County Schools security responded first.
So not only do we have a 5-year-old bringing a loaded gun to school, we have a school who did not call police until almost an hour after the incident.
When Memphis Police was first notified of the incident, SCS officials didn’t mention a shot was fired, only a possible 5-year-old with a gun.”At no time was there any direct threat to students or staff,” Everson said. “SCS Security was first to respond to the school. The situation was under control, and the school day was already underway when officers arrived. The backpack and weapon were secured and the student was detained.
The school does not use metal detectors, nor do they check backpacks .The school principal suggests that:
“You can assist us by checking your child’s belonging’s each morning to see that inappropriate items are not brought to school.”
The article goes on to state that some parents weren’t even notified of the incident until well after it happened:
Though classes were dismissed for the day shortly after Memphis Police the school district’s security staff responded to the discharged firearm, not everyone received the message that school was canceled for Thursday.
The school district did send home letters with students late Thursday morning to tell parents about the gun incident. Westside Elementary parents say they’re not blaming the school for the gun on campus, but feel the district should have notified parents immediately. Some say no matter how SCS moves forward, for them- there won’t be a next time.
They’re not blaming the school for the gun on campus, but feel the district should have notified parents immediately. Some say no matter how SCS moves forward with this merged school district, for them there won’t be a next time.
I don’t think I could send my kid back to that school after this. It’s great they called a security company but not calling the police until almost an hour after and then not notifying parents right away that a gun went off on school property? I think that is something parents deserve to know right away.
So happy back to school everyone. I have a sickening feeling that this is just the first school gun story of many we will see.
(Image: zimand /shutterstock)
