4-year-old brings loaded gun to John F Kennedy Elementary School days after boy, 7, came to Arizona school with weapon
CORPUS CHRISTI, TEXAS: A four-year-old child allegedly came to Corpus Christi's John F Kennedy Elementary School with a loaded firearm on Wednesday, August 31, which resulted in a school lockdown and the father facing charges. As per district authorities, an on-duty police officer at the school "immediately seized custody" of the purported handgun and secured the area.
According to NBC, police officers and district administrators went to the school to help with the lockdown. Police claimed that once officers went to the student's home, a 30-year-old male was taken into custody and charged with giving the youngster access to a handgun and neglecting or endangering a minor. “While we do not believe that students and staff were in any kind of imminent danger, as a precaution the campus had increased police presence and maintained a higher level of security at the school until the Corpus Christi Police Department gave us an ‘all clear’ at 10.30 am,” the official statement from the district read.
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A similar case took place on Monday, August 29, when a seven-year-old child walked into Cochise Elementary School in Arizona, with a handgun and ammunition in his backpack. According to HuffPost, the child's parents were contacted, and sheriff's deputies were dispatched to the school. The father of the child allegedly searched his arsenal and discovered a second missing firearm. This was reportedly hidden by the youngster in the school office as they waited for the police and was later purportedly found there.
It is anticipated that the child’s parents will avoid any charges against them as the weapon was stored away in a secure location. “The parents were interviewed and advised that the weapons had been placed in what they believed to be a secure location away from the children after a recent camping trip,” as reported by the sheriff’s office. Although, the child will now have to face disciplinary actions for endangering the lives of others.
Children's gun deaths a leading concern in the US
According to The New England Journal of Medicine, guns have taken over for the most deaths in US children which was earlier claimed by motor vehicle deaths. The issue is seriously alarming how children find themselves easily in possession of firearms in a country where the number of guns exceeds the total population. One of the deadliest shootings that took place in recent months was at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde which resulted in the death of 19 children and two adults.
Therefore, the officials in Texas have alerted the citizens to be more vigilant in order to keep the schools safe which leads to overall success. Police have recommended people to safely store their handguns after the occurrences this week, stating that they should be empty, the trigger locked, and kept in a gun safe or pistol box, with ammo locked separately. Additionally, keys must be kept out of children's reach.