Posted on 05/18/2005 6:02:34 AM PDT by Arrowhead1952
No injuries; weapon turned over to Blanton Elementary principal.
By Raven L. Hill
AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF
Wednesday, May 18, 2005
Police and school district officials said Tuesday that a fifth-grader at Blanton Elementary School confiscated a loaded semiautomatic handgun from a 5-year-old pre-kindergartener at the Northeast Austin campus after realizing the weapon was real.
No one was harmed during the incident, which happened about 7 a.m. as students waited outside the cafeteria for breakfast. The fifth-grader, whom district officials praised Tuesday, noticed the younger child displaying the gun, quickly grabbed it and gave it to Principal Leslie Dusing, police said. District officials and police would not identify either student.
Austin school district police said they were investigating who owned the gun, a .380-caliber handgun manufactured by Davis Industries Inc., and how it got into the younger student's possession. The person responsible will face criminal charges, police said.
Making firearms accessible to a child is a Class C misdemeanor, carrying a possible $500 fine.
School district police Sgt. Eric Mendez said the 5-year-old had never taken a weapon to school before or threatened classmates. Mendez said he believed it was "mere curiosity" and not a desire to harm that led the child to take the gun to school.
"He was just kind of showing it like, 'Here, look what I have,' " Mendez said. "I would strongly stress to parents: If you own guns, (minimize) that curiosity. When they are at a proper age, teach them safety - handgun safety, rifle safety — and that eliminates the possibility of being curious and wanting to get to something that they shouldn't get at."
The quick-thinking actions of the fifth-grade student likely averted tragedy in this case, but in general, parents should discourage children from handling weapons, Mendez said.
A letter from the principal about the incident was sent home with all Blanton students. In it, Dusing advised parents to keep any guns in the home locked up.
"Children are naturally curious and do not understand the dangers of guns," Dusing wrote. "As parents, one of our worries always seems to be such things as 'stranger danger,' and yet many children die each year of gunshots from families' weapons."
The pre-kindergartener was removed from class Tuesday, but school officials did not say whether the child would face further disciplinary action. Police said the matter has been referred to Child Protective Services.
This is the second time in less than a month that a gun has been taken to an Austin school. A Travis High School student was arrested after a security officer found an unloaded gun and ammunition. The student was taken to a juvenile facility and faces expulsion.
In October, campus police confiscated a loaded gun from a student at LBJ High School, the first time a gun had been found on a campus in more than a year.
Heck of a thing to bring to "show and tell".
WOW! Big applause for the intelligent 5th grader who was smart enough to take the gun away and give it to an adult. It's amazing that the kindergarten kid got ahold of the gun in the first place.
Under zero-tolerance policies, the fifth grader will now be expelled from school...
And only 35 years ago, NYC students could ride the Subway with rifles and ammunition on their way to and from school sponsored riflery competions.
My how things have changed.
Austin school ping
Not the smartest thing to do, however it seems to have worked in this case.
Same wavelength!
I'm surprised they didn't arrest the fifth grader and suspend him from school for life.
On the late news yesterday, the five year old will be suspended for the rest of the year.
I'd just about bet there was a little 'Eddie Eagle' or something a lot like it going on here. Good call on the 5th Grader's part, and neat to see a little common sense from the school.
WOW!
I wonder if his job is in danger for expressing such a radical idea.
That is the biggest thing on the news this morning. Seems a little excessive to me.
Grabbing a loaded gun is not a good call. It was a lucky turn of events IMHO.
Probably not a 5 year old though, huh?
Arund here that is only 3 more days so that doesn't seem excessive.
...confiscated a loaded semiautomatic handgun from a 5-year-old pre-kindergartener...
Public school now has classes for prekindergarteners?
That was one of my questions as well. Just having the .380-caliber handgun in the story is enough info for me.
Yep, zap him a time or two while the 'stapo interrorgizes him into admitting he was part of the conspiracy.
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