"The child immediately told her teacher, "
She must've had the Eddie Eagle program somewhere.
Seriously, the mother isn't too bright. She didn't secure this weapon properly. That said, she should be able to carry it, if she wants to. That's impossible in DC, though.
But something smells. How can a seven-year old not know what they're carrying until the end of the day? Didn't she have to look into her backpack for homework or paper throughout the day only to find out it's her mom's bag? Why at the end of the day this happened?
You have to ask though, why wasn't the child banned from school for umpty-ump weeks ... isn't that the way PC schools are now? Zero tolerance? Like not even an asprin (but school offishuls are allowed to have them) .../s/