CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. (CLARKSVILLENOW) – A Minglewood Elementary student brought a gun to the school Wednesday morning.
Clarksville-Montgomery County School System spokesperson Elise Shelton said no one was threatened or injured.
“Appropriate action, according to our Student Code of Conduct, will be followed with the student who brought the weapon,” Shelton said.
A number of students saw the weapon and parents have been advised to talk with their children about the importance of reporting safety concerns to adults immediately.
A report from the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office said a Student Resource Officer was called to the school to investigate. The handgun was inside a backpack in the principal’s office.
The report said the handgun’s safety was off and contained a loaded magazine. It was described in the report as a Hi-point 9mm semi-automatic weapon.
The child told the assistant principal the gun was found behind a dumpster at the apartment complex where the child lives.
When the child’s mother arrived, she told officials the gun belongs to her and that the child had taken it without her knowledge.
She said in the report that the last time she had seen the gun was Feb. 14 at approximately 7:30 p.m. When she left her home at 6:15 a.m. on Feb. 15, the gun was in a secured cabinet on a high shelf behind books in a locked gun case. She showed the deputy the case, which is a plastic, single weapon gun case.
The report said the case had been damaged without being unlocked in order for the gun to be removed.
A juvenile petition was denied by the court due to the child’s age. The issue has been referred to the TN Depatment of Children Services.
The gun was taken to MCSO’s evidence custodian for safekeeping.