On Monday morning in Ocala, Florida (of course it’s Florida), police took a 9-year-old into custody after he brought a loaded .38 caliber revolver onto a school bus headed for College Park Elementary. Officers safely recovered the firearm, and thankfully, no one was injured.

According to the arrest report, the boy stole the gun from his uncle’s bedroom the day before. Police described the weapon as being “stored lawfully,” but if a fourth grader can get his hands on it, how secure could that storage really have been? Whatever precautions were in place, they clearly weren’t good enough to stop a child from smuggling a revolver onto a bus full of students.

The boy reportedly showed the gun to several other students but never pointed it at anyone. He told police that he had no plans to hurt anyone and would only bring it out at school if he was bullied. His parents informed officers that he has a history of violent behavioral issues. That may help explain how we got here, but it does not make the situation any less dangerous. It only takes one mishandling of a firearm, and we would be discussing dead children rather than a close call.

Police charged the boy with multiple offenses, including possession of a firearm on school property, carrying a concealed weapon, armed burglary, and grand theft of a firearm. The investigation is ongoing, and given his age, authorities have withheld his identity.

The school district issued the usual statements, praising the quick actions of the bus driver and the students who reported what they saw. But they also told parents to use this as an opportunity to talk to their kids about making “positive decisions that have good outcomes.” That line is hard to stomach.

Guns in schools rarely come from children making bad choices. They almost always come from adults who left them accessible, often while congratulating themselves on how ‘securely’ they were stored. If anyone needs a lecture about positive decisions, it is the grown-ups whose negligence allows these situations to happen in the first place.

(Sources)

• 9-year-old arrested for bringing loaded gun on school bus in Ocala
• 9-year-old elementary student found with gun on Ocala school bus, police say
• Child found with gun on school bus headed to Ocala elementary school, police say