10-Year-old Brings Loaded Gun To LA County Elementary School

LOS ANGELES, CA — A 10-year-old student brought a loaded gun to a Los Angeles County school on Tuesday, raising concerns about weapons and campus violence in a district that has slashed school policing resources.

A boy brought a .40-caliber Glock 22 that had been reported stolen to Glassell Park Elementary school on Tuesday, and a classmate saw the boy showing off the loaded gun to friends and informed an adult, The Los Angeles Times reported.

A Los Angeles Unified District spokesperson confirmed the incident to Patch, sharing the message sent to parents by Glassell Park Elementary Principal Claudia Pelayo.

"Today, a handgun was found on campus. We took immediate action, including securing the weapon and notifying the Los Angeles School Police Department and Region West Operations for further investigation," the message said. "The parents of the impacted student have been notified. In an abundance of caution, the Los Angeles School Police Department will be providing on-campus support and extra patrols for the remainder of the week.

"As a reminder, students should not bring any dangerous items to school, or toys or other non-permitted items to school, including items that may resemble or imitate a dangerous object..Our school will continue to follow the District’s Discipline Foundation Policy to provide a safe and healthy learning environment for our students."

The district further urged parents to turn the scare into an opportunity to talk to their children about safety and to download the Los Angeles Schools Anonymous Reporting app – also known as the LASAR app.

"We take the safety and security of our students and our campus very seriously. This is an opportunity for parents and guardians to discuss with their children the importance of using good judgment and avoiding dangerous activities. We would like to take this time to remind everyone to report behavior or statements that raise safety concerns to our staff or local authorities."

In 2020, the Los Angeles Unified School District Board of Education voted to cut the police budget by more than a third, removing police officers from campus and focusing on increased emotional support for students. However, subsequent increases of fights and campus drug overdoses have prompted some in the community to call for an increased school police force.

On Tuesday, parents submitted a petition with more than 4,000 signatures calling for the return of officers to campus, the Times reported.

It comes both as the state faces a massive budget shortfall heralding spending cuts and amid a dramatic spike in campus violence. According to the Times, the 2018-19 school year recorded 669 weapon “incidents,” compared to 903 weapons incidents through April 15 of the current school year.

In that time period, Los Angeles underwent a spike in gun ownership particularly early on during the pandemic.