LITTLE ROCK, AR – An 8-year-old boy brought a “semi-automatic-looking BB gun” to an elementary school on Wednesday.
That’s the description the acting principal gave to police after they were called to Brady Elementary at 7915 W. Markham St. around 9 a.m.
Little Rock School District security officials requested the Little Rock Police Department file an information report on the incident, police said.
According to the police report, the child brought the gun to school because “other kids have been harassing/picking on him.”
“It’s an extreme shock,” Lloyd Dawson said. “It is less alarming that it’s a BB gun but that’s still something that could harm a child.”
As parents of three young children, Dawson and his wife Nwamaka were disappointed to hear the news.
What concerns them just as much however, is why the student said he brought the BB gun in the first place.
Nwamaka said, “I just feel that it’s unfortunate that he feels like he has to protect himself and that he doesn’t have any advocates at the school.”
As police say though, a silver lining here is that nothing was allowed to go wrong beyond the child bringing the gun to school.
Little Rock Police Public Information Officer Lt. Sidney Allen says there aren’t school resource officers on elementary school campuses in Little Rock but proactive measures are in place to increase awareness on gun safety and what students need to know.
He said, “One thing you can’t measure is prevention and that’s all of the things that didn’t happen because of the practices and policies in place.”
But other parents say it’s ultimately up to them.
Nwamaka added, “At some point we have to take responsibility as parents to know the school can only go so far and teacher and even peers can go so far to help prevention.”
According to the Little Rock School District (LRSD), and in a letter sent to parents, the student brought the unloaded BB gun onto a bus and a Safety and Security Officer confiscated it immediately.
The LRSD handbook reads:
“Rule 53: Possession of Weapon or Facsimile Weapon
The possession of a knife, box cutter, dirk, brass knuckle, martial arts implement, razor, ice pick, BB gun,
pellet gun, pump gun, stun gun, blackjack, unauthorized tools, sword, spear in a cane, billy‐club, sap,
facsimile weapon or any other instrument that is specifically designed, made or adapted, or is capable of
inflicting physical injury to another person, is prohibited at school or at any school‐related activity.
Expulsion for a full calendar year is required by law. (Arkansas Codes 5‐73‐119, 5‐27‐206, 6‐17‐113, 6‐18‐502
and 6‐18‐507)”