NASHVILLE, TN (WSMV) – So far this school year, Metro Police have found eight guns on students at school, the latest just last week. A nonprofit group took a step on Saturday afternoon to prevent any more of those incidents.
Last month was a particularly concerning time for Metro parents. Police confiscated seven guns from students in various Nashville Schools. The administration found the eighth gun last week at Alex Green Elementary. This year, the youngest student found with a gun was a 2nd grader, who police said had a gun fall out of his pants.
Metro Nashville Police said they took possession of a nine-millimeter semi-automatic pistol that was in the backpack of a 9-year-old.
Metro Police have strongly encouraged gun owners to use gun cases and gun locks to prevent kids from getting their hands on them. On Saturday, the nonprofit Partners in the Struggle held an event at Hartman Park in North Nashville to increase the usage of gun locks. All 50 of them were gone in an hour.
“We want to be a part of the solution and not part of the problem,” Talia Monget-Simmons, who helped organize the event, said. “We’re here to let Nashville know that we want to help them to be safe, help parents to be safe, and we know it starts at home, so we’re going to start here to help everyone be safe so that it won’t spill over into our schools.”
So far this school, Metro Police said students brought six guns to Metro Nashville Schools this year.
When asked last month about the trend of guns in schools, metro schools blamed Gov. Bill Lee’s permitless carry law he signed this year. However, a grandmother, who wanted a couple of gun locks, and a father of two young children said it’s never wrong to have extra protection. After giving out all the gun locks, an organizer said it shows parents’ care.
Some parents and grandparents, who showed Saturday, are pleased to have a tool that could prevent a gun in school, at least on their watch.
“Well, really, to protect the children, and I think it’s best to have them locked, really they need to have them put away where the children can’t see them,” Nancy Biddix said.
“Never bad to have extra protection even if they know how to use things you wanna have extra protection in play. But accidents have happened, and I don’t want them happening in my house,” William Jackson said.
News 4 will have more on this story at 6 and 10 p.m.
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