New Albany Police are investigating a report of a New Albany elementary student bringing a loaded firearm to school.

The student allegedly brought a loaded handgun onto the school bus Thursday morning and showed the weapon to other students while on the ride to school.

Upon arrival at the New Albany Primary School, students reported what they saw to school staff. Administrators confronted the student, and school resource officers with the New Albany Police Department confiscated the weapon.

“We would like to commend the students who reported what they saw to the school staff,” said New Albany Police Chief Greg Jones. “Our schools stress the importance of taking the ‘see something, say something’ approach to safety. We all have a responsibility to alert the appropriate authorities when we see something that isn’t right.”

Due to the child’s age, the student will not be facing any criminal charges. However, New Albany Police detectives will be investigating the incident to determine how the child obtained the loaded weapon.

“We have to remember that young children can be curious about guns,” said Chief Jones. “Even if you have spoken with your children about gun safety, they don’t always realize how dangerous those weapons can be.”

If you have a gun at home, police suggest the following:

• Keep the gun unloaded and locked up in a cabinet, safe, gun vault, or storage case.
• Lock the bullets in a place separate from the gun.
• Consider using a gun lock (a lock that makes the gun unable to fire).
• Hide the keys (or passcode) to the locked storage.

“By taking these simple steps, we can help to protect our children from situations that can lead to injury or even death,” said Chief Jones.