FREDERICKSBURG, Va. — The parents of a third grader at Lee Hill Elementary School were arrested after a handgun went off inside the child’s backpack during class.
The handgun went off just before 11 a.m. Monday, WTOP reports. The teacher was able to get all 26 students out of the classroom before contacting the school resource officer. Spotsylvania County Public Schools (SCPS) says proper safety precautions were followed as the impacted students were moved to the cafeteria and the building was placed in a school-wide hold. No students or staff were hurt during the incident.
A statement from the Spotsylvania County Sheriff’s Office said the child found the handgun at home and put it in his backpack.
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“It was during snack time, and the child reached into his bookbag to retrieve his snacks and inadvertently pulled the trigger of the weapon,” Major Liz Scott told WTOP. “It’s truly remarkable that nobody was physically injured.”
The boy’s parents, Terrence Carroll Jr., 34, and Ciara Armstead, 36, were arrested later Monday and charged with recklessly leaving a loaded, unsecured firearm around a child under the age of 14. The parents cooperated with the investigation and were released on $5,000 bond. They are due to be arraigned Friday in Spotsylvania County Juvenile Domestic Court.
What Are Virginia’s Gun Storage Laws?
Scott emphasized the importance of gun owners properly storing firearms.
“They should be unloaded, locked and out of the reach of children,” she said.
According to Everytown for Gun Safety, Virginia has the 15th strongest gun laws in the U.S. It requires background checks for handgun purchases at point of sale and/or for permit to purchase and requires any person who carries a concealed firearm in public to first obtain a permit.
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While Virginia has no laws that require unattended firearms to be stored in a certain way, Virginia law prohibits anyone from recklessly leaving a loaded, unsecured firearm “in such a manner as to endanger the life or limb of any child under the age of 14.”
According to the National Association of School Resource Officers (NASRO), 12 elementary school students have brought guns to school so far this academic year, NBC reports. The guns accidentally went off in two of the cases, the group said.
SCPS urged parents to check their children’s backpacks daily to ensure they only bring what they need to school.
