10-Year-Old Mississippi Fourth-Grader Expelled For Bringing Handgun Found Under Couch To Bus Stop

August 28, 2008 9:47 a.m. EST

Richland, MS (AHN) - A 10-year-old boy has been expelled from school after being charged with bringing a loaded .380 caliber semi-automatic handgun to his school bus stop.

Rankin County Sheriff Ronnie Pennington has confirmed that the unidentified Richland Upper Elementary fourth-grader was caught Monday with the loaded gun at his bus stop, according to reports Thursday.

The child reportedly told investigators that he found the gun under his parent's couch and brought it to the bus stop to show a friend, but that he didn't know it was loaded and didn't intend to take it to school.

However, the school bus pulled up, the child tried to shove the gun into his book bag, but the driver saw it, took it away from the boy, put the boy on the bus and took him to school and then called the police.

Because school bus stops are considered school property, so the boy was charged with possession of a firearm on school property.

The student was caught with a loaded .380 caliber pistol along the bus route Monday morning.and having a loaded gun at a school bus stop. A 10-year-old Richland Upper Elementary student has been charged by police and expelled from school after being caught Monday morning with a loaded .380-caliber semi-automatic handgun at his bus stop.