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Orange County: Loaded gun found in 6-year-old child’s backpack at school

Crystal Graham
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A 6-year-old student brought a loaded gun to Orange Elementary School on Monday.

No threats were made prior to the discovery of the firearm, and there were no injuries, according to the Orange County Sheriff’s Office.

The gun was found by an instructional assistant in the child’s backpack.

The school-resource officer was alerted to the situation at 12:50 p.m. The school-resource officer and a school administrator took possession of the backpack.

The school was temporarily placed in “safe school mode.”

The incident is under investigation. No arrests have been made at this time.

Out of an abundance of caution, the school will have additional law enforcement on the campus on Tuesday.

In 2023, a 6-year-old male child shot and injured his first-grade teacher at Richneck Elementary School in Newport News. The child’s mother pled guilty to two charges: user of marijuana while in possession of a firearm and lying about her marijuana use during a background check required to obtain a gun.

The following month, a child took a gun to Little Creek Elementary School in Norfolk. No one was injured in the incident, and the child’s mother was charged with delinquency of a minor and allowing access to a loaded firearm by children.

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Crystal Graham

Crystal Graham

Crystal Abbe Graham is the regional editor of Augusta Free Press. A 1999 graduate of Virginia Tech, she has worked for 25 years as a reporter and editor for several Virginia publications, written a book, and garnered more than a dozen Virginia Press Association awards for writing and graphic design. She was the co-host of "Viewpoints," a weekly TV news show, and co-host of Virginia Tonight, a nightly TV news show on PBS. Her work on "Virginia Tonight" earned her a national Telly award for excellence in television.