Charges have yet to be filed nearly one week after a 10-year-old student was found with a loaded firearm at Mitchell Elementary School.A fourth grade student was found to bring the weapon to campus in a backpack on Friday, Feb. 27. The firearm was found hidden in the nurse’s office.Some in the community have voiced their concerns and called for charges to be filed against the gun owner. One law cited is Bennie’s Law, which passed in 2023 and requires safe firearm storage in New Mexico.The law was named after Bennie Hargrove, who was killed in a shooting by his classmate at Washington Middle School in 2021.University of New Mexico professor Joshua Kastenberg explains why the law was passed three years ago and the purpose it serves.”I think the law is important for reinforcing the idea that gun owners, have special responsibilities to safeguard deadly weapons,” Kastenberg said.An Albuquerque Public Schools spokesperson sent KOAT a statement, which reads, “The Albuquerque Public Schools Police Department is handling. It’s my understanding that the investigation remains active.”The Bernalillo County District Attorney’s Office stated the case has not forwarded on to its staff as of Thursday, March 5.A total of 26 states, along with the District of Columbia, have enacted laws for secure storage of firearms.Action 7 News On The Go: Download our app for free
Charges have yet to be filed nearly one week after a 10-year-old student was found with a loaded firearm at Mitchell Elementary School.
A fourth grade student was found to bring the weapon to campus in a backpack on Friday, Feb. 27. The firearm was found hidden in the nurse’s office.
Some in the community have voiced their concerns and called for charges to be filed against the gun owner. One law cited is Bennie’s Law, which passed in 2023 and requires safe firearm storage in New Mexico.
The law was named after Bennie Hargrove, who was killed in a shooting by his classmate at Washington Middle School in 2021.
University of New Mexico professor Joshua Kastenberg explains why the law was passed three years ago and the purpose it serves.
“I think the law is important for reinforcing the idea that gun owners, have special responsibilities to safeguard deadly weapons,” Kastenberg said.
An Albuquerque Public Schools spokesperson sent KOAT a statement, which reads, “The Albuquerque Public Schools Police Department is handling. It’s my understanding that the investigation remains active.”
The Bernalillo County District Attorney’s Office stated the case has not forwarded on to its staff as of Thursday, March 5.
A total of 26 states, along with the District of Columbia, have enacted laws for secure storage of firearms.
Action 7 News On The Go: Download our app for free
