A bit disturbing incident regarding possibly a GUN at my sons primary

[QuintessentialShadows]

The children were involved in a spring tidy up, and were picking rubbish in and around the school.

My son was in a group that picked rubbish outside the school perimeter in the woods. My son told me one of the boys found a gun. I asked was it a toy gun, NO. Was it plastic? NO. Was it light or heavy (trying to ascertain if it was indeed plastic)? HEAVY. You sure it was a real gun? "Mum, I know what a real gun looks like!" (Possibly, we have a rifle in the house, it is on display together with my dads trophies for a sport that involves cross country skiing and target shooting.)

Besides, he said, it wasnt loaded. We tried shooting with it, and nothing happened.

I asked if they shoved the Teacher? NO. Did they tell the teacher? NO. Why not? "I think the boy who found it was planning on taking it home secretly."

See, my dilemma is this. If it indeed was a real gun, the teacher and the authorities should be allerted of the found. If it was a toygun, so what if the boy sneaked it home, and telling the school would just put my son in trouble with his friends.

I can see three possibilities:

1. It was a real gun
2. It was a toy gun and the boys were mistaken
3. It was toy gun and the boys pretended it was real for play value and excitement.

But, as a parent, what do I do?

Thoughts please.

I have tried calling.
The landline number is not in use.
The mothers mobile is not picking up.
A girl is answering the fathers mobile phone. She is playing such loud music. She is not turning it down. I have called this number twice. She yells "I Cant hear you".

So what do I do then?

On further prompting my son says that the boy put his rubbish bag with the gun inside together with the other rubbish bags.

keep phoning

so the gun is in the rubbish then and not at this boys house?

I would ring school and or parents.

If you can't contact parents then ring local police number and explain to them.

You can't do nothing IMO.

you need to tell them NOW.

From what I gather, my son thinks it is in the rubbish. The boy was telling the other boys in the class about his find today, but not the teachers.

Nobody is picking up at the school. The teachers had all gone home when I picked him up from after school club today.

I feel really hysterical for calling repeatedly just to get the same person yelling she cant hear because her music is so loud.

The police would rather be alerted to a false alarm than have a firearm on the loose.

Call them. If the rubbish is still at school then they can contact the caretaker.

I think you should stright round to the childs house. Explain the situation to the parents. Now.

The police station probably closes at six, wxcept for emergencys - act now.

PIUH!

The mum called me back, having found my number on her missed calls list.

Her son had told them they found a toy gun that looked very real, and that he had left it together with the other rubbish. He had also later found a packet of "pretend gunpowder".

you did the right thing
if you aren't sure you really need to ensure the situation isn't as dangerous as it sounded

You did the right thing. But is the other mother convinced her boy knows for sure that it is a toy, not a BB gun or a real gun? Even BB guns can injure people. "Pretend gunpowder" could be worrying, too.

they fired it? .

Imo you should ring the police and alert them to the fact this gun was found and is in the rubbish that these children picked up. the police can then investigate further.

If this was a real gun (and you have only the word of a 6 year old that it was a toy) it may well have been used in a crime. If this gun is found at the point these rubbish bags are emptied, the police will find fingerprints on it. the fingerprints of all the children who handled it, thus implicating them in whatever crime might have taken place (eventhough obviously 6 yos don't generally get involved in gun crime), but they will need to be iliminated from police enquiries if the gun was involved in something untoward.

pretend gunpowder? could be drugs?

I agree with wannaBe. The police should investigate this as soon as possible - and it needs to be started before there is any chance the rubbish could be taken away. The "pretend gunpowder" could be anything - it could be explosive or poisonous or drug related. Even if the gun is just a replica it could still have been used in a robbery, for example.

also, could be a replica gun and could still have been used in a crime - a robbery for eg.

You did the right thing Quint. Have you or the other mother informed the police?

My dd's friend was killed by an air rifle. He and some other boys were playing and it went off, the pellet lodged in his brain. He was 12