A handgun in a first-grader's backpack
A girl in first grade carried a firearm inside her backpack to a private school in the city of Córdoba. The episode occurred on Wednesday morning and caused concern among members of the educational community. The school is located in an area next to the Alberdi neighborhood. Sources close to the case confirmed the presence of the weapon among the student's belongings, although no further details about the episode have emerged so far.[S1][S2][S3]
According to versions provided by members of the educational community, the girl may have had access to the weapon because her mother is a police officer. It was not reported how the weapon reached the backpack, nor were further details known about the circumstances in which it was found. Investigators are trying to determine precisely how the oversight occurred that led the artifact to end up in the school bag, as well as whether it was fit to fire or loaded at the time of the discovery.[S1][S2][S3]
Upon the discovery, school authorities activated the security protocol and placed the children and teachers in safety, while filing the report with the Police. The investigation found that the mother is an agent of the police force and that for that reason the girl had access to the artifact. However, it has not yet been established under what circumstances and with what intentions she did this.[S2][S3]
Recent precedents in Córdoba schools
The episode adds to other cases recorded in educational establishments in Córdoba during recent months, which involved firearms, replicas, compressed-air guns and other prohibited items. One of the most recent precedents occurred on Wednesday, August 26, at an educational establishment in the General Bustos neighborhood, in the northern area of the city of Córdoba. Around 10 a.m., authorities alerted 911 to the suspected presence of a weapon inside the school.[S1][S3]
After the alert, police officers arrived at the establishment and, at the request of the director, searched the backpacks of some students and conducted pat-downs. During the procedure they seized two metal knuckles, a metal knife with a plastic handle and a dissuasive cartridge. The situation continued when a student handed the police a compressed-air revolver with its tank and five dissuasive cartridges. According to the sources cited in the case, three 17-year-old students were also identified, two males and one female, and an 18-year-old young man was detained for an infraction of the Coexistence Code.[S1]
Another episode took place at an IPEM, where a secondary student brought a replica of a firearm to the establishment. The different episodes generated concern in the educational communities and opened questions about the access of children and adolescents to weapons and other prohibited items. Each case, however, presents different circumstances and remains under investigation.[S1][S3]
