Two Guns Found At NYC Schools in One Day

Guns were discovered in two separate incidents and schools in New York City on Thursday, November 10th.  

On the morning of November 10th, around 8:30 am, a gun was found in the possession of a 14-year-old boy at a public school in Brooklyn. The discovery was made at Brooklyn Collegiate Prep High School on Bergen Street in Brownsville.

According to an NBC New York report, the gun was discovered after video footage of the teenager holding it was seen by school officials. This led to the discovery of a 9mm firearm, which was not loaded, in the student’s bag. The school at which the incident occurred has about 1,000 students, however, the number of School Safety Agents present has been halved since the COVID-19 pandemic. According to the police, charges are pending against the teenager. 

According to multiple reports, at around the same time the gun was found in Brooklyn, a gun was also found in a six-year-old’s backpack at Bronx charter school, Boys Prep Bronx. The gun was discovered in a bag that was inside the student’s school bag. Officials claim the gun was loaded.  

“Our staff acted quickly today to ensure everyone’s safety and communicate with our families and the proper authorities,” a school spokesperson said in a statement. “We are obviously shocked and saddened by this situation and are now focused on reviewing our procedures while also ensuring this student and his classmates have the support they need. We promptly notified law enforcement and will assist however we can with their investigation.” 

Still on the News…

Both schools where the guns were found did not have scanners, according to officials. The gun found at Brooklyn collegiate prep was the 7th found at a traditional public school this school year while the one found in the Bronx was the first found at a charter school. 

In a previously released statement, the NYC School Safety Coalition called on Mayor Eric Adams to fulfill the promise he made to have gun scanners installed at public schools. The shortage of School Safety Agents has been a concern raised by the Safety Coalition as well. Several schools in the city have shown a clear shortage of School Safety Agents. This has made work and life for the smaller groups of School Safety Agents more challenging than they should be. 

The Department of Education took a no-tolerance stance against the presence of guns on school grounds. “Weapons of any kind have absolutely no place in our schools. The Department of Education is wholly committed to making sure our students, schools, and communities are safe,” a DOE statement said. “Our school staff and School Safety Agents acted immediately and safely recovered the item, and all safety procedures were followed. We are working closely with the NYPD regarding follow-up actions.”