A 6-year-old student brought a revolver to a Virginia elementary school in bookbag, sheriff says

ORANGE, Va. (AP) — A 6-year-old student brought a revolver to a Virginia elementary school in their bookbag, but the sheriff said there’s no sign that the child intended to use it.

An instructional assistant at Orange Elementary School found the gun on Monday afternoon while helping a child who arrived late take items out of their bookbag, Orange County Sheriff Jason C. Smith said in a statement posted on social media. The assistant notified administration and the school resource officer and the gun was removed from the school, Smith said.

It was determined that the 6-year-old brought the loaded Heritage Rough Rider single-action, .22-caliber “Cowboy style” revolver to school, but there’s no indication that the child intended to use the firearm, he said. No arrests have been announced in the case and Smith said the investigation was ongoing.

“This situation is very unfortunate and heartbreaking to this community,” Smith said. “We will get through this together. Situations like these remind us of how fortunate and thankful we are that nothing serious happened. Show your children lots of love and hold them tight!”

In January 2023, a 6-year-old student brought a handgun to school that he used to shoot and critically wound his first grade teacher as she taught class in Newport News, Virginia.