Boy, 5, Brings Gun to School So Brother Won't Find It

A kindergartner bringing a loaded gun to school is one thing, but the explanation he gave to authorities makes the case more unusual: He says he found it at home and wanted to make sure his 3-year-old brother didn't hurt himself, reports KDKA of Pittsburgh. "It's a very unique situation," says the police chief in Aliquippa. The boy says he found the loaded .22-caliber handgun on a bed and stuffed it in his backpack because he knew his brother wouldn't look there. When he brought it to school, another student found about it and told a teacher.

“He’s a very sweet kid," a family friend tells WPXI of Pittsburgh. "He wasn’t taking the gun to school to hurt anyone." It sounds as if police and school officials believe the boy, and police are still considering whether to file charges against the child's mother or her boyfriend. The gun isn't registered to either of them. "I just can't stop thinking about a loaded gun lying on a bed with a 3- and 5-year-old in the home," writes Michele Zipp at the Stir. "I can't stop thinking that what this kid did was sincerely what he thought was the right thing." (The family of a gun-safety instructor accidentally killed by a 9-year-old girl at a shooting range say they feel sorry for the girl.)