VANCOUVER, Wash. -- A sixth-grade Pacific Middle School student was expelled after telling Clark County Sheriff's deputies he brought a loaded handgun to school in defense of a bully.
A parent had called the school's principal after her child said the 12-year-old had showed off the gun earlier Wednesday.
Other students told administrators that the boy showed off the handgun on multiple locations - "at least twice this week" - according to Clark County Sheriff's Office. Deputies arrived at the school Wednesday and found the boy in a classroom with a 9-millimeter handgun and two loaded clips in his backpack.
The boy was arrested and told sheriff's deputies he had taken it from his father, without permission, because he and another student had been repeatedly bullied.
Troubling allegations
Evergreen School District officials said the boy faced a 10-day emergency expulsion pending investigation. Superintendent Carol Fenstermacher was troubled that the boy felt threatened enough to take his father's gun and bring it on campus.
"The seriousness is that we had a child who felt like they were being bullied or harrassed; and second, a child with a gun is never a good idea. If parents have things we hope they'd keep them locked in a safe. We take this very, very seriously," she said.
One parent told KGW News she found the whole ordeal "very scary - not just for her child but for all the children at the school."
The boy did not brandish the gun or otherwise threaten anyone directly, sheriff's deputies said. He was lodged at the Clark County juvenile detention facility.
Bullying is against the law in Washington. In 2002 the state criminalized bullying - on school grounds or off-campus. In 2008, that law was amended to criminalize online bullying at "virtual" student hangouts like Facebook or MySpace.
On-campus weapons charges rise
Four students have been expelled recently from Clark County schools for bringing weapons to school. Thursday, a Hudson's Bay High School student was arrested for coming to school armed with a knife, as first reported by The Columbian. In November, two students received one-year expulsions from Daybreak Middle School in Battle Ground for having a .22-caliber rifle on campus.
In August 2008, a Battle Ground high school student was arrested and expelled for trying to sell a .25-caliber pistol at school.
KGW Reporter Teresa Yuan contributed to this article.
