6 guns confiscated on Metro School campuses this year; Concerned parents on edge

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) – So far this school year, Metro police have confiscated six guns found in Metro schools.

Guns carried by juveniles through the school halls are a concern among parents who are now on edge, thinking about this potentially deadly trend.

It’s a terrifying thought for parents like Mattie Hill, who has four children at Hillwood High School.

“Scared, because my kids are there,” said Hill. “Some of them don’t want to go to school, because they are afraid to go.”

During a random search by school officials at Hillwood High School, a resource officer found a nine-millimeter handgun loaded with eight rounds in a 17-year-old’s backpack.

The incident alarms parents like Hill, who worries students are taking guns from their parents. Hill says the increasing number of incidents involving juveniles and deadly weapons is a growing concern she talks to her children about.

A similar message is being given in the Campbell household. After Stacy Campbell learned that two days after a gun was found at Hillwood High School, Metro police arrested a 16-year-old 11th grader who carried a loaded semi-automatic pistol onto the Pearl Cohn campus.

“Gut-wrenching is my first reaction. Where are my children? What’s going on? What happened? Did they catch them? What was the reason they had the gun? So it was really scary,” said Campbell.

So far this year, six guns have been found on Metro School property, according to Metro police. Campbell has two children who attend Pearl Cohn and says the problem starts at home.

“How did you get them? Because they’re not toys. If you feel like you have to have these weapons, and you have to take them to the place you’re supposed to be safe at, that you’re supposed to be learning, so you can better yourself. What’s really going to happen?” she said.

Campbell says there are solutions to this problem. One solution can be found at The Church at Mount Carmel, where they offer a free gun drop-off for people looking to turn in their weapons. The program partners with Metro Police.