A gun was found in a child’s lunch bag at a South Carolina day care center on Wednesday, according to multiple media outlets.
The incident happened at the Lake Bowen Baptist Church Child Development Center in Inman, S.C., northwest of Spartanburg. The age of the child was not released.
Lake Bowen Pastor Brad Atkins said Friday that a teacher found the handgun in a student’s lunch bag at around 2:30 p.m. Wednesday, according to media outlets.
However, TV station WYFF is reporting the child found the gun at “snack time” in a mesh pouch on his lunch bag. “This is my mommy’s. I’m not supposed to touch this,” he reportedly told his teacher, said WYFF.
The gun was quickly taken to the front office and unloaded, media outlets reported. The child’s parents were then called, reported FoxCarolina.
“At no time was a child or teacher in danger,” Atkins told the Spartanburg Herald. “But, with everything going on in recent weeks, there’s a heightened sense of (urgency) with these things and with child safety.”
School officials explained the child’s mother was in a hurry that morning and accidentally packed the gun in with the child’s lunch, reported FoxCarolina.
The child’s mother, who has a concealed weapons permit, began carrying a gun after she and her husband were victims of an attempted carjacking, reported The Spartanburg Herald. Her husband was out of town Wednesday, so she was carrying the gun for protection, the newspaper reported.
Atkins praised the staff for the way they handled the situation and said the majority of parents have been understanding of the situation, reported WSPA.
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