1200 Weapons Taken from NYC Students Last School Year
1,200 firearms, knives, boxcutters, razors and other dangerous objects confiscated from city students in the 2013-14 school year.
Knives were the most common weapons confiscated from schoolchildren — including folding blades that look like credit cards. Last school year, the contraband also included nine firearms and 41 BB guns, said the New York Post.
Students don’t arm themselves to commit crimes but to protect themselves in dangerous neighborhoods or in case of conflicts with other kids, according to the Post.
Metal detectors picked up 712 weapons — about 58 percent of the total. Another 42 percent were recovered after tips from staff or students. Despite the stigma metal detectors can bring to a school, cops and some principals say they remain essential to school safety. The use of the scanners is under review by Mayor de Blasio.
Airport-style metal detectors are used daily in 79 city high schools and junior highs. Another eight schools have metal detectors but use them on a random basis. And the NYPD does unannounced scanning with mobile units at other schools.
None of the recovered guns was found with metal detectors and none was fired, the Post said. "The youngest kid who packed heat last year was 10, but in January 2013, a 7-year-old second-grader brought a semiautomatic handgun to Wave Preparatory School in Far Rockaway, Queens," the Post said. "Among recent incidents, a 14-year-old boy at JHS 258 in Brooklyn was caught in March with a .22-caliber handgun in his book bag. In May, a 12-year-old boy at PS/MS 29 in The Bronx showed his handgun to a pal, who told an adult. And a 14-year-old boy at PS 305 in Brooklyn whipped out a .25-caliber handgun in the restroom, where a teacher spotted him. "
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