Guns in schools

• Published: May 20, 2009 - Page: 1A

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At least 42 guns have been found on East Baton Rouge Parish public school campuses during the past five years, according to statistics from the parish’s school drug task force and school system.

No one was hurt in any of the incidents, and only one of the weapons was fired, said officials with the school system and the East Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff’s Office, which handles inquiries for the drug task force.

The Advocate asked for the data after a 13-year-old Southeast Middle School student was arrested earlier this month for allegedly sneaking a loaded Ruger Mini-14 semiautomatic rifle onto campus in a duffle bag and stashing it in a locker.

On Monday, gun-related incidents occurred in two schools in the area.

In Lafourche Parish, a 15-year-old middle school student fired a pistol at a teacher then shot himself in the head. And in a private Baton Rouge school, authorities found an unloaded handgun in a student’s backpack.

“People are dealing with things differently now,” Baker Police Chief Mike Knaps said. “They are more violent, and if we don’t get a hold of it, it’s going to get worse.”

When youngsters had disagreements 20 and 30 years ago, they fought with their fists — and when the fight was over, it was over, Knaps said.

Today, hard feelings fester, he said. The day after a fight, a gun could be brought into the situation, Knaps said.

“We have kids willing to go to jail for the rest of their lives to not feel shamed,” he added.

Youths also are more territorial than they were in the ’70s and ’80s, the Baker chief said. They like to be in control of who comes into their neighborhoods.

That territorial attitude washes over into schools and sometimes sparks fights, Knaps said.

Parish-by-parish statistics for guns in public schools are not readily available from the state. The numbers must be requested from each school district because there is no central location where the records are kept.

Conflicts resolved by force