MECKLENBURG COUNTY, N.C. — Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools district leaders are preparing for a new school year and for many schools, guns remain among the biggest safety concerns.
Specifically, those being brought in by students.
The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department says its officers confiscated 28 guns last school year.
At a Tuesday press conference, CMPD gave a warning to parents and community members to do more to keep guns out of kids’ hands.
CMPD says it's finding guns in schools are coming from students’ homes and as WCNC Charlotte previously reported are being stolen from cars.
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"Please do not keep your firearms in your vehicles," CMPD Sgt. Crystal Fletcher said. "That just presents an opportunity for the firearm to be stolen and to end up in the wrong hands.”
School resource officers are also relying on the body scanners CMS put into schools to find guns before they come on to campus.
The body scanners are currently in all high schools. CMS says they’ll be in all middle schools in the first few months of the semester.
Most guns were found at CMS high schools last year, but once body scanners were put into schools the district did report finding fewer.
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Of the 28 guns CMPD removed from campus last school year, only five were found during the second semester.
CMPD has a message for parents who are not locking up their guns safely.
"CMPD has actually charged parents for being careless with their firearms when those firearms end up in juvenile hands, or at our school campuses, or even worse," Fletcher said.
CMPD said there are SROs in all middle and high schools.
CMS is working to get SROs in elementary schools as well, but the CMS superintendent has said they don’t have the money in their budget.
Contact Shamarria Morrison at smorrison@wcnc.com and follow her on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.