Two Richland middle school students charged after unloaded gun found in book bag

Two students at W.G. Sanders Middle School were charged Tuesday after authorities found an unloaded handgun in a book bag the boys had traded back and forth, Richland Sheriff Leon Lott said.

Classmates of the 13 and 14-year-old boys told school officials about the handgun, said Lott, who commended “those students for getting involved and the quick actions of school officials.”

“If our students see or hear of anything that could pose a safety or security threat, we want them to feel comfortable in reporting it to a teacher, administrator or another adult, and that’s what happened today at W.G. Sanders Middle School,” Richland 1 spokeswoman Karen York said in a statement released Tuesday afternoon.

“We are thankful that the gun was not loaded, it was not discharged and no one was injured,” she said

Sheriff’s deputies responded to the school at 3455 Pine Belt Road before noon. The students were charged and released to their parents, Lott said.

This story was originally published April 19, 2016 at 5:21 PM with the headline "Two Richland middle school students charged after unloaded gun found in book bag."