New Mexico district wrestles with escalating trend of students bringing firearms to schools 

Albuquerque Public Schools has confiscated 13 firearms on school grounds this year, raising concerns among parents and the community over student safety.

The latest incident occurred May 5 at Tres Volcanes Community Collaborative K-8 School after police found a gun inside a 12-year-old’s backpack, according to KOAT News.

“I want to reassure you that the student found in possession of the gun did not express any intentions of harming himself or others,” Interim Principal David Adviento Mackey wrote in a letter to parents. “Nevertheless, possessing any weapon, particularly a gun, within the confines of our school premises is an egregious violation of our rules and regulations.”

‘Everybody’s worst nightmare’ 

Bernalillo County District Attorney Sam Bregman blamed a “toxic mix” of gun glorification on social media contributing to the rise in confiscations. 

“Kids now see a gun as a trophy,” he said in an interview with KOAT. “They want to get that trophy. Then you mix it with social media. They sit there and pose with a gun like this, and they put it on social media, and they get some likes, and all of a sudden, they think that’s what makes them popular.” 

However, schools can impose severe consequences for such actions, including “expulsion and potential prosecution,” according to Mackey’s letter. 

“It’s everybody’s worst nightmare,” Bregman said. “There is nothing more dangerous than just the idea of a child on a school campus with a gun. And it’s happening far too often.” 

The Tres Volcanes student stole the firearm from his mother’s boyfriend, according to investigators – prompting questions over the Bennie Hargrove Safe Storage Act, which was signed into law in 2023. 

“If the child brandishes a gun that he obtained because someone else … didn’t store it correctly, that’s a misdemeanor,” Bregman said. “If they hurt someone, it’s a felony.” 

The county office deals strictly with juvenile gun crime, refusing to discuss any plea resolutions until learning how the firearms were obtained. 

“That’s very important to us,” Bregman said, “because we’re trying to shut down all these kids from getting a hold of guns.”