Loaded handgun found in NC student's backpack

ASHEVILLE -- Authorities say a loaded handgun was found in the backpack of a North Carolina high school student.

The Asheville Citizen-Times reports that the ninth grader was in the Asheville High School office on another issue Wednesday when a school resource officer searched his backpack and found a loaded 9mm handgun.

Police have charged the student with possession of a weapon on school property. He is a juvenile, and his name has not been released.

Last year, Asheville police arrested a 16-year-old boy accused of firing at a group of students. The school also went on lockdown in May 2007 when a student reported seeing someone with a submachine gun.

In both cases, police did not find a weapon on Asheville High School's campus.

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