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Grandfather fined after 2nd grader brings loaded gun to school

Posted at 12:01 PM, Mar 14, 2013
and last updated 2013-03-14 12:50:10-04

HENRICO COUNTY, Va. (WTVR) - The man whose grandson brought a loaded gun to school last month was fined $100 after he pleaded guilty to the class 3 misdemeanor of allowing a child access to a weapon.

Harvey Pleasant, 78, said he had no idea how his seven-year-old grandson found the gun and brought it to school.

In court Thursday, it was revealed Pleasant kept the 9 mm handgun in a plastic bag placed in a drawer. Pleasant kept the gun in his home for protection, Henrico Commonwealth's Attory Shannon Taylor said in court.

Taylor said "it was a miracle nobody was hurt" when the child brought the loaded gun to school. Children who saw the gun alerted school staff once the bus arrived at Ratcliffe Elementary School.

Taylor said while she did not want Pleasant, who recently suffered two strokes, to have to pay a hefty fine, she did want to send a message about the importance of gun safety.