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Cop In Trouble After Leaving Loaded Handgun At School

Posted: 3:44 pm EST November 20, 2003Updated: 5:07 pm EST November 20, 2003

An Orlando police officer is under investigation after he left a loaded handgun at a school. Kenneth Pinkston was off duty when his personal firearm was dropped inside the auditorium at Kaley Elementary.

The handgun that was found is smaller than a videotape. But, fortunately, it wasn't fired. The gun looked like a toy, however, it's anything but.

"If you don't know what you're doing and pick it up...Bang!" comments Larry Anderson, Shoot Straight Gun Range.

Two first graders found it Wednesday morning on the floor of Kaley Elementary's auditorium.

"Of course, it's an alarming situation and we were pleased that the boys and girls knew exactly what to do," says Principal Sandra Daves.

The 6-year-olds' learned, this year, the do's and don't from an Eddie the Eagle video.

"It teaches them, if you see a gun, you stop, you don't touch it, you leave that area and go tell an adult immediately and that's what our kids do. So, we're really proud of them," says School Resource Officer LuAnn Farmer.

Unlike many handguns, the Keltec .32-caliber does not have an external safety, which basically means, you can walk up, grab the gun, point and shoot.

Orlando Police Department's policy doesn't require off-duty cops to have a gun, but does encourage it. The investigation should uncover why Pinkston, who was at his daughter's program, didn't tell anyone about the missing gun.

"I don't think he knew that he had lost it there. It was one of the places he was looking and, unfortunately, he didn't find it when he looked for it," explains Brian Gilliam, Orlando Police Department.

Instead, two first grade boys, who knew what not to do, found the gun.

This school had another scare Thursday morning when a rusted, non-working BB-gun was found near the playground. And, like the handgun, students didn't touch it, but contacted the principal. These are two examples of how not everything taught at school shows up on the report card.
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