ORLANDO, Fla. – A News 6 investigation has uncovered Florida prosecutors have not reported one conviction for bringing a weapon on a school campus over the last five years, despite law enforcement making 40 arrests.
Possessing or discharging a weapon on school property is a third-degree felony, punishable by a maximum sentence of five years in prison and a fine of up to $5,000.
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On Wednesday, Altamonte Spring police officers arrested a 16-year-old Lake Brantley High School student and charged him with possession of a weapon on school property.
According to his arrest report, two students saw him in a restroom stall putting a firearm in his backpack. The student allegedly made the comment, “Don’t (expletive) with me. I don’t play games,” and told the other students not to tell anyone.
Following the encounter, the two students immediately told a student resource officer, the report states. The suspected student was searched and later taken into custody, according to the report. Law enforcement searched the campus for any additional weapons but said they did not locate anything, adding the gun was stolen out of Orange County.
News 6 examined records gathered by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement from state attorneys across the state.
According to the agency’s data, law enforcement officers charged 40 people with possessing a weapon on a school campus between 2019 and 2024.
Five of those arrests were made in Central Florida, with one arrest happening in Osceola County and four arrests made in Orange County.
Miami-Dade County saw the most with 33 arrests over the five-year period.
Out of the 40 total arrests, 30 cases were still making their way through the court system.
Prosecutors had thrown out seven of the cases, and they reduced the charge on one case.
Not one person had been convicted, according to FDLE’s data.
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