Juvenile Justice Reform Means Gun-Toting Student Walks Free
A 12-year old Anne Arundel County student brought a gun to school with ammunition. He cannot be prosecuted,
If you want to see how serious Maryland Democrats are about keeping Marylanders safe, here is an example for you:
A 12-year-old boy escaped legal consequences after he brought a gun to school earlier this week, according to Anne Arundel County police.
On Thursday, police say the school resource officer at MacArthur Middle School was notified of a 12-year-old student who had a handgun, loaded magazine, and loose ammunition in a bag at the school.
The school says an investigation found that a handgun and magazine were found inside the fanny pack but the gun was not loaded with bullets inside of the chamber, only, a magazine with ammunition was found inside of the gun.
So why can this student not be prosecuted? Because Maryland Democrats adopted House Bill 459 last year, the Juvenile Justice Reform Bill that makes it impossible to prosecute suspected offenders under the age of 13.
On January 5, 2023, the School Resource Officer at MacArthur Middle School was notified of a student who had a handgun, loaded magazine, and loose ammunition in a bag at the school. The student is a 12-year-old. Due to the new Juvenile Justice Reform, House Bill 459 voted into law; there are NO APPLICABLE CHARGES. A 12-year-old can no longer be charged with certain crimes, including bringing a handgun & ammunition to school. Detectives conferred with the Anne Arundel County State's Attorney's Office and the Ft. Meade Provost Marshal's Office.
Since the law took effect on June 1, 2022, we have had dozens of cases where juvenile suspects were located, identified, and unable to be charged. Those cases include assaults, weapons violations, intimidation, harassment, drug charges, theft, burglary, sex offenses, threats, motor vehicle thefts, animal abuse, arson, and incident exposures.
Yes, the same Maryland Democratic Party that thinks a five-year-old is responsible enough to decide to have a sex change thinks that a 12-year-old accused of violent offenses is not mature enough to be held responsible for their crimes.
There is nothing, legally, that can prevent this kid, who brought a weapon into a gun-free school zone, from going back to school and doing it all over again.
Imagine how terrifying this is, as a teacher, as a student, or as a parent. There is nothing to stop this student or any other student from bringing a weapon, potentially a loaded one, into school. Except the next time, because this student got away with it and nobody is ever deterred by a gun-free zone, somebody may actually pull the trigger.
Something is going to go very wrong. The next time, a student accused of bringing a gun to school, of assault, of a sexual offense, or of arson, somebody who could have been rightfully incarcerated in a juvenile facility is going to get somebody killed. And Maryland’s Democrats will have blood on their hands.