Weapons possession charges can carry serious penalties, including stiff prison sentences. Law enforcement and prosecutors take possession of a firearm on school grounds especially seriously, and a young woman is facing several weapons charges after allegedly bringing a firearm into a South Philadelphia school.
The 21-year-old woman is accused of bringing a semiautomatic weapon into South Philadelphia High School in a diaper bag. Investigators report that the young mother was at the school on the morning of Jan. 10, intending to sign up for night classes. An x-ray machine reportedly indicated that the weapon was in the bag.
According to police, the woman said that she was not aware that the gun was in the bag. The serial number was reportedly scratched off the Smith and Wesson firearm. Police also state that the woman does not have a license to carry the weapon. There were no shots fired at the school during the incident, and there were no injuries. The young mother was charged with four different weapons charges and is currently in jail.
Convictions for weapons charges can carry long prison sentences, even in cases where the weapon is not actually used, and judges generally take a strongly negative view of guns in schools. Because of the renewed focus on guns and their place in society, those who face weapons charges need to look hard at all of their legal options and decide how to plead and how to defend the case, if appropriate.
Source: MyFoxPhilly.com, “Woman arrested after gun found in diaper bag at Philly school,” Omari Fleming, Jan. 24, 2013
