US boy brings gun to school, cites Newtown fears
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SALT LAKE CITY, Utah (AP) - An 11-year-old boy caught with a gun at school told administrators he brought the weapon to defend himself in case of an attack similar to the mass school shooting last week in Connecticut, school officials said on Tuesday.
The boy was being held in juvenile detention on suspicion of possessing a dangerous weapon and aggravated assault after other students at the suburban Salt Lake City elementary school told police he threatened them with the handgun.
Teachers and administrators at West Kearns Elementary School confronted the boy in class on Monday after students reported the weapon, said Granite School District spokesman Ben Horsley. The boy had an unloaded gun and ammunition in his backpack, Mr Horsley said.
The boy waved the gun at others during a morning recess, school officials said. Other students, however, didn't report the threat until classes were nearly finished for the day. There was no immediate explanation for the delay, authorities said.
