ANNE ARUNDEL COUNTY, Md. (DC News Now) — Police said a boy brought a gun, loaded magazine, and loose ammo to school on Thursday, but he won’t face any charges because he can’t.
The Anne Arundel County Police Department said that someone told the school resource officer at MacArthur Middle School about the 12-year-old boy who had all the items in a bag at the school.
The police department said the reason there were no charges against the student was because of his age. Anne Arundel County police said in a news release that due to the adoption of Maryland House Bill 459, which became law on June 1, 2022, a 12-year-old no longer can be charged with certain crimes, including bringing a gun and ammunition to school. Police said they conferred with the Anne Arundel County State’s Attorney’s Office and the Ft. Meade Provost Marshal’s Office.
In the release about the incident, the police department said that since the juvenile justice reform law took effect on June 1, there have been dozens of cases in which children wanted for crimes could not be charged. The cases included instances of assaults, weapons violations, intimidation, harassment, drug charges, theft, burglary, sex offenses, threats, motor vehicle thefts, animal abuse, arson, and incident exposures.
The Anne Arundel County Police Department shared a link to the bill that became law in 2022:
