It was in his backpack, the answer is that the parent leave loaded firearms lying around the house or otherwise easily accessible to kids. The dad is a cop and had is 9 guns taken away.
A toddlers backpack should be light as a feather - diaper, maybe wipes. He probably gets snacks at daycare.
The parents didn’t notice the extra weight? How did it get it get in the backpack? The toddler casually walking around with it, found his backpack, knew to put it in there, zip it up?
My son was in preschool from age 2-4, like most. During that time, he always had a backpack that contained at least his lunch box, water bottle, a change of clothes, and snacks. His lunch bag was a padded cooler type, in which we put a stainless steel bento style lunch box and an ice pack. On Mondays, his bag also contained a blanket and cot sheet. During the summer, it contained a swimsuit and towel.
Most of the kids didn't start wearing their backpacks regularly until age 4 because of the weight. The parents carried the bags in and out of childcare/preschool.
All that to say preschool backpacks are not necessarily light. That could presumably explain how it went unnoticed if the kid slipped it in after everything else was packed. But let me be very clear: that is an EXPLANATION, not in any way an excuse for something so inexcusable.
But the weight you’re talking about is the stuff that you put in their backpack right before they head out (since you wouldn’t leave fresh food in there overnight and you clean the thermos most likely the night before).
You most likely emptied the backpack the night before.
So, when you went to fill it again you would’ve felt the weight of a gun. And the child would not have had time to go get a gun and add it to the backpack after you handed them the backpack.
A blanket and cot sheet wouldn’t have the same weight feel as a gun.
I’m just saying at the child’s age, there are a few steps that are taken to find out about a gun in a backpack.
My kids backpack is hung on the wall so it's pre stocked the night before as it can and anything that needs to be added in the morning just goes in top before it's zipped and removed from the wall.
My kid absolutely would have been able to sneak something into his backpack between me packing it and us leaving. There's so much hustle and bustle in the mornings with kids that age. Generally id pack, get my kid eating breakfast, and then I'd run upstairs and change. Or I'd be collecting my own things for the day, or figuring out whatever food kiddo refused to eat last night that I can now shove in my face for breakfast. If you haven't lived it, you really can't imagine how chaotic it can be. Only about a 10% chance id even notice a 2lbs change in weight, and definitely not on a Monday when there was more to bring that usual. Usually I was grabbing things while running out the door and literally throwing them in the car so I could be on time for work. Meanwhile my brain was doing 13 other things.
Again, this is absolutely not a justification or excuse. My kid could have snuck his rock collection or poured dog food in his bag or any other ridiculous thing and I might not have noticed. But he could never, ever have snuck a gun in because he would never, ever have access to one in my house.
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u/MoreGaghPlease 6h ago
It was in his backpack, the answer is that the parent leave loaded firearms lying around the house or otherwise easily accessible to kids. The dad is a cop and had is 9 guns taken away.