The Virginian-Pilot
                             THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT 
              Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: Tuesday, November 8, 1994              TAG: 9411080321
SECTION: LOCAL                    PAGE: B3   EDITION: FINAL 
SOURCE: BY VANEE VINES, STAFF WRITER 
DATELINE: SUFFOLK                            LENGTH: Medium:   59 lines

2 SUFFOLK TEENS FACE SCHOOL GUN CHARGES

Two John F. Kennedy Middle School eighth-graders were charged Monday with possessing a gun on school property after one allegedly took a gun to school and gave it to a fellow student before classes started.

The .380-caliber, semiautomatic pistol was not loaded, police said.

Monday's was the second report this school year of a student carrying a gun to school in Suffolk. Both students involved Monday - a 13-year-old boy and a 14-year-old boy - face permanent expulsion, said Bethanne Bradshaw, a school district spokeswoman.

The younger student allegedly passed the gun to the other boy in the school's auditorium, where students gather before classes begin.

According to a police report, the 13-year-old told authorities that he found the gun awhile ago and took it to school for protection. He allegedly asked the 14-year-old to keep the gun until after lunch.

Several students saw the exchange and told a school official, Bradshaw said. An assistant principal found the gun in the older student's book bag between 8:30 and 9 a.m.

Possession of a firearm on school property is a felony.

Bradshaw said administrators would conduct more searches using hand-held metal detectors, which are used to deter students from carrying weapons to school and to seize any before they're used.

A 12-year-old seventh-grader at the school said she was surprised by the news, but said she felt more comfortable ``because (the two boys) were put out.''

The incident left others on edge.

``Parents have to start being more aware of what's taking place and sharing this information with other parents, just like kids share information,'' said the Rev. Felton Whitfield, president of Suffolk's Interdenominational Ministerial Alliance, which provides mentors for some city students.

``We have to start stressing more of the positive things, as well,'' he added. ``A lot of the violence kids see on TV doesn't help.''

Late last month, a 17-year-old Nansemond River High School student pulled a fully loaded, .22-caliber revolver on a male classmate in a school hallway. The two allegedly had fought at a school bus stop earlier that morning.

Guns are seldom reported in Suffolk public schools, but that doesn't make the issue less important, a School Board member said.

``It's a great concern to everyone in the city, the state of Virginia and the United States of America,'' said board member William L. Whitley, a former principal and teacher.

Guns have been of particular concern in Virginia Beach this year. Last week, a 15-year-old student was arrested after a stolen handgun was found in a gym locker. Earlier, guns were taken from teenagers in the parking lot of Salem High School on three occasions in a week. MEMO: Staff writer Mac Daniel contributed to this report.

KEYWORDS: GUNS SCHOOLS JUVENILE by CNB