Albuquerque Schools Report 13 Guns Confiscated This Year, Raising Safety Concerns

Albuquerque Public Schools reported that 13 firearms were confiscated on school grounds during the 2024-25 school year, the most recent from a 12-year-old student at Tres Volcanes Community Collaborative K-8 School who was found with a gun in his backpack on May 5, 2025, KOAT reports.

According to the Bernalillo County District Attorney’s Office, the student allegedly stole the firearm from his mother’s boyfriend. He was initially detained, but a hearing officer later ruled he could be placed in custody at his grandmother’s home. “It’s everybody’s worst nightmare,” District Attorney Sam Bregman told KOAT, adding that such incidents are happening far too often.

Bregman said firearms are increasingly glamorized among young people on social media as symbols of status. He said his office investigates every time a child gets a gun and, in juvenile gun cases, will not discuss any plea resolution until the child says where the gun came from.

The incident also brings attention to the Bennie Hargrove Safe Storage Act, enacted in March 2023, which requires firearm owners to store weapons securely away from minors. If a child brandishes a negligently stored firearm, the responsible adult could face misdemeanor charges, and felony charges may apply if someone is harmed. Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham and other officials have expressed frustration that the state’s Children’s Code hasn’t seen significant revisions since before the iPhone existed.

Editor’s note: Updated Oct. 31, 2026. This story is now part of Daily Reports, our New Mexico news roundup, and was revised to credit KOAT’s original reporting. Learn how Daily Reports works in our editorial standards.