The news that a student at Valley High School brought a gun to show to a fellow student brings up a lot of feelings. On one hand the student brought a gun to school, but on the other hand, nothing malicious took place or was apparently intended, with the gun allegedly being purchased to give to a grandfather.

It seems to have simply been a shortsighted decision that could possibly have long-term consequences for the student involved.

Something that stands out in this incident is the fact that a juvenile was able to get a hold of a gun.

According to Valley Police Chief Tommy Weldon, the student told officers they had bought the pistol from someone, but wouldn’t say from who or from where.

According to Alabama state laws, residents that are over the age of 18 are allowed to purchase rifles and shotguns from any licensed dealer in any given state. However, the sale and purchase of handguns are restricted only to residents that are at least 21 years of age.

The Alabama gun laws state that the possession of any kind of firearm is not unlawful without a permit. No permit is necessary to possess a firearm, as long as the individual is over the age of 18, has no criminal record, does not have a documented history involving drugs or alcohol in relation to disorderly conduct, and is not legally declared as having mental-stability problems.

Obviously, the state gun laws are thorough on the matter, but this incident needs to be investigated to see if anything could have been done to prevent it.

Either a licensed dealer sold him the gun without the proper scrutiny or did so under the table, or the student acquired it from someone they knew. Either way, they should not have been able to get a hold of it.