CHARLOTTE, N.C. — A grandmother impacted by gun violence is on edge after 22 guns have been found at Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools this school year.
What You Need to Know
Police have found 22 guns at Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools this school year
Bettie Jones, who lost her son to gun violence 20 years ago, is concerned about this trend
Superintendent Earnest Winston asked parents to talk to their children about guns and to check their backpacks before school
Bettie Jones drives her granddaughter, Damaiya Powell, and three of her other grandchildren to school.
Powell attends West Charlotte High School, which is the campus where police found two guns on Thursday.
The incidents have not turned into shootings, but Jones is still concerned.
"It really makes you leery, because you send your kid out. I send them out with prayer and not knowing something could happen,” Jones said.
When Jones went to pick up Powell on Friday, police officers and cars were around campus.
“This is when it gets frightening. You don’t know what’s going on. You have cops all over the place,” Jones said.
According to the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department, the school received three anonymous calls stating an armed person was walking around campus. It turned out to be a false alarm, but Jones was still worried.
“I was really nervous,” Jones said.
Jones doesn’t want to lose another loved one to gun violence.
Her son was killed at age 17 in New Jersey 20 years ago.
“I felt robbed, I said. I lost my baby over $3. You gunned down my child over $3,” Jones said.
Jones said her other son served five years in prison because of gun violence. Since his release, she said, he’s turned his life around.
Jones has shared these stories to her older grandchildren and hopes to teach them their choices have consequences.
"You not only rob the person that died, you rob the person that's living, because two families now are separated from the person they love,” Jones said.
In her perspective, education about guns and more activities for children after school could help deter teenagers from bringing guns to school.
Jones lost her son 20 years ago, and she still misses him.
"It's like losing a part of you,” Jones said.
For her, family means everything, and she looks forward to Powell’s future after graduation.
“She wants to be a defense lawyer, so we are going to help her reach that goal,” Jones said.
On Thursday, police found one gun at North Mecklenburg High School.
Superintendent Earnest Winston released an urgent video message Thursday asking for families to help prevent the pattern of bringing guns to school from continuing.
"Have the tough conversations about guns, other weapons, check their backpacks before they depart for school,” Winston said. “This minor inconvenience that may draw pushback from your adolescent students can help them continue their academic journeys instead of entering the criminal justice system and forever changing the course of their lives in tragic ways."
Winston mentioned last week he ordered clear backpacks for students, which are expected to arrive in February. The district is also increasing safety screenings and working on an anonymous reporting tool.