What is happening with our youngest students?

On March 14, a seven-year-old second-grade student in Columbus, Ohio, carried a .45-caliber pistol to school. The handgun went off and the student was shot in the hand. There were about 15 students in the classroom at the time. School gun incidents involving 7-year-olds are probably rare, according to Pride Surveys national data. But students as young as 9-years-old are exposed to guns and are beginning to experiment with alcohol, tobacco and other drugs, according to the Pride Survey for Grades 4-6.