Gun found under bookshelf at Dade County High School in Northwest Georgia

Staff file photo by Matt Hamilton / Dade County High school is pictured on Saturday, Jan. 23, 2021.
Staff file photo by Matt Hamilton / Dade County High school is pictured on Saturday, Jan. 23, 2021.

A teacher discovered an unauthorized gun Tuesday morning under a bookshelf at Dade County High School.

(READ MORE: Student at Hixson Middle arrested for bringing a gun to school)

The gun was unloaded, but 10 rounds of ammunition were also found in the gun's case, according to a statement from the Dade County Sheriff's Office. The caliber and type of firearm was not mentioned.

The teacher reported the gun to the school resource officer who immediately took possession of it, the sheriff's office reported. A search was conducted, and nothing else was found.

"[Dade County Sheriff's Office] and the Dade County School Board take all instances like this very seriously, and we are investigating this aggressively," wrote sheriff's office Detective Chad Payne.

(READ MORE: Howard High School student arrested after being found with loaded gun on campus)

There was no active threat, but Dade County Sheriff Ray Cross requested additional law enforcement officers to be present at the school Tuesday as a precautionary measure, Payne also wrote.

In the release, Payne credited the teacher for being observant and vigilant, saying the situation was handled well by the school system.

In a followup email Tuesday afternoon, Payne wrote that deputies have not identified the owner of the gun yet. He wrote they are working on that, saying it takes more time than they like to get information back from the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

(READ MORE: Walker County teen arrested for making terroristic threats, bringing gun to school)

When asked about the caliber and brand of the weapon and developments in the investigation since the statement was released, he wrote in an email: "As for any additional details, we aren't going to release anything more today, seeing as we are still very early in the investigation."

- Compiled by Andrew Taylor Wilkins

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