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It should be noted that while the boy brought a loaded handgun to school, he never made any threats. It was his intention to show it off, and nothing more.

“My client is 13-years old and is a good kid from a good family,” said Joseph Addelman, the boy’s defence lawyer.

“Today he took responsibility for a serious mistake he made. We intend to demonstrate to the court and the community that my client is a good boy who made the kind of error in judgment any 13-year-old could have made and this, otherwise, is a very good kid with a bright future.”

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The boy’s twisted version of show-and-tell was reported to the school’s office after a concerned parent heard about the boy with the gun. There were reports that the boy had showed the gun on the bus and later showed it at school, and at one point showed a bullet to a student.

Staff from the principal’s office acted swiftly and checked the boy’s locker but found nothing. Then, after learning the student was still on school property after hours, they were able to check his backpack and found the gun.

Staff then called the Ottawa police and his parents. The boy was arrested and shown a jail cell.

In a police interview later, and in the presence of his parents, the boy initially said he found the gun in a park, but when pressed by Det. Erin Lehman, the boy revealed he found the gun in his parents’ basement, hidden in a wall.

The court has ordered a pre-sentence report, and Wadden told the boy he should fully co-operate with the assessment because it will serve as helpful guide for sentencing.

The semi-automatic pistol in question is not registered to anyone and is not listed as stolen, according to the national police database and firearms registry.

Twitter: @crimegarden

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