MT. MORRIS, MI - Two Mt. Morris high school freshmen face charges after bringing a handgun to school on a dare.

The incident occurred on Tuesday, Nov. 29, at Mt. Morris E.A. Johnson Memorial High School when a 15-year-old boy brought his parent's .380-caliber pistol to school in his backpack to "show his friends he could," said Mt. Morris Police Chief Keith Becker.

Becker said the teen had told his friends about his easy access to guns, and so they challenged him to bring one to school.

"There was no intent to hurt anyone," Becker said. "It was never brandished, or fired, or any of that."

Around 1 p.m. on Tuesday, the teen met a friend in the bathroom and asked him to hold onto the gun for the rest of the school day, Becker alleges.

The second teen - also a 15-year-old freshman boy - held the gun in his backpack until he was walking home from school when he became nervous and threw the weapon from his bag to the ground by nearby railroad tracks, where it was found and reported to police, Becker said.

Both teens were taken into police custody Tuesday night and released Wednesday morning, Becker said. They have been charged in Genesee County juvenile court with carrying a concealed weapon in a weapon-free school zone and possession of a handgun under the age of 18.

Because the teens are being tried as juveniles, their names will not be released, Becker said.

On the day of the incident, Mt. Morris Community Schools Superintendent Renae Galsterer issued a memo to parents and the community regarding "reported rumors of a hand gun style pellet gun potentially in the building."

The district immediately involved administrators and local police and questioned and searched a number of students, the letter said.

"During this time, there was neither evidence nor belief that there was a plausible threat and students were never in danger," Galsterer wrote. "Please know the safety of our students is the single greatest priority of our district."

MLive-The Flint Journal could not immediately reach Galsterer nor E.A. Johnson Principal Andrew Lintz for further comment on the matter.