ALAMANCE COUNTY, N.C. (WGHP) — A gun was found on a student at Western Alamance High School on Wednesday, the school system confirmed. 

School officials received a tip about a possible weapon on campus and went on lockdown on Wednesday afternoon. 

During a search, a 9mm handgun was confiscated from a 14-year-old female student. 

According to the Alamance County Sheriff’s Office, the student brought the gun to the school to sell it. 

Upon further investigation, authorities found the gun was reported stolen out of Nash County. They have not determined how the juvenile came into possession of the handgun. 

School administrators were tipped off of the weapon on campus by the mother of the female student.  

Authorities said the mother saw a text about the sale on her daughter’s cellphone, which she forgot at home.  

Authorities do not believe the sale was for a student at Western Alamance High School.  

“We have no reason to believe that this student was involved to carry out an act against someone, but when you’re taking a stolen gun out of circulation – with the amount of shootings that have occurred around the area and the Piedmont, it’s no telling where that gun could’ve ended up,” Chief Deputy Cliff Parker said.

State numbers show that possession of firearms was down slightly two years ago but appear to be ticking upward for some counties: 

• 2018-2019 – 124 students were caught with weapons on campus   
• 2019-2020 – 83 students were caught with weapons on campus 

In 2018-2019: 

• Alamance-Burlington School System – possession of firearm – 5/possession of a non-firearm weapon – 53  
• Guilford County Schools – possession of a firearm – 13/possession of a non-firearm weapon – 108  
• Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools – possession of a firearm – 13/possession of a non-firearm weapon – 109  

In 2019-2020: 

• Alamance-Burlington Schools System – possession of firearms – 6/possession of a non-firearm weapon – 55  
• Guilford County Schools – possession of firearm – 6/possession of a non-firearm weapon – 89  
• Forsyth County Schools -possession of firearm – 8/possession of a non-firearm weapon – 77  

Numbers will not be collected by NCDPI for the current school year, until March 2022. WSFCS are on track to outpace their 2019-2020 outlook.   

The school system has recovered seven handguns from students on campus.   

Alamance County SROs have reported an increase in weapons found on campus. Those weapons include firearms and knives.