A 13-year-old student was arrested this week after police say the student brought an imitation firearm into Fishers Junior High School, tucked inside a backpack. Fishers police say the discovery triggered a school resource officer investigation that ended with a preliminary charge of possession of an imitation firearm on school property, a Class B misdemeanor under a state law that took effect less than two months ago.
Investigation Moved Quickly, Police Say
According to Fox 59, the Fishers Police Department School Resource Unit opened its investigation Tuesday after being informed that the 13-year-old had allegedly brought the imitation firearm to the junior high school. Officers say the item, which was found in the student's backpack, was seized as evidence, and the case was wrapped up with the student's arrest. Police described the response as handled very quickly and without incident, and the student could also face disciplinary action from Fishers Junior High School separate from the criminal case.
Fishers Junior High School, located at 13257 Cumberland Road, serves roughly 840 students across 7th and 8th grades, according to Indiana GPS. Police have not disclosed the exact type of lookalike weapon recovered or whether the student displayed or threatened anyone with it. Under the statute cited by police, an imitation firearm can include BB or pellet guns, airsoft guns, or other items with the appearance of a real firearm.
New State Law Closes a Legal Gray Area
The charge stems from Indiana's House Enrolled Act 1343, which passed the General Assembly on March 4, 2026 and was signed into law as Public Law 94-2026 before taking effect July 1, 2026, per LegiScan. The law makes it illegal to intentionally or knowingly possess an imitation firearm on school property or a school bus, closing what law enforcement had described as legal ambiguity around realistic-looking replica weapons. The Indiana School Resource Officers Association pushed for the imitation firearm provision specifically to eliminate confusion over airsoft, pellet, and replica guns on campuses, according to background from Wabash City Schools.
The law does carve out an exception for adults: an affirmative defense exists if the imitation firearm is legally possessed and locked inside a vehicle's trunk, glove compartment, or otherwise stored out of plain sight, according to guidance published by the Indiana Law Enforcement Academy. Lawmakers never wrote a formal statutory definition of “imitation firearm” into the bill, which legal analysts and law enforcement say has left the term open to broad interpretation covering BB guns, pellet guns, airsoft guns, and realistic toy replicas, as reported by WIBC. A Class B misdemeanor for an adult carries a maximum penalty of up to 180 days in jail and a $1,000 fine, though as a juvenile, the 13-year-old's case will move through the juvenile court system, which typically favors diversion, probation, or informal adjustment over standard adult penalties.
A District Already on Alert
This is not the first weapons scare in the Hamilton Southeastern school system. In April 2025, a real firearm was confiscated from a student's vehicle at Hamilton Southeastern High School, an incident Hoodline covered in its prior report on a district gun scare. Then in November 2025, Fishers police arrested a juvenile after a handgun was brought to a high school basketball game at Hamilton Southeastern High School, according to WRTV.
That recent history has kept campus safety near the top of local priorities. In March 2026, the Hamilton Southeastern School Board and Fishers City Council renewed an interlocal agreement to co-fund School Resource Officers and School Safety Officers across district facilities, per The Hamilton County Reporter. Fishers police say they maintain an ongoing relationship with Hamilton Southeastern Schools, and both agencies say they remain committed to keeping students, staff, and families safe.
Hamilton Southeastern Schools also operates an anonymous tip platform called HSE Report It!, which allows students and parents to flag potential safety threats or weapons possession directly to administrators and security personnel. District families can use that tool to report concerns as investigations like this one continue to unfold under the new state law.
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