A 17-year-old girl from Pontiac was taken into custody Friday after an Oakland County Sheriff's Office school resource officer found a loaded BB gun in her backpack at Lake Orion High School. The case is now being reviewed for possible charges, while the school and law enforcement response reflects the weapon's reported resemblance to a handgun.
According to ClickOnDetroit, deputies were notified of a possible handgun on campus at about 8:24 p.m. Friday, Sept. 18. The resource officer located the classroom, removed the student without disruption and secured her backpack, where the BB gun was found.
A Loaded BB Gun That Looked Real
ClickOnDetroit reported that the weapon was a loaded, .177-caliber, revolver-style BB gun. Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard said the black metal gun closely resembled an actual handgun, which helped drive the urgent response to the initial report.
Bouchard also emphasized the importance of promptly reporting potential threats at schools, according to the station's report. The student was taken first to the sheriff's office substation in Orion Township and later transported to Oakland County Children's Village, where a juvenile court referee authorized her stay.
What the school policy says
According to Lake Orion High School's 2025-2026 Student/Parent Handbook, school authorities may seize weapons and other items considered a threat to safety or security or a disruption to the educational process, followed by appropriate disciplinary action. The district's 2025-2026 Middle School Student Handbook defines a weapon to include firearms, anything that propels a projectile and facsimiles of those items. Those provisions help explain why a realistic-looking BB gun can prompt an immediate school response.
Case Now With Prosecutors
The case is being submitted to the Oakland County Prosecutor's Office for review of possible charges, including possession of a pneumatic gun in a weapon-free school zone and carrying a pneumatic gun with intent to use it unlawfully against another person, the report said. No charges had been filed as of the latest reporting, and the investigation remains ongoing.
Not an Isolated Type of Case Nationally
Realistic-looking BB guns turning up on school grounds is not unique to Lake Orion. In September 2024, a 17-year-old at Waltham High School in Massachusetts was accused of having a similar realistic-looking BB gun in a car on campus, according to WHDH. That campus was placed in a brief hold-in-place while police removed the vehicle and the BB gun and arrested the student. Waltham officials said afterward they believed that incident was isolated and had received no information about additional threats.
