Nashville police arrest student after loaded handgun found at Pearl-Cohn High School, raising campus security questions

What police say happened

A 16-year-old student at Pearl-Cohn High School was arrested on October 31, 2024, after school administrators located a loaded handgun inside the student’s backpack, Nashville police said.

The student, an 11th grader, was taken into custody by School Resource Officers on campus and was charged in Juvenile Court with possession of a weapon on school property. Police did not publicly identify the student because the case involves a juvenile.

How the case fits a broader pattern of school-related gun arrests

The Pearl-Cohn arrest is one of several Nashville-area incidents in which guns have been recovered from students or from vehicles brought onto school property. In a January 31, 2024, case at Hunters Lane High School, a 14-year-old freshman was arrested after another student reported a suspected gun; administrators searched and found a loaded 9mm pistol in a backpack, police said.

In February 2025, an 18-year-old Hunters Lane High School senior was arrested after administrators found a loaded handgun and multiple magazines inside a car parked on campus, police said. In another case on November 3, 2025, police said a 16-year-old at James Lawson High School was arrested after a weapon detection system flagged him at entry; officers said they found a pistol along with an extended magazine and loose rounds in the student’s backpack, and that the gun had been reported stolen.

Security measures: reporting, searches, and weapon detection technology

Details released in the Pearl-Cohn case did not specify how administrators became aware of the weapon before searching the backpack. Other recent cases in Nashville show multiple pathways to discovery: student reporting, administrative searches, and technology-based screening at building entrances.

By spring 2025, Metro Nashville Public Schools had deployed weapon detection systems at some schools. In May 2025, a weapons detection system was credited with alerting staff to a student attempting to enter Maplewood High School with a loaded pistol in a backpack; the student was arrested and charged in Juvenile Court.

What is known, and what remains unclear

Police have not released information in the Pearl-Cohn case about where the gun came from, whether it was reported stolen, or whether any threat was made. Court proceedings in Juvenile Court can limit the amount of information available publicly, particularly about a minor’s background and any related disciplinary history.

Key facts in the Pearl-Cohn arrest

• Date of arrest: October 31, 2024
• Student age/grade: 16 years old, 11th grade
• Location: Pearl-Cohn High School
• Allegation: loaded handgun found in backpack
• Charge filed: possession of a weapon on school property (Juvenile Court)

For families and staff, the recurring theme across Nashville-area cases is that firearms are being discovered through a mix of human reporting and screening measures, with outcomes typically routed through the juvenile justice system when the suspect is under 18.