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A teacher at a primary school in Türkiye's Mediterranean province of Mersin found a handgun in the school bag of a 7-year-old first-grade student during a ceremony in the schoolyard, days after a shooting near a high school in Manisa injured 11 students.
The incident took place in Tarsus district, where police launched an investigation into the handgun, took the student to the Children’s Branch Directorate and detained his father after identifying him as the weapon’s owner.
The father, who was described as a contractor, told police that the handgun belonged to him and was licensed. In his statement, he said he had put the gun in his child’s school bag himself and later forgot it was there. Authorities continue to investigate the incident.
Earlier this week, a 15-year-old student opened fire with a hunting rifle near a high school in Türkiye’s Aegean province of Manisa, injuring 11 students. The shooting took place on a street about 80 to 100 meters from the school at around 7:59 a.m.
On Friday, 10 suspects had been referred to court over the case. Seven, including the teenager and his parents and grandfather, were remanded in custody, while three others were released under judicial-control measures.
The Education Ministry assigned three inspectors to examine the Manisa incident, while classes at the school were suspended for one day.
The incidents followed two school shootings in southeastern Türkiye. On April 15, a 14-year-old student opened fire at a middle school in Kahramanmaras, killing a teacher and nine students and injuring 15 others.
The attacker was also killed. Investigators later found that he had used firearms belonging to his father, while prosecutors said the attack had been planned in advance.
The Kahramanmaras shooting came a day after a former student opened fire at a vocational high school in Sanliurfa, injuring 16 people before killing himself.
The subsequent shootings triggered a broader debate over school security and access to firearms. Authorities subsequently tightened controls at school entrances, increased police patrols and expanded camera systems.
For the 2026-27 school year, authorities added 31,000 schoolyard security officers nationwide, while schools introduced further security checks and access controls.
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