Drucker Considers Any Kind of Weapon at School to Be Unacceptable (2)

Bratislava/Nove Mesto nad Vahom, 4 February (TASR) - Education Minister Tomas Drucker (Voice-SD) has said with regard to the shooting incident at a primary school in Nove Mesto nad Vahom (Trencin region) on Wednesday that weapons in schools are unacceptable, while Interior Minister Matus Sutaj Estok (Voice-SD) has described the pupil's behaviour as particularly irresponsible and dangerous, TASR reported on the same day. "For me, it's unacceptable to see children bringing any weapons to school," said Drucker in connection with the incident during which a sixth-grade pupil injured two classmates with an airsoft gun. He added that he's in contact with the school leadership and that a support team is also on site. In this context, Drucker pointed to growing radicalisation of young people in the online space. "We'll continue to strengthen preventive measures and cooperation with schools, parents and experts so that we can prevent similar incidents in the future," he said. The interior minister thanked the police for their swift response. "Even though the pupil fired 'only' an airsoft weapon and, fortunately, no one lost their life, I consider his behaviour to be particularly irresponsible and dangerous," wrote Sutaj Estok on social media. According to Health Minister Kamil Sasko (Voice-SD), the incident has pointed to the importance of mental health care for children and young people. "Prevention and accessible psychological support should be a natural part of schools. My thoughts are with the entire school community affected by the incident, and I wish the injured pupils a speedy recovery," Sasko wrote on social media. During the incident at St Joseph's Combined School, a pupil allegedly fired an airsoft gun at classmates. Two pupils were treated at the scene, but they aren't in a life-threatening condition. The police have assured the public that there is no longer any danger in connection with this incident. NOTE: This story has been extended to include paragraphs 6-7 jrg/df