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Gun Found At Miami Children's Museum

WATSON ISLAND (CBS4)- What should have been a fun day of learning at the Miami Children's Museum turned into a potentially dangerous situation when a parent found a gun.

Miami police said that on March 6th, the parent who discovered the unloaded .38 caliber pistol turned the weapon directly over to security personnel who in turn called the Miami Police Department and gave the gun to them, according to a statement issued by the Museum, located at 980 MacArthur Causeway, Monday.

The Miami Children's Museum said nothing like this incident has ever happened before in its 26-year history but the discovery did alarm parents who were visiting the museum on Monday.

It's not known how the weapon got inside the Museum on Watson Island. Police said records are being checked to see if the gun was stolen and who it might belong to.

"It's shocking that a gun can end up inside a children's museum like this," said Sandra Conti, who was visiting the Museum with some visitors and their children. "This was such a stupid act."

Parent Hema Pandit said the discovery is bound to upset parents.

"It's very disturbing," said another parent, Hema Pandit. "It's very scary at a place where safety is the main concern. Who would do such a thing?"

Some parents said they're relieved that it wasn't a child who found the gun.

"It's very scary," said Jennifer Robinson, another patron. "What if a child found that."

The Miami Children's Museum issued a statement, saying "At no time was any patron of the museum in any danger. In the 26 years that the Miami Children's Museum has been in existence, this is the first time a situation of this kind has ever been experienced. We strive to provide a safe and nurturing environment where children and families can play, learn, imagine and create. We will continue to assure the safety of all of our patrons in the future."

The gun was sent to a Miami-Dade laboratory for processing.

 

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