A teacher at a Christian school in Pennsylvania has resigned after she left a loaded pistol in a bathroom only for it to be discovered by pupils.
Children at the Cumberland Christian School in Chambersburg, PA, found the weapon which had been left by 63-year-old Beth Jean Dixon.
State Police confirmed that the teacher had left the loaded gun on the tank of a toilet and then forgotten about it.
Despite her resignation she will still face legal action with charges of reckless endangerment and endangering the welfare of children.
It's also reported that four children, aged six to eight, used the bathroom while the gun was there. Eventually a child reported the incident to his parent, who was also a teacher at the elementary school.
School President, The Rev Mike Sanders, said weapons have temporarily been banned from the school. "We're thankful because it could have been a lot worse," he said.
The incident highlights the risk of guns falling into the hands of children.
At least 265 children under the age of 18 picked up a firearm and accidentally shot themselves or someone else with it in the US in 2015, according to numbers compiled by the gun control advocacy group Everytown for Gun Safety.
Of those incidents, 83 ended in death.
