Gun control has been a highly debated issue recently, with mass shootings in schools and public places a constant in national media headlines.

In the few weeks since the start of 2018, in fact, there have been more than 10 school shootings, according to NBC news.

In Uniontown, Pennsylvania, this type of incident was thwarted by a local student.

According to Fayette County District Attorney Richard Bower, in a statement made to CBS Pittsburgh, one student overheard a suspect saying he didn’t like four other students and “indicated it would be extremely easy to sneak a gun into school in his backpack.”

The authorities responded to the suspects home, and found an arsenal of weapons in his bedroom, which included a semi-automatic rifle, a shotgun, two machetes, two lever action rifles, a revolver, a crossbow with arrows and ammunition for all the weapons.

Now that the threat has been neutralized, the community is trying to find ways to prevent dangers like this in the future. According to the Uniontown School District’s official statement, safety is the top priority for students.

“Uniontown Area School District Police were informed of a threat made by a district student to cause harm to other students. The threat was immediately investigated with the cooperation of the Pennsylvania State Police and Uniontown City Police.  As a result of the investigation the student was apprehended. Because student safety is the number one priority in the Uniontown Area School District, security has increased throughout a number of our schools today. The district would like to thank the Pennsylvania State Police, The Uniontown City Police, as well as our students, parents and staff members for their assistance and efforts to ensure a safe and productive day of education.”

The authorities are still unaware of how the suspect obtained the weapons, but it is not uncommon for teenagers in the area to be familiar with firearms, according to locals in the area.

“It is very normal, just about everyone by age 12 has at least one type of weapon in the area where this kid was from,” said a Uniontown High School student familiar with the suspect, who chose to speak on the condition of anonymity.

It is also not uncommon for people of all ages to hunt in the area, said the student.

“It is a very rural area, so a lot of people start hunting at a very young age, most of them are taught to shoot even before they get there first gun,” said the student.

The suspect is being charged with making terroristic threats, possession of a firearm by a minor and criminal attempt to commit catastrophe.

Since the threat was made, all district schools have attempted to reinforce security measures.

“The put security guards in district schools,” the student said. “There are a lot of schools, so they have security in every single one of them.”

Weeks later, other students are shaken by the event that almost was. The suspect has been arrested and is being held in a juvenile detention center, while the parents are cooperating with police.