"A student tipped off administrators that the female student had the gun," Young said.

The .45-caliber weapon is unregistered and school police are still investigating where the girl obtained it and why she had it with her.

According to school police, this is the 38th gun that's been confiscated this school year.

Canyon Springs Principal Ronan Matthew said the incident underlines the reason he's been seeking to install metal detectors at the school's entrance.

The metal detectors would be a deterrent to students who consider coming to school armed, Matthew said, something Canyon Springs dealt with at least twice in March.

The North Las Vegas school is located on East Alexander Road and North Fifth Street.

"Why do we go through metal detectors at the airport?" Matthew asked Thursday. "Because we don't want guns on planes. Well, I don't want guns in school."

School district officials agreed to study the effectiveness of metal detectors when Matthew made his initial request for them late last year.

The district does use metal detectors to screen crowds at athletic events, but no school currently uses them on a daily basis to check those entering and exiting area campuses.