AUSTIN, Texas —  A pre-kindergarten student brought a handgun to school, where it was seized by a fifth-grader and turned over to the principal, school district officials said Tuesday.

The 5-year-old reportedly displayed the loaded weapon outside the Blanton Elementary School (search) cafeteria where students were gathered before class. The fifth-grader recognized it was real and took it to the principal.

Investigators were trying to determine how the child got the gun, Austin Independent School District (search) spokeswoman Carmen Luevanos said.

District police said they will pursue charges against the adult who allowed the student to bring the weapon to school. The adult was not identified.

A charge of making a firearm accessible to a child is a Class C misdemeanor (search) punishable by a fine of up to $500.

Luevanos said investigators do not believe the 5-year-old intended to harm any students.

"He just took it out to show other students," she said. "Their conclusion is the child was not really aware how serious his actions were."