3rd-Grader Brings Gun To School, Accidentally Shoots Classmate

originally posted by: slapjacks
I'm a proud gun owner with kids and they stay out of sight out of my mind, locked away, except for the one I carry.

And where do you keep your guns?

originally posted by: soulpowertothendegree
a reply to: slapjacks

Nothing accidental about it, the gun did not load the bullets by itself.

Aside from keeping guns out of reach of children a kid of 8 or 9 should at least be familiar with guns so they don't do something stupid like this. I knew at that age what a gun could do because my dad taught not only how they work but what they could do to a target. Blowing an apple to kingdom come showed me plainly the power those bullets have.

If you have your finger on a trigger it's no accident.
Agreed 100%.

Along with the reporter shooting this will give the anti-gun crowd more fodder to convince the masses to give up their guns.

As if law-abiding firearms owners didn't have enough going against them. This is what makes it so difficult for legal owners to stress the importance of responsible ownership without being drowned out by the "hater-aide" drinkers trying to ban anything that clicks or cocks. Perfect opportunity for a learning experience for those irresponsible enough to leave a firearm unsecured around children, but alas, not every owner should be an owner perhaps? Unfortunately, the anti-gun crowd will have another field day to rant and rave about the need to ban or increase restrictions.
Between that, the Gov, and the media propaganda onslaught, it almost seems like it's rigged. (hint hint)

Along with the reporter shooting this will give the anti-gun crowd more fodder to convince the masses to give up their guns.

Hey.

If we have guns and they don't have guns.....who wins?

Kids are curious and resourceful. When my first was born my firearms went to Dad's place. And I agree. The parent(s) are responsible for this incident.

a reply to: nerbot

In a gun vault..

Seagull hit this on the head earlier, the kid was 8 (or 9). That's old enough to know better than to bring a weapon to school of any kind.

a reply to: the owlbear

There's also the possibility, that perhaps this kid was mentally challenged in some way. However, there are not enough details yet. We'll see though.

Other times kids don't need to know about guns because A. Parents don't have them or B. Parents aren't ready to teach them about guns (yet). It's a rather grey area when you think of it from that perspective.

a reply to: Asktheanimals

Agreed. By the time my kids were 5, they knew never to touch one and if they ever found one, to leave it alone and alert an adult. It is the gun owners responsibility to teach their kids to never touch a gun if there is no adult to supervise them. That these folks didn't, makes the rest of us look bad and just gives the anti gun crowd more to whine about.

a reply to: slapjacks

Stupid people. I'm glad the girl is alive.

Didn't schools have gun safety classes at one time? I seem to remember reading something about that. Anywho, if a parent has a gun, they should teach it. Stupidity like this can be avoided.

originally posted by: WeRpeons
I can understand how some people would want to access their guns quickly if there was ever a home invasion or robbery.

That's what holsters are for. I have mine in my holster all of the time, because regardless of where you are, an intruder could always be between you and where you're keeping it...unless it's attached to you.

But the reality is that, while this may equate to negligence on behalf of the firearm owner, I'm quite certain that it's not criminal negligence in any way. If someone should be charged with something, sadly, it should be the child who took it to school. I know that sounds harsh, but the child is the one that broke a law here, not necessarily the parent.

Sure, children may always find a way to get to something in the house if they want it, regardless of the placement of the object, but that doesn't necessarily mean that the parent is negligent if the child does so. My son has access to power tools and outlets, but that doesn't mean that if he plugs in the reciprocating saw and severs his friend's carotid artery that I'm to blame for the accident.

Hopefully the parent's did learn a valuable lesson, and it's great that no one was seriously injured, but I don't think the parents are criminals in this case--that's generally just the emotional people talking.

a reply to: Kuroodo

Not all firearms have a safety "switch"--I purchased my .40-caliber pistol specifically without a manual safety, although it does have a trigger safety that stops it from firing if it's thrown really hard against something. My .380, on the other hand, does have a manual safety, but it sure isn't hard to figure out how to switch it off, especially for an 8-year-old.

originally posted by: SlapMonkey
But the reality is that, while this may equate to negligence on behalf of the firearm owner, I'm quite certain that it's not criminal negligence in any way. If someone should be charged with something, sadly, it should be the child who took it to school. I know that sounds harsh, but the child is the one that broke a law here, not necessarily the parent.

What law? Is an 8 year old aware of these laws? He saw a "cool thing" and took it to school. Many kids would.

Sure, children may always find a way to get to something in the house if they want it, regardless of the placement of the object, but that doesn't necessarily mean that the parent is negligent if the child does so.

Which is why I chose to remove mine from the house.

a reply to: Skid Mark

Yep.

Sufficiently strong threat upon my continued health and well being worked for me...actually they weren't threats, they were the certain and sure assurances that I'd regret it for the remainder of my life, which would have been measured in seconds in a situation like that...

I once took a firecracker to school, and got caught...my life was very uncomfortable for weeks afterwards, a gun, God not a chance.

I would never have dreamed of taking them out of the closet, muchless taking them to school. God, the Hell that my life would have become doesn't bear thinking on.

My son has access to power tools and outlets, but that doesn't mean that if he plugs in the reciprocating saw and severs his friend's carotid artery that I'm to blame for the accident.

a reply to: SlapMonkey

Good point. Never thought about power tools, kitchen knives, or even gardening equipment. Any of these things could be dangerous in the hands of children. I'm sure it wouldn't be considered negligent on the parent's part if a kid brought a kitchen knife or a power tool to school and injured or killed a classmate.

a reply to: intrepid

The law that says that you cannot bring a firearm on school property. Or maybe the one about discharging a firearm.

Whether the child knows about or even understands certain laws does not mean that they don't apply to them--ignorance is not a defense.

Do I think he should be charged...no, I don't. I think the experience of nearly shooting a classmate to death is probably enough of a deterrent to brining a firearm to school again.

Why would you go to the extreme step of removing firearms from your house? I have one on my hip and the rest in a safe lag-bolted to the studs of the wall and locked by keys that are in a place where even a curious child won't find them.

originally posted by: SlapMonkey
a reply to: intrepid

The law that says that you cannot bring a firearm on school property. Or maybe the one about discharging a firearm.

Whether the child knows about or even understands certain laws does not mean that they don't apply to them--ignorance is not a defense.

That is EXACTLY what it means. Children are unable to make these types of distinctions.

Why would you go to the extreme step of removing firearms from your house? I have one on my hip and the rest in a safe lag-bolted to the studs of the wall and locked by keys that are in a place where even a curious child won't find them.

Like I said previously. Kids are curious and resourceful. I removed the problem before there was a problem.

a reply to: SlapMonkey

The law? My law when I was that age was Mom and Dad. They said what is, what will be...and followed up on it. Painfully if that was the only way the message would get through my thick little skull.

This whole episode is all about piss poor parenting, in dealing with a child that isn't too bright.

originally posted by: WeRpeons
Good point. Never thought about power tools, kitchen knives, or even gardening equipment. Any of these things could be dangerous in the hands of children. I'm sure it wouldn't be considered negligent on the parent's part if a kid brought a kitchen knife or a power tool to school and injured or killed a classmate.

Yeah, it's just all about making sure that word "gun" is as scary as possible.

a reply to: seagull

You either probably wouldn't have been able to sit for a week or would have had so many chores to do that you couldn't think about anything else but sleep. Am I right?