11-year old Alabama boy shoots home intruder: "He started crying like a little baby"

originally posted by: ladyinwaiting
Since this is a child, it's lucky the intruder didn't take the gun away from him and kill him with it, which he probably could have done at will.

Just a little reminder: the closer he gets to the gun, the easier he is to shoot for the kid.

a reply to: JohnnyCanuck

Nope.. in most southern states Especially Texas, Lousiana, Mississippi, Alabama there's the caveat called a Castle Doctrine which basically gives a home owner the option to shoot and kill an intruder in their home or on their property if they feel threatened by the intruder. doesnt mean you can just shoot someone for walking up your driveway but if you are threatened or someone breaks in your home they are good as dead. I doubt seriously any court will try to prosecute this child for what he did. Now if he was in Northeast or west coast they'd try to throw him in prison for attempted murder.

Justice served. No pity for the criminal here.

originally posted by: AmericanRealist
The intruder made it out the front door with a hamper in hand.
That’s when Gaither started firing off bullets.
Yea boy, thats how a kid takes charge

Yea boy, are you screwed up..

So, this eleven year old kid was alone in his house, without proper parental supervision but with access to a firearm. He clumsily shot 12 times, spraying the neighbourhood with "full metal jacket" bullets. And then by coincidence hit the burglar, who had already left the house and had obviously not posed a real thread to the kid.

So, this 11 year old kid was on the brink of becoming a murderer just because an idiot stole a HAMPER? And you're fine with that, of course. Hey, come on, who cares if the kid had shot some neighbours, their cats, passersby - all in the line of "duty" ay? I mean, come on, a guy that is LEAVING THE PREMISES carrying - o gawd - A HAMPER! Yeah, I'd shot him too..

Fools.

originally posted by: burdman30ott6

originally posted by: windword
a reply to: AmericanRealist

The intruder made it out the front door with a hamper in hand. That’s when Gaither started firing off bullets. As the intruder was about to jump a fence in the front yard, Gaither’s 12th and final shot hit the suspect in the leg.

Isn't it against the law to shoot someone who is (unarmed and) fleeing? If he was an adult, this kid would probably be arrested for aggravated assault, or something.

Lucky thing he didn't kill the guy.

Not in every state, it isn't. Nor should it be. Property defense is every bit as valid a reason to drill someone as personal defense is. In fact, most Castle Doctrine states would pat this young man on the back and thank him for his service. Needs to work on that aim, though... hitting a guy in the leg is a good way to get sued in a civil court (where all bets are off depending on how stacked the jury is).

I find your sentiment disturbing, but never mind that, remember this?

Fla. Mom gets 20 years for Firing Warning Shots

originally posted by: windword
I find your sentiment disturbing, but never mind that, remember this?

Fla. Mom gets 20 years for Firing Warning Shots

You mean -

Alexander, who had no previous criminal record or arrests, sought self-defense immunity prior to trial but was unsuccessful.[4] State Attorney Corey met with the defendant and offered her a three-year plea deal. Asserting that she acted in self-defense within the bounds of the law, Alexander rejected the offer and took her case to trial.[3] A jury convicted her in twelve minutes,[10] and because of the Florida 10-20-Life mandatory minimum statute, she was sentenced to 20 years in prison.[11] Alexander was also requested to stay away from Gray as part of a court order.[10]

On September 26, 2013, an appellate court ordered a new trial, finding that the jury instructions in Alexander's trial impermissibly shifted the burden of proof from the prosecution to the defense.[12][13] Alexander was released on bail on November 27, 2013[14] and required to stay under house arrest.[15] Corey announced that she intended to re-prosecute Alexander, this time aiming for three consecutive 20 year sentences, amounting to a mandatory 60-year sentence if Alexander is found guilty in a second trial.[16]

On January 27, 2015, Alexander was released from a Jacksonville jail under a plea deal that capped her sentence to the three years she had already served. She pleaded guilty to three counts of aggravated assault for firing a shot in the direction of her husband. She also agreed to serve two years of house arrest, wearing an ankle monitor. She will be allowed to work, attend classes and take her children to school and medical appointments. Her case helped to inspire a new state law permitting warning shots in some circumstances.[17]

Florida is not Alabama and the laws are not the same.

A warning shot, by its very nature, signifies a situation where imminent fear of death or sever bodily injury is not present. The kid was threatened with his life and bad shot aside he tried to stop the threat.

a reply to: AmericanRealist

I personally think that if there is a firearm in the home or otherwise accessible the child, at the appropriate age, should be thought gun safety as well as how responsibly use the weapon. I think teaching it in schools is absolutely absurd. While I may disagree with the gun control advocates I would never say that gun handling should be school curriculum. Certainly not school curriculum that their OWN children would have to engage in.

I know somebody will bring up those parents who's children are allowed to opt out of sex ed. To me this is a bit different. Sex is required to create more people and therefore youths who may engage in such activity should be aware of contraception and STDs. Sex is a biological imperative. Gun ownership and usage is not.

a reply to: windword

as Xcathdra pointed out, our legislators proceeded to fix that law, and now in Florida, it is legal to fire a warning shot at someone you feel is a threat to you, assuming the circumstances meet the criteria. I was very upset when that happened to this woman, but it helped to spur change as a result.

If gun safety and maintenance was K-12 curriculum, parents should have the option to opt out like sex ed. Its the kids of parents who opt out who will all end up victims though.

We must commit to empower our children with their natural right to self defense and make sure they have full comprehension of the authority of the Bill of Rights.

a reply to: windword

Florida screwed up. The woman should have never stood trial, let alone done time.

a reply to: AmericanRealist

Way to go, to that kid! Defended himself and his home, as people have every right to do! People can slam the South all the want, too, but this kid isn't a statistic, and we aren't seeing video of him being beat up by some thug. The crook got what he deserved. Hopefully, the parents can get some shooting practice in for this boy, so e can aim better next time.

The schools don't teach anything the kids need anymore, it seems. Social engineering, compliance with violations to freedom, and groupthink seem more important that even basic reading and writing, much less anything else.

I love this sort of story. Far more of them than of accidental shootings, too.

a reply to: starwarsisreal

Well, they really ought to die in combat. No exceptions..

Besides, their Christian parents might have a problem with their children going to Valhalla.. I would presume.

Good for these kids though.

a reply to: introvert

Are you arguing that we should abolish our # law system because its beyond ridiculous? You're making a good case.

a reply to: Dark Ghost

A society that is so consumed by seeking vengeance and dispersing punishment is not a healthy one.

It is quite unnerving reading some responses, some people really wish to hurt others even if it is only because of a perceived threat....that's unhealthy for sure, bordering on mental illness

a reply to: hopenotfeariswhatweneed

but this was not a perceived threat at all, it was a real one in action, with threats of murder by the felon repeat criminal against an 11 year old child. The junkie should be dead, and the surrounding community, probably the world would be a better place with his absence.

good for him

sadly, the statistics tell us a gun in the home is more likely to be used on the gun owner or on one of the owners family

I could post lots of videos of gun violence where it isn't a home intruder, but it would take me a week

A 2013 Pew Research survey found that 48 percent of gun owners say the main reason they own a gun is for protection. Just a decade earlier, 49 percent had said they owned a gun mostly for hunting. And while, from an emotional standpoint, having a gun might make you feel safer, studies have determined that a gun in the home doubles the risk of homicide and triples the risk of suicide.

Evidence finds that greater availability of guns increases a woman’s risk of being murdered by a family member or another person she knows. According to data analysis, states with higher rates of gun ownership have higher homicide rates.

Rates of aggravated assault have been shown to actually increase in states that allow more people to carry concealed guns in public. Researchers have found that higher levels of gun ownership in an area lead to more burglary because guns are desirable loot.

Guns are used more often to threaten and intimidate than in self-defense. Most purported self-defense gun uses are with guns that were drawn during an escalating argument. And when five criminal court judges were asked to assess national survey results of self-reported defensive gun uses, the majority of judges rated most of these uses as probably illegal.

There is strong consensus among researchers who have published on firearms in a peer-reviewed scientific journal that guns are used in crime far more often than they are used in self-defense.

a reply to: syrinx high priest

And sometimes cars kill people no matter how safe. People are also murdered with bats, kitchen accessories, barber equipment, chairs, tree limbs, shoelaces, piano cord, walking canes, gas and lighter, steel toed boots, construction material, rocks and much more, everyday somewhere.

The only important matter to know here, is that this gun saved this child, during this felony crime by a repeat criminal who had failed to be held accountable sooner. That trumps any and all statistics.

originally posted by: AmericanRealist
a reply to: hopenotfeariswhatweneed

but this was not a perceived threat at all, it was a real one in action, with threats of murder by the felon repeat criminal against an 11 year old child. The junkie should be dead, and the surrounding community, probably the world would be a better place with his absence.

I believe the said threat was running away and jumping a fence....the threat was all about perception

a reply to: AmericanRealist


wow that's Alabama for you! no lottery either