5-year-old Kentucky boy fatally shoots 2-year-old sister with gift rifle

The real problem is the parents clearly did not practice gun safety, not an evil gun

The best form of gun safety is no guns at all.

I cannot begin to understand the mindset of someone who buys a gun for a five year old child. It's just about the most irresponsible and stupid decision that I can imagine. Absolutely unbelievable.

This takes me back to the time where i got heat when i said laws should be passed similiar to those in germany on how to store guns, in a gun safe. And how people went on about how never anything had happened in hickville where they grew up despite guns lying around in their f150 or under the bed. I hope people are going to take their head out of their poophole now. Of course you can make the case that in a country where millions are born a dead girl every now and then is neglibible on paper.

reply to post by Cabin


Some one gave an 4yr old a rifle for his birthday?Senseless;I believe the parent who gave a 4yr old a rifle should be arrested.

reply to post by Mogget


actually he was 4 when the moron parent bought it for him.
Talk about bad parenting,this is it.

The anti gun lobby in your country must be rubbing their hands with glee,however,in this case it must be seen as serious parental negligence,that poor little girl may she be at peace.

Originally posted by Cabin
reply to post by seeker1963

 

You lose your driver´s licences after being caught under influence while driving. In many states you are still able to own a gun...

For getting a car, you need all kinds of schoolings and paperwork. For getting a gun, in many states, you need nothing but going to the store.

Drivers licences is pretty well regulated, guns are not. I

Car and Gun are too different to compare. Car is rarely used for killing, its main purpose is to drive. The only purpose of a gun is killing somebody, if needed (self-defense or other reasons, harming somebody), hitting the target, if needed. It does not serve any other practical use, than to harm somebody or shoot something.

If somebody steals your car, it is highly unlikely they will use it to roll over somebody. When somebody steals your gun, it is likely that at some point it will be used to harm somebody else.

Uhm all i did to get a car was drive around until i saw one in someones yard with a for sale sign? Actually the garbage man did that part for me... ..

Originally posted by andy06shake

People should be atleast 16 years of age before they are alloyed to own or use any firearm, stands to reason!

Stand to whos reason? 16 year olds are idiots.

This kid has been shooting since at least that age and he's a sponsored pro:


The difference is his parents arent redneck dumbasses who just leave loaded guns lying around in a place where children play.

Take the gun out and this family would likley be fishing one their kids corpses out of a bucket of water or a creek down the road or explaining to the cops why the bleach was sitting next to the soda in the pantry.

Originally posted by nake13
The anti gun lobby in your country must be rubbing their hands with glee,however,in this case it must be seen as serious parental negligence,that poor little girl may she be at peace.

You can be pro gun and still see the need to keep firearms safely stored when you are not using them. Just look at the swiss and germans. Given the fact that the swiss have all military training i would take 10 cheese eaters over 30 americans.

reply to post by Cabin


Horrible. Just horrible.

But...

Lets not use this an an excuse to beat up on responsible gun owners. This is not the norm. this IS a perfect example of why I believe mandatory safety and handling training for anyone with a weapon, that whole family in this case.

you have to prove you are responsible enough to drive. You should have to do the same to own something that can put a piece of lead through something else at a distance. I don't care if it's you ":right" to own it, you don't have a right to be an irresponsible douche.

5? Sorry, that's too young for me to be playing, unattended, with actual guns. Christ at 5 I would throw a tantrum if i didn't get my way, or win at monopoly. what the hell would have happened if i had a gun?

This family will never be the same, sadly the child had to pay the price. Normally I'd say it's natural selection at work, but the parents are alive, a child is not.

Just horrible.

reply to post by Kali74

You (plural) are politicizing and polarizing as much if not more so than the anti-gun advocates.
This poor girls death shouldn't be a platform for either side of the debate.

I agree...but the article was written and the first blows against gun culture were dealt. Do you expect me to stand by and allow these attacks to go unanswered?

You know me better than that!!

Maybe letting everyone who really thinks that guns aren't inherently unsafe have them without any restrictions is the best way to thin the herd, and tighten up the gene pool in this country? Sure, it's crass to actually say it, but bad judgment tightens up the gene pools for all other species on this planet, so what the hell. Let the NRA have its way. We all end up dead in the end anyway. The smart ones will be more likely to be the ones who survive long enough to breed, and the gene pool will benefit from this elimination strategy.

Give every parent the right to do whatever the hell they want with their offspring. The idiots will kill off their lineage, and the human race will benefit. Guns are just one more tool to offer to these folks; albeit, probably the most efficient tool among the many (cigarettes, booze, meth, misadventure) that kill off the more common of the common people every day.

The rest of us can just give these people plenty of room to do what they do. That, and make it easy for them to get what they want out of life. In a few hundred years, this whole reverse-Darwinism trend will have corrected itself and we'll be back on track as a species once again.

Didn't read the whole thread which is out of the ordinary for me but I had to reply to this thread. I'm from Kentucky. Born and raised . I was 5 when I got my first gun. I was taught that birds were the only thing I was to shoot. Black birds to be specific. I was not to shoot birds with color. Robins cardinals mocking birds owls ect were not allowed. I got my a$$ whopped if I did. This is a lack of parenting 100%. The parents need to be held accountable for this. Teach your kids how to handle a gun and this doesn't happen. I was taught to treat every gun as if it were loaded. You never point one at someone unless you intend to kill them. I feel sorry for this generation.

reply to post by NorEaster


It's not crass. It's the truth. Insulation has made us all feeble and weak.

Gotten so bad the majority fear liberty and actively support the state.

We coddle and protect everyone until there arent enough resources to continue doing so then we institute artificial limits on consumption and births in an attempt to get down to some manageable herd size.

Wouldnt be a problem in the first place if people were free to suffer the consequences of their actions.

One of the more popular arguments against freedom of any kind whether it be guns, drugs, property, relationships, etc... is that people wouldnt be able to handle it. Well, no #. When the people have been denied freedom so long of course they arent going to know what to do with it when they have it again. That in itself is not a reason to continue denying freedom. Its a reason to never deny it again.

Im on board with that much. Let people be free. Well work through the correction and be better for it at the other end.

As far as letting the "NRA have it's way" goes I'm not sure I understand that. When some Klan nut burns a church do we blame the ACLU?

reply to post by CosmicCitizen


I never killed anyone. I had a gun from the same age. This is a lack of parenting. That is all

reply to post by seeker1963


I totally get your point. And I agree that cars and guns are of equal "danger". Just sitting there, they cannot harm anyone. In the hands of responsible people, they are not dangerous. I am a firearms advocate.

However, if you're going to insist on comparing guns and cars, we need to consider the requirements for ownership and operation of both. For cars, there are many, for guns... none.

People as a group are NOT responsible. That's why the operation of a vehicle is so controlled. Even still, people are killed all the time by irresponsible drivers. Without the regulations on car ownership and operation, MANY more would be killed. Ten-year-olds would be driving with no lessons, testing, insurance, registration or licenses and MANY more accidents and deaths would likely occur. Teenagers would be driving without ever having learned about the possible dangers. Grandpa wouldn't have to have his eyes checked to be licensed.

I don't support registration for guns, but I support background checks, operational age limits, required education and permits or licensing. I think it's only common sense to have some kind of regulations on something that can reasonably be compared to the operation of a motor vehicle for the safety of the community.

Would you support stripping all regulations from car ownership and operation? Five-year-olds owning and driving a car? No license required? And if not, why not?

Im ok with children as young as 5 having a little .22 starter rifle. But with that any parent who doesn't lock up te rifle and ammo and is negligent enough to allow a 5 year old to play with it should be charged with child endangerment.

reply to post by projectvxn


There were three guns around my house. A .22 for varmint a 20 gauge shot gun for close up varmint and a .30-06 for deer. Still I was taught how to handle a gun. These guns were left loaded and ready for use 24/7. I was taught better. Also they were left by the door. (Read door as in the one we walked out of 99% of the time)

reply to post by ImTheGreatest


What works for you doesn't necessarily work for others. While education concerning firearms should be the rule, precautionary measures, I think, could certainly have prevented this.

reply to post by Cabin

The boy had received the rifle as a gift. It was usually kept in a corner of the house, and no one realized a shell had been left inside.

First, what the hell is a five year old doing with a rifle? I mean, I hunted as a kid, but not until I was at least 10. And even then, I certainly never had access to it or ammo without my father.

This is ALL on the kid's parents. They are irresponsible gun owners, and now they are minus a daughter because of their stupidity and complete lack of common sense.

I don't even have kids in my house (unless you count a moody 18 yr old), but even I keep my guns in a well-locked closet. (and I certainly don't keep them loaded, accidentally or otherwise).

I guess I should use my superpower again here,you can't control stupid or crazy.MOST of us get it.Apparently these anti gun types don't.We can repeat this over and over and they still want to blame the firearm.
We aren't like these morons,we know EXACTLY what to do with them and we will keep them so get the hell over it.
I am glad you don't keep them or you might be in this same situation from your impaired judgement.