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

Originally posted by Tikitiboo
reply to post by eriktheawful

 

You are missing the point ! The kids ARE taught to be responsible. your totally missing the point!!

Sometimes in life kids are too young for some things. Do u think just because a child is taught to handle a gun responsibly that they wont do something totally stupid like point it at someone?? Even though the parent teaches them the rights and wrongs does not mean that little 4+ developing brain is going to take it all in as gospel.

Even older kids who are older, but still kids, are taught sex education, how to prevent pregnancy etc, but they STILL go out and have unprotected sex and get pregnant. And these are older kids!! Putting a gun in a 5 year olds hands and telling that kid to be responsisble is just stupid on the adults part.

How many kids do you have? Seriously, it's a serious question.

As a parent, there have been countless times that I have to determine what my children are or are not ready for. What they can handle and what they can not handle.

I stated in my first post in this thread, my youngest son's grandfather wanted to give him a gun at age 5. However, we his parents felt he was not ready at that point to actually handle a gun.

However, ever since he could walk, and hold things, he was shown what guns could do and that where they were locked up was the BAD place to try and open and get into. Already, at age 2 he was being taught that Guns were not safe. To not touch them, and to not touch where they are.

By Age 5 he was with me when shooting and hunting, so he could see what the gun can do, and how a gun is suppose to be handled, even though I would not allow him to touch the guns.

Why? Why not wait until he's a teenager?

Because: he is living with us in a house that has guns, where he sees guns and goes with us when we have guns. That much should be pretty much easy to understand.

Or should I lock him up somewhere when we go hunting?

By Age 7, he had demonstrated that he had enough understanding and self control to actually learn how to use a gun. We, his parents who are raising him know him, and know what he does.

Neither YOU nor anyone else on this forum know our child. You can draw generalizations, but that's not good enough. You are not raising him, nor do you know what he is or is not capable of.

But we his parents do.

And at age 7 we took him to the fire range and he began learning how to use a firearm not only with us there, but the range master too. Watching him carefully, stopping any unsafe manners or habits.

He's now 10 years old, and I dare say he knows more about gun and gun safety than some of you that are posting on here. You will never see him pointing a gun at someone, nor handling it in a unsafe manner. You will never see him abusing the weapon.

Soon he'll be hunting with me. And while hunting with me, I don't have to worry about if he knows gun safety or not.

It's unfortunate that the parents of the little boy that shot his sister did not follow proper safety protocols. They certainly did not follow proper methods for teaching kids about guns.

Doesn't mater however what you all think. My son is my child. And thank god I don't live in some damn "nanny state" that is going to tell me how to raise my child either.

reply to post by eriktheawful


And then people wonder why there are so many school shootings......

No guards at the schools and parents thinking "its good" to teach youngsters about guns as early as possible.

Unreal!

As a Brit living in the US, it makes no sense to me. I understand the significance of the 2nd Amendment, but don't understand the reluctance to touch something that is already, by its very definition, an amendment. You have to progress and move on.....or else women still wouldn't be able to vote and blacks would have to sit at the back of the bus. Nobody is talking about taking guns away even.....just trying to figure out a good way of regulating them. Maybe the measures would or wouldn't work, but I really don't get the rabid reaction to any suggestion of even TRYING.

Also, for those comparing a gun to a car or plastic bag because they have the potential to be dangerous. Seriously? A gun has ONE purpose - and I don't remember playing cops & robbers by suffocating the cops with plastic bags or trying to run the robbers over with a toy police car. Kids know, from a very early age, gun = shoot stuff. There is NO ambiguity. You think the little kid in this story was trying to brush his sisters hair with the rifle? Pretending it was a puppy maybe? Nope - he was pretending to shoot the cr4p out of stuff and it went off for real. God bless America.

And for those of you "patriots" thinking "well go back to Britain, you limey scum"........as soon as I can fellers, as soon as I can.

Originally posted by EarthCitizen07
reply to post by eriktheawful

 

And then people wonder why there are so many school shootings......

No guards at the schools and parents thinking "its good" to teach youngsters about guns as early as possible.

Unreal!

Are you really that obtuse?

Are you really that ignorant?

You think that by teaching kids about guns is what makes one bring one to a school and shoot others?

Exactly what is it you put in your cereal in the morning? Are you on some sort of medication that makes you take illogical leaps in thoughts?

Or are you such a gun control freak that you willingly make extremely long reaches to connect things, because all the rest of your arguments fall apart?

Teaching kids about guns and gun safety is what makes them bring guns to school and shoot others.........

Really?

Well thanks in any case. With that last post of yours, you have proven that you are not really worth my, or anyone else's time here, because instead of thinking critically.....you are instead trying to get some sort of knee jerk reaction, and just blindly go around saying things that make no sense.

Again....if you have kids I feel extremely worried for them. Good luck in life, and keep putting your's and your kid's head in the sand......you know....so they don't really learn about the real world out there.

reply to post by eriktheawful


It sounds as if you have taken a very careful and thoughtful approach to teaching your child about guns and gun safety. It also sounds as if you raised him in a home where gun safety was paramount....good on you for that.

From what you explained you also seem to believe that there is an age at which no amount teaching equals "responsible" when it comes to handling guns?

Would you agree that letting a 5 year old child own and "play" with a .22 caliber rifle is a bad idea whatever the circumstances?

My issue with children and guns...which expands to gun ownership at large...is the assumption that gun owners at large are homogeneous in thier commitment to safety and responsible gun ownership...obviously they are not.

It is the same reason we do not allow drunk driving...not because everyone who owns a car drinks and drives on a regular basis, but because some car owners drink and drive on a regular basis....and laws aimed at preventing those drunk drivers do not impact those that safely drive.

So Background Checks...Legal gun owners...what's the issue? I know the NRA's issue...it reduces sales and shortens the distribution/re-sale chain. They can't argue about how much money they will lose if background checks are conducted, so they engage in the un-credible and false fiction of "Confiscation" despite thier being no legal or logical premise to that propaganda.

Children and guns...You appear to be a safe and responsible gun owner...do you assume everyone to be as safe and responsible with guns and children as you are? You can say that is not your problem...it's on a per family basis...contained...but school shootings show otherwise...ditto the 4 year old that shot and killed his neighbor next door last month...etc. etc.

Could we not take measures to effect those that are not as responsible and safe with thier guns? If not for the safety of thier own children, then the safety of ours? who are also at risk?

Originally posted by eriktheawful

Are you really that obtuse?

Are you really that ignorant?

I was going to ask you the same thing but you beat me to it.

You think that by teaching kids about guns is what makes one bring one to a school and shoot others?

YES! Guns are a big deal because they are designed TO KILL or injure. They are not designed for other purposes.

None of your arguements make sense. And please take it easy with the insults as I will report you next time. Thanks! :

Originally posted by eriktheawful

Teaching kids about guns and gun safety is what makes them bring guns to school and shoot others.........

Really?

Teaching kids (with developmental or psychological disorders) about guns can lead to sociapathic obsession and fantasies involving guns.

Ditto adults BTW...

Nancy Lanza believed she was bonding with her troubled child by taking him to the shooting range and buying him guns.

How do we differentiate between parents able to recognize deficets in thier child...and those who don't?
and well adjusted, intelligent young adults capable of learning about guns....and obsessive, psychologically askew young adults?

We could not bother at all if it wasn't for the fact that the consequences effect all of us.

What kind of moron would buy a 5 year old a real gun? The woman should go to prison for her stupidity alone! I seriously want to know what was running through her rabid mind when she decided to buy a 5 year old a real firearm.

reply to post by thisguyrighthere


"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."

Cant really argue with your logic, seems sound. Reason I suggested the minimum age of 16 is that this is the age, in my country your are considered an adult. I will add that I know lots of people of all ages that are idiots. Obviously there should be a minimum age requirement for ownership of any firearm. In my opinion children should not be alloyed to use firearms until there are considered adults and hence responsible for their own actions.

Guns are 43 times more likely to kill a household member over an intruder.
People really need to rethink their priorities when handing out guns to children.

Teaching kids about gun safety only goes so far especially when you're talking about a 5 year old.

You guys want to know the real mistake these parents made?

1. They put it in a place where it was even remotely accessible for children.

2. They did not even have a lock on it.



The above is an essential tool for gun safety and one that should always be utilized.

I know every firearm I own has some sort of safety lock on it as we speak. It is essential especially with children around.

-----------------------------------------
P.S. To all the people wrongly talking about gun bans in this thread... They will never ever ban .22 rifles.

P.S.S. anyone read the comments on the Reuters article?! They are sickening.

Originally posted by DaMod
Teaching kids about gun safety only goes so far especially when you're talking about a 5 year old.

You guys want to know the real mistake these parents made?

1. They put it in a place where it was even remotely accessible for children.

2. They did not even have a lock on it.

The above is an essential tool for gun safety and one that should always be utilized.

I know every firearm I own has some sort of safety lock on it as we speak. It is essential especially with children around.

-----------------------------------------

P.S. anyone read the comments on the Reuters article?! They are sickening.

edit on 2-5-2013 by DaMod because: (no reason given)

All my guns are unlocked and loaded. Uhmm i dont have kids either though..

I love the comments here. So many people saying their should be a minimum age to own a gun.

THERE ALREADY IS ONE. ITS WAY HIGHER THAN 4

reply to post by Benevolent Heretic

Should people be permitted to own and operate motor vehicles then, without education, testing, licensing and/or some kind of oversight? (My discussion started with comparing cars and guns)

There is no Right to Drive outlined in the constitution and the federal government doesn't require a license to drive. You're talking about state law not a constitutional protection.

Are you being serious with this argument?

Originally posted by Curio
As a Brit living in the US, it makes no sense to me. I understand the significance of the 2nd Amendment, but don't understand the reluctance to touch something that is already, by its very definition, an amendment. You have to progress and move on.....or else women still wouldn't be able to vote and blacks would have to sit at the back of the bus. Nobody is talking about taking guns away even.....just trying to figure out a good way of regulating them. Maybe the measures would or wouldn't work, but I really don't get the rabid reaction to any suggestion of even TRYING.

Also, for those comparing a gun to a car or plastic bag because they have the potential to be dangerous. Seriously? A gun has ONE purpose - and I don't remember playing cops & robbers by suffocating the cops with plastic bags or trying to run the robbers over with a toy police car. Kids know, from a very early age, gun = shoot stuff. There is NO ambiguity. You think the little kid in this story was trying to brush his sisters hair with the rifle? Pretending it was a puppy maybe? Nope - he was pretending to shoot the cr4p out of stuff and it went off for real. God bless America.

And for those of you "patriots" thinking "well go back to Britain, you limey scum"........as soon as I can fellers, as soon as I can.

Uhm, it is illegal for a 4 year old to have a gun. Did that law help? Exactly what law can you pass to stop this? You could ban guns completrly and a cop could accidently leave his in a bathroom and next thingyou know a kid is shooting people with it!!!

What if the parents had left a bottle of bleach unsecured. Ban bleach?

Its illegal to buy a gun if youre under 18. 21 for pistols from dealers (18 private party in my state).

It is illegal to buy a gun for someone else as well unless the background check is performed on him. If i bought my dad a gun i would have to take him to the gunshop to fill out a stack of paperwork.

Hell what if the blowtorch was unattendrd?

Originally posted by seabag
reply to post by Benevolent Heretic

 

Should people be permitted to own and operate motor vehicles then, without education, testing, licensing and/or some kind of oversight? (My discussion started with comparing cars and guns)

There is no Right to Drive outlined in the constitution.

Are you being serious with this argument?

I was not taught how to drive before i got a license.

Two kids find a loaded gun...

Kid A has been taught gun safety, and to respect the power of the gun. He knows to never point it at another person or animal, and how to check if it is loaded and if the safety is on, etc.

Kid B has never been shown any of it.

Which kid ends up dead or shooting someone?

There you go. Not too difficult really.

By the way, there's an uncle I'll never know, because he was killed as a boy when they found an old shotgun that just happened to be loaded. After hearing that story, I always made sure gun safety was reinforced in my household (and yes, the same rules apply even to paintball guns)...

reply to post by crazylexxi

I was not taught how to drive before i got a license.

Who cares? Is there a federal requirement for having a driver license? How about for owning a gun?

Have you read the constitution?

reply to post by seabag

Who cares? Is there a federal requirement for having a driver license? How about for owning a gun?

Nope, these are laws decided by the state. (though felons not owning a firearm is both state and federal, for example)

Originally posted by seabag

Have you read the constitution?

So what ? It a amendment anyway.

It says a "right to bare arms". Good ok fair do's.

But is does not say this can not be amended to allow for safe storage or training courses.

It idiots like you that are making responsible gun owners look like self righteous trigger happy rednecks.

Just cause its a supposed right does not mean training and safe storage should not be enforced.

Like I said how is training and safe storage going to hurt a responsible gun owner?

Grow up and get with the moden times or the goverment really will come and try and take your guns.