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

Truthfully, I got a Daisy BB gun when I was about 7 and the first time I used that thing irresponsibly, my dad just about went wild. From that day on I got smarter about it and, when I was 10, I got a .22 rifle. Both were for work on the farm as the BB gun was for pigeons inside the barn (nobody wants birdcrap in grain bins or on hay bales) and the .22 was for groundhogs because cattle and horses can break their legs in the burrow holes. I got a nickle for every pigeon and a quarter for each groundhog and that was in the 50's.

I'm not against teaching kids how to shoot at a young age and I screwed up only the one time with the Daisy because my dad was on me like a hawk on a chipmunk that day. Like an idiot, I was practicing shooting blackbirds behind the house. I got a severe scolding because a rifle isn't for shooting things that aren't a problem. Never forgot that lesson.

That this 5 year old had a loaded .22 with the safety off and ready to fire without a parent around blows my mind. Personally, I doubt a 5 year old is smart enough for a .22 but I sure was ready at 10 after my dad got through educating me.

reply to post by g146541


As a gun owner I am going to have to say this was completely avoidable.

The rifle in question has a lock on it making it a fancy club at best if used.
Add to that the rifle is a single shot bolt action and has to have the firing pin pulled back in order to operate.
The rifle should not have been loaded. The rifle should not have been cocked. But for the sake of argument lets say this was in the field and the pin was pulled back the safety could have been used (it slides over blocking the firing pin differently than other safeties though should not be relied on entirely). And finally the parents should have been around when he was handling the rifle. Even stepping out of the room to return a few seconds later is not acceptable.

This was a negligent discharge waiting to happen.

Raist

Originally posted by g146541

Originally posted by crazyewok

Originally posted by g146541
What a horrible thing that has happened.
I would bet that alot more children were lost today due to hospital acquired infections.
But why do we NEVER hear about those.
Or cps failures where parents neglect or beat their children to death, yet they go after parents under the guise of neglect when these same parents take their child to TWO seperate doctors in one day.
Why do we hear of one tragedy all of the time but not the other much more numerous tragedies that are TOTALLY preventable??
Oh that's right, someone ...or someones has an agenda.

This was a completely preventable death! The parents should have the full force of the law thrown at them publicly.

Have your Guns fine, but bloody well make sure you use them responsibly!


Gun suporters use cars as a example. Welll like cars there should be rules on takeing classes before you handle them and rules on safely handling them.

This was not at all preventable, this is why we call them accidents and not on purposes. Accidents will happen, there is nothing we can do to prevent that! But hospital acquired infections, we can prevent the majority of those!

your taking the piss right? Cause it was preventable! If they had followed proper gun saftey no one would of been shot!

reply to post by Raist

This was a negligent discharge waiting to happen.

As a responsible gun owner, you know it, I know it and every other person whom is a responsible gun owner knows it!!!!!

But we or unfortunately living in a battleground where the government serfs support the MSM propaganda thinking that if "the evil guns would only go away, no more children will EVER die before their time!" Wishful thinking idiots!

reply to post by crazyewok


I will agree with every word you said here.

The only thing to blame in this is the parents. Someone loaded, and cocked the firearm, and then they laid it in the corner and were not around when the child was handling the firearm.

The only thing to blame here is the parents. It might sound harsh and yes they lost a child and it does suck and hurts a lot. At the same time they are to blame for this they did not follow the rules and they should be charged criminally for it.

It sickens me when people treat any firearm even a .22 as a toy. I grew up with different guns and never once had an issue like this. Lots of things come in to play on this but the root cause is negligence on part of the parents.

Raist

Originally posted by PhoenixOD
I was listening to BBC radio the other day and they said 2nd largest cause of deaths for children in the US is gun related injury

Please do share with us, I realize you were "listening" but can you find a link to the audio for us?

Much anticipated and appreciated as well.


Regards, iwinder

Originally posted by muse7

US Government scoreboard?

WW1,WW2,Korea,Vietnam,Iraq,Afghanistan,Pakistan,Somalia,Yemen,Uganda,Syria,Libya, Mexico(Fast and Furious)

Oh yeah and the epitome of hypocrisy 2 nuclear weapons dropped on Hiroshima,and Nagaski.

How many children did they kill?

So obviously the US goverment score card is considerable higher than the average gun owner.

reply to post by Iwinder


Its very late here and im about to crash, it was on BBC radio news.

i just found this though.

I myself started plinking soda cans with a .22 revolver at age 6 and my father was like a hawk over me ......
Good times and nobody died except the soda cans.

Regards, iwinder

As muse picture states...just how many tyrants have Americans overthrown with their guns compared to the lives guns have claimed?

I mean you love to state how guns are there to protect you against the government from stealing rights left and right from you...yet it still happens...

So basically that argument is busted.

Another stat..to look for..how many times have guns been used in crimes compared to the amount of times that guns stopped crime?

Yet another argument busted.

How many times have guns taken life compared to the stats of guns saving lives?

Hmm..yet another argument busted.

Another fave is gun control doesn't work...Australia has strict gun control...and yet again gun violence is down and since the gun ban that has taken place...no mass shootings.

Busted


What else you guys got...

There's no excuse for this. Buying a rifle for a 5 year-old that has no idea or conception about responsibility and the difference between a toy or a real gun? It was an accident just waiting to happen. This is irresponsible parenting, no doubt about it. These parents should be held accountable for this!

I'm sure the father taught his son how to load it too! Who's to say the son didn't load it? It's sad that this 2 year-old lost her life because of her stupid and irresponsible parents.

Originally posted by kerazeesicko
As muse picture states...just how many tyrants have Americans overthrown with their guns compared to the lives guns have claimed?

I mean you love to state how guns are there to protect you against the government from stealing rights left and right from you...yet it still happens...

So basically that argument is busted.

Another stat..to look for..how many times have guns been used in crimes compared to the amount of times that guns stopped crime?

Yet another argument busted.

How many times have guns taken life compared to the stats of guns saving lives?

Hmm..yet another argument busted.

Another fave is gun control doesn't work...Australia has strict gun control...and yet again gun violence is down and since the gun ban that has taken place...no mass shootings.

Busted


What else you guys got...

edit on 1-5-2013 by kerazeesicko because: I CAN

Let the yankees have there guns if it makes the happy lol just as long as they dont bring em over to our countrys lol

reply to post by Raist



reply to post by crazyewok


Unless the child in question meant to murder his sibling, which I seriously doubt, this was an ACCIDENT.
Accidents are not avoidable, they happen every day!
Sure, this parent could have been a bit more responsible and their child might have lived for today.
But who is to say the child would not get hit by a bus tomorrow??
Accidents are called accidents because they are something that did not happen on purpose.
Accidents happen.

reply to post by kerazeesicko

I mean you love to state how guns are there to protect you against the government from stealing rights left and right from you...yet it still happens... So basically that argument is busted.

Not really them 'terrorists' been holding their own for over a decade.

Another stat..to look for..how many times have guns been used in crimes compared to the amount of times that guns stopped crime? Yet another argument busted.

Not really considering we have all those laws saying thats 'illegal'.

How many times have guns taken life compared to the stats of guns saving lives?

uh what?

If a gun is used to save life doesn't that mean it's been used to take life?

Busted hardly.

Another fave is gun control doesn't work...Australia has strict gun control...and yet again gun violence is down and since the gun ban that has taken place...no mass shootings. Busted

The Us is not Australia, but we do have states like California,Illnois,Massachuetts, and New York show that strict gun control does not work.


So nothing was 'busted'.

reply to post by g146541




O so if i go out and shot someone right now its a accident cause you know that victem could get hit by a bus....

reply to post by g146541


I agree it was an accident on the child's part.

It was negligence on the part of the parents though. That is why it was not an accident. With firearms there are not real accidents only negligence. Most people who kill, wound, or "accidental discharge" when handling a gun pull the trigger without intending to.

This was avoidable if the parents had followed basic firearms rules.

Raist

reply to post by neo96


Neo..when taking apart a post and going point by point the other usually refutes it with facts...which you didn't even come close to doing.

Not really them 'terrorists' been holding their own for over a decade

What do terrorist in another country have to do with gun owners in America?

Not really considering we have all those laws saying thats 'illegal'.

You do know I mean someone in the process of committing a crime..such as robbery, rape and etc. right?

uh what? If a gun is used to save life doesn't that mean it's been used to take life? Busted hardly.

So to you the only way to save a life is to take a life? Really...your serious...? You do know there have been times where life was not taken in order to save another...that means guns to.

The Us is not Australia, but we do have states like California,Illnois,Massachuetts, and New York show that strict gun control does not work. So nothing was 'busted'

You do know the surrounding states do not have gun control..so if a criminal wants a gun..go to those states and return with weapon.

Also do not give the stupid argument that another gave.."the states do not allow guns traveling from state to state"..like criminals are going to listen to state laws concerning guns transfer...just not any other laws..

So yeah everything was still busted...try harder..

reply to post by kerazeesicko

Neo..when taking apart a post and going point by point the other usually refutes it with facts...which you didn't even come close to doing.

What facts?

All I saw was opinion.

What do terrorist in another country have to do with gun owners in America?

Are they using harsh words over there?

You do know I mean someone in the process of committing a crime..such as robbery, rape and etc. right?

Now how on earth can there be people committing crimes?

That's what all those laws are for.

So to you the only way to save a life is to take a life? Really...your serious...? You do know there have been times where life was not taken in order to save another...that means guns to.

Apparently the only way to save a life is for people to call 9-11

You do know the surrounding states do not have gun control..so if a criminal wants a gun..go to those states and return with weapon.

Yes!! people drive out of state to get their illegal guns instead of a trunk out of a car on the next street.

Makes perfect sense.

Also do not give the stupid argument that another gave.."the states do not allow guns traveling from state to state"..like criminals are going to listen to state laws concerning guns transfer...just not any other laws..

They don't which is why they have GUN LAWS!!!!

So yeah everything was still busted...try harder..

Nope the only thing that was busted is what most people already know gun laws do not prevent crime.;

So that we can have a mature, logical, and intelligent conversation I will post photos of the same model of rifle. From this you will be able to understand the rifle and how it works. You will be able to see the locking mechanism, the bolt action, and that it is a single shot, as well as how to pull the firing pin back and make it ready for use. The only thing I do not do is load it. Explanations are just above each photo. I show that there are two ways to lock the rifle. In both ways the rifle cannot be used as the bolt action does not fall into place ne the firing pin cannot be set.


Here is the locking "button" below the bolt action (as well as the key needed to unlock it). At this point the bolt action is unlocked.

Here is a side view of the same unlocked button.

Here is a side view of the locking button pushed in and locked. At this point the gun is not useable accept as a fancy club. It requires a key to make the rifle operational.

Here is a view from inside where the bolt action sits. Here you can see the safety button is pushed up and locked. The gun cannot be used like this.

Here is as far as the bolt action can go with the locking button locked in position and with the bolt action locked fully open. No amount of force can get the bolt action to go forward as the lock button is in the way.

Here is the second way to lock the rifle. This is how I store it so that nothing can be put into the barrel from the breach side. At this point of lock the bolt action will not move. It is set in place totally. The firing pin cannot be set and the gun is not useable at this point.

In this photo my fingers are on the firing pin. This needs to be pulled back and set before the rifle can be shot. No amount of pulling the trigger without this being pulled back with fire the gun.

And finally here is a photo of the firing pin in the set position (note the rifle is not loaded as has been seen throughout the other photos, even though the rifle is not loaded the same precautions should always be taken).

To clear the firing pin after the photo I held the pin in one hand and pulled the trigger with the other while slowly letting the firing pin ease forward. All safety precautions were taken when taking these photos.

I hope this has educated a few at least.


Edit to add: Please forgive the photo quality, I am not a professional by any means.
Raist

reply to post by neo96

What facts? All I saw was opinion

So you don't consider any of those facts? Really...now your just trolling or ignorant.

Yes!! people drive out of state to get their illegal guns instead of a trunk out of a car on the next street. Makes perfect sense.

OMG..are you for real.. Where would a person get guns to sell illegally if his/her state has strict gun control...give up...another state. You cannot really be that dense...are you a troll..C'mon you can tell us...or are you just playing dumb.

Nope the only thing that was busted is what most people already know gun laws do not prevent crime.

See you redeemed yourself...see people even a gun owner states this...Guns do not prevent crime.

Thanks for busting that lie...that gun owners love to spread..

Your other points were...well...ummm...just not up to par with intellect....No more from me....obviously not going to debate you no more. You know what Mark Twain said “Never argue with (censored) people, they will drag you down to their level and then beat you with experience.”