9 year old child charged in shooting..

[cupman]

You hear about this kind of thing every now and again. The one thing I wonder about is the discharge. I've owned many guns in my life and never once has one accidentally gone off while in it's case or bouncing around in the trunk of my car. If it really was a fluke and discharged in his backpack they should cut the kid some slack.

 

[conny63malies]

Ok getting the law changed and making it illegal or more difficult to own guns doesnt work. It only makes it more difficult or impossible for normal citizens to own guns. Criminals are criminals for a reason, because they dont give a dang about laws and break them. Its like saying " hey somebody ran my son over with a car, lets take all cars away or making insurance so hard and expensive to get that normal people cant get it." or make all medications that people can get high or dependent illegal, it only hurts people that really need them. Criminals will steal or import their weapons/drugs if they have to. I would like to be able to defend my family if i have too. After all it has been shown that 100% of all criminals prefer if their victim is not armed. As for the kid, i suggest a group home setting for sometime to work through his issues. A family or foster isnt a good idea for him right now. BTW he isnt the first kid in that age that did stuff like that. 9/10 year olds know how deadly weapons are. Jordan Brown killed his future stepmom and unborn sibling with a shotgun. Yes he used his gun. BUT, the responsible adult(his dad ) should have kept the weapon locked away and the ammo in a seperate location. This is how we do it, with the exception on the BB gun. THis one is stored with ammo in a zippered and locked bag. My kids went through gun safety training know all gun parts, how to handle one, the safety rules..... the whole shabang.

 

[Capvin]

It is a complete misstatement to say that everyone should be treated the same under the law and the fact that this kid is 9 years old does not make a difference. That statement is wrong and the age of the child most certainly makes a difference in that in any crime the person must have the requisite criminal intent and that would be a much harder task to prove in the case of a nine year old vs. a 35 year old man. They are not and should not be treated the same under the law or anywhere else.

 

[mom'sfolly]

This is absurd on all levels. A nine year old child is not responsible. Having the kid charged with weapons possession, silly; I'm sure he didn't own the gun. His parents/uncle/ whoever was responsible for keeping the gun from his possession. As for the other charges, again, absurd. The kid should not have had the chance to put a cocked and loaded gun into his backpack. The adults in his life are supposed to protect him; allowing him to do this is not protecting or nurturing a child. The parents should be charged.

For those of you who think the kid is old enough to make a fully informed choice, and understand what he is doing...

Does your church allow a nine-year-old to be confirmed?
Would you allow a nine-year-old to drive? Why or why not?
Would you allow a nine-year old to eat anything they want? Why or why not?
Would you allow a nine-year-old to drink alcohol? Why or why not?
Should a nine-year-old be allowed to quit school if they don't want to go?
Should a nine-year-old have to pay rent?
Should a nine-year-old have to work for a living?
Do we allow children to live on their own?

We understand that children do not have the reasoning ability or the experience to make choices on their own. We do not, and should not expect them to behave and think like adults. Everyday adults make choices for children; to protect them, to teach them, to nurture them and because they are not capable of making judgements in the same way an adult would. Treating them as an adult when they are frightened and desperate (as this child must have been, to arm himself and plan to run away) is not only silly, it is unfair and unreasonable.

 

[Urk-ah-urk-ah-urr']

... and if it were your child that was shot? Would the reaction be the same? Just thinking out loud...
The rules and regulations reguarding the restrictions of firearms on campus are emphasied in all schools... even for nine year olds.
Unless he was held back, a nine year old would be in the fourth grade and should be well aware that bringing the firearm to school was wrong.
I am curious as to what punishment the parents will receive... after all, he and the loaded firearm are their responsiblity (i.e. endangerment to a child).

(steps off of his soap box and awaits the first stone...)

 

[Capvin]

... and if it were your child that was shot? Would the reaction be the same? Just thinking out loud...
The rules and regulations reguarding the restrictions of firearms on campus are emphasied in all schools... even for nine year olds.
Unless he was held back, a nine year old would be in the fourth grade and should be well aware that bringing the firearm to school was wrong.
I am curious as to what punishment the parents will receive... after all, he and the loaded firearm are their responsiblity (i.e. endangerment to a child).

(steps off of his soap box and awaits the first stone...)

God forbid that something like that should ever happen to my family, friends or other aquaintences. However, if it did I am certain that after the initial shock and anger had subsided that I would feel the exact same way that I previously expressed. NINE YEAR OLDS SHOULD NOT BE TREATED LIKE ADULTS....NEVER...EVER...IN ANY CIRCUNSTANCE, ESPECIALLY UNDER THE LAW!!

To use that old, worn out, uselerss argument "suppose it were your child" is completely inappropriate.

 

[WooingWyandotte]

I'm so sorry for the girls and her parents, and I'm especially sorry for the nine-year-old boy.
Cases like this are messy things, doubtless there will be many different points of view. I just hope, and pray, that in the end good will prevail. I don't think slamming the kid with jail is the right answer.
He needs help, which is obvious, he needs a stable home with a law-abiding father and mother - and that is something our government/child protective agency could never give him...ever.

 

[NovaAman]

This is a terrible accident. Even if it were my child who was shot, i would still feel that same. If the 9 yr old boy pulled the trigger, then I might feel different. Parents should be charged, in particular the mother, since she didn't have the gun secure. AND she left it loaded and cocked. $50,000 bail? OMG, what do they think, the kid is going to run away, oh wait, that is what his intentions were. To run away. What was going on at his house that made him want to run away and take a gun for protection? Sounds to me, that this kid needs some protection. He's not getting it at home.


I pray for that beautiful girl and her family, that she pulls thru. I pray that this little boy will also receive more compassion. He is going to be in emotional turmoil for a long time.

 

[Sharisr32]

All I can do is shake my head -The poor victim family and this poor kid the Mom should get the charges not the kid - who should be taken far all from the whole thing --- Just so darn sad --

 

[conny63malies]

Sometimes they have to be treated like adults. My daughter was sexually molested as a kindergartener by a same age girl on the bus. Due to her size she had no chance. all they did with her attacker was a bus suspension and twoo weeks no school. THe next year they actually wanted to stick this monster in the same class as my daughter. I had to change my daughters class, warn other parents of this child and threaten the school and get CPS involved. In the end she was removed from school and placed in a psych. (sp?) group setting in a closed fascility. Would you like to have kids like that in your childs/ grand childs school. No? Thats what i thought. Those kids need to be evaluated and then placed in approbriate settings , even jail if neccasary. He cleary showed intend to harm another child by bringing this loaded weapon to school. He brought it for self denfense. He could snap at any time and hurt somebody by other means or even kill somebody.

God forbid that something like that should ever happen to my family, friends or other aquaintences. However, if it did I am certain that after the initial shock and anger had subsided that I would feel the exact same way that I previously expressed. NINE YEAR OLDS SHOULD NOT BE TREATED LIKE ADULTS....NEVER...EVER...IN ANY CIRCUNSTANCE, ESPECIALLY UNDER THE LAW!!

To use that old, worn out, uselerss argument "suppose it were your child" is completely inappropriate.