5 year old given rifle as gift, kills 2 year old sister

[Candlelight]

http://www.stuff.co.nz/world/americas/8622792/Boy-5-kills-sister-with-his-gun

A five-year-old US boy accidentally shot his two-year-old sister to death with a rifle he had received as a gift last year, authorities say.
The children's mother was home on Tuesday (local time) but had stepped onto the porch for "no more than three minutes", Cumberland County Coroner Gary White told WKYT-TV.
White told the Lexington Herald-Leader newspaper the boy received the .22-calibre rifle, especially made for children, as a gift. He said the rifle was kept in a corner, and the family didn't realize a bullet was left inside it.
White said the shooting was an accident. He did not return a telephone call from The Associated Press.
State police said the shooting occurred when the boy was "playing" with the rifle. It is not clear whether any charges will be filed, said Kentucky State Police spokesman Trooper Billy Gregory.
White identified the gun as a Crickett, referring to a company that specifically makes guns, clothes and books for children. "It's a little rifle for a kid. ... The little boy's used to shooting the little gun."
Keystone Sporting Arms produced 60,000 Crickett and Chipmunk rifles in 2008, according to its website. It also makes guns for adults.
The company's slogan is "my first rifle", and its website has a "Kids Corner" section with photos of children at shooting ranges and on bird and deer hunts.

The 'specifically makes guns for children' part is the most disturbing piece of news print I've read all year.

 

[Tora Ziyal]

OMG! Beyond that, I'm speechless.

 

[Winged Victory]

http://www.stuff.co.nz/world/americas/8622792/Boy-5-kills-sister-with-his-gun


The 'specifically makes guns for children' part is the most disturbing piece of news print I've read all year.

I had no idea guns were made specifically for children. Sickening. And how horrible for that family.

 

[Dream]

Parents should have gotten the dumb kid a water gun instead.

 

[farmkid]

I have no problem with making guns for kids. I learned to shoot as a young child, as did my siblings, and my in-laws. Building guns that fit a child's shorter arms is fine. A kid who grows up shooting and learning proper safety practices will be safe as an adult as well. I've seen plenty of adults (go find pictures of some of our politicians crusading against guns for some examples) who were downright scary with a gun because they had no idea how to handle one because they were never taught. It's easier to teach a child than an adult.

The problem here isn't the existence of such a gun; the problem is giving a 5-year old their own gun. Even more of a problem is the fact that the gun was sitting in the corner with a bullet in it. There are two major problems right there and that's what these parents should be brought up on charges for. If a parent buys a gun for their kid, it is absolutely incumbent upon them to store the gun properly and never have it anywhere the kid can get access to it without adult supervision and the kid absolutely must be taught and be able to demonstrate proper safety practices before the gun is ever loaded.

 

[StarMan]

"It's a little rifle for a kid. ... The little boy's used to shooting the little gun."
Keystone Sporting Arms produced 60,000 Crickett and Chipmunk rifles in 2008, according to its website. It also makes guns for adults.
The company's slogan is "my first rifle", and its website has a "Kids Corner" section with photos of children at shooting ranges and on bird and deer hunts.

This is in it's own special category of idiocy.

 

[Kirby]

Even more of a problem is the fact that the gun was sitting in the corner with a bullet in it. There are two major problems right there and that's what these parents should be brought up on charges for. If a parent buys a gun for their kid, it is absolutely incumbent upon them to store the gun properly and never have it anywhere the kid can get access to it without adult supervision and the kid absolutely must be taught and be able to demonstrate proper safety practices before the gun is ever loaded.

Yep. What moronic parents; If you have guns in the house they need to be put away where kids can't easily get to them. A 'lil kids' gun is still a gun, and while it's cute and small it can, and has, ended a life due to improper handling.

The parents need to be brought up on charges, and my prayers go out to this little guy who has to go through life aware of what happened.

 

[Data Holmes]

I have no problem with making guns for kids. I learned to shoot as a young child, as did my siblings, and my in-laws. Building guns that fit a child's shorter arms is fine. A kid who grows up shooting and learning proper safety practices will be safe as an adult as well. I've seen plenty of adults (go find pictures of some of our politicians crusading against guns for some examples) who were downright scary with a gun because they had no idea how to handle one because they were never taught. It's easier to teach a child than an adult.

The problem here isn't the existence of such a gun; the problem is giving a 5-year old their own gun. Even more of a problem is the fact that the gun was sitting in the corner with a bullet in it. There are two major problems right there and that's what these parents should be brought up on charges for. If a parent buys a gun for their kid, it is absolutely incumbent upon them to store the gun properly and never have it anywhere the kid can get access to it without adult supervision and the kid absolutely must be taught and be able to demonstrate proper safety practices before the gun is ever loaded.

Indeed. Very well put.

Parents should have gotten the dumb kid a water gun instead.

water "guns" teach kids way more bad habits than real guns, and make children much more dangerious when presented a real firearm.

 

[horatio83]

water "guns" teach kids way more bad habits than real guns, and make children much more dangerious when presented a real firearm.

Yeah, kids who play with bullets will become great citizens whereas those play with water (oh my god, with water, no way !!!) will end horribly.

 

[Amaris]

I have no problem with making guns for kids. I learned to shoot as a young child, as did my siblings, and my in-laws. Building guns that fit a child's shorter arms is fine. A kid who grows up shooting and learning proper safety practices will be safe as an adult as well. I've seen plenty of adults (go find pictures of some of our politicians crusading against guns for some examples) who were downright scary with a gun because they had no idea how to handle one because they were never taught. It's easier to teach a child than an adult.

The problem here isn't the existence of such a gun; the problem is giving a 5-year old their own gun. Even more of a problem is the fact that the gun was sitting in the corner with a bullet in it. There are two major problems right there and that's what these parents should be brought up on charges for. If a parent buys a gun for their kid, it is absolutely incumbent upon them to store the gun properly and never have it anywhere the kid can get access to it without adult supervision and the kid absolutely must be taught and be able to demonstrate proper safety practices before the gun is ever loaded.

This, exactly.

 

[Gaith]

How 'bout this for a rule: if you're too young for Space Mountain, you shouldn't shoot a gun, period.

And yes, prosecute the parents.

 

[scotpens]

The first time I ever fired a gun was at Boy Scout camp when I was 12 years old. That was the age at which you graduated from air rifles (BB guns) to real firearms for target shooting, and it seems a reasonable age to me. But giving a gun to a five-year-old? That's just sheer lunacy.

Oh, and I haven't had much to do with guns since. I'm a lousy shot.

 

[Kestra]

How 'bout this for a rule: if you're too young for Space Mountain, you shouldn't shoot a gun, period.

There's no age requirement for Space Mountain, just a height one.

 

[Tosk]

I think they should make pornography especially for children. You'd have to supervize them with it of course, but it would help them understand sexuality better for later in life. Kids who grow up without pronography will be much more dangerous when it comes time for sexual relations.

 

[gturner]

Kids guns have been around as long as guns have. In Appalachia many kids got their first gun at age six, almost invariably a junior .22 rifle. The average age for getting a personal rifle was 11 or 12, though. I was probably seven or eight before I started shooting a beautiful Remington 512 (a tube fed bolt action which are now hard to find, though the 511 seems common enough).

This kind of tragedy happened on occasion (Chuck Yeager accidentally killed his baby sister), but it is very uncommon. However, modern indulgent permissive parenting and giving children tools of lethal force don't mix very well.

 

[T J]

What kinda nut gives a weapon to a 5 year old...? And for that matter how does a parent or anyone not make sure there is not a damned bullet in it? Parents should have to take a test to have kids I swear! This is beyond sad.

 

[Data Holmes]

I think they should make pornography especially for children. You'd have to supervize them with it of course, but it would help them understand sexuality better for later in life. Kids who grow up without pronography will be much more dangerous when it comes time for sexual relations.

Let them watch Red Shoe Diaries. Hell, just give them the early 90's Showtime, Cinemax, Discovery Channel and The Learning channel. That was a very informative group of sources.

 

[Miss Chicken]

Kids guns have been around as long as guns have. In Appalachia many kids got their first gun at age six, almost invariably a junior .22 rifle. The average age for getting a personal rifle was 11 or 12, though. I was probably seven or eight before I started shooting a beautiful Remington 512 (a tube fed bolt action which are now hard to find, though the 511 seems common enough).

This kind of tragedy happened on occasion (Chuck Yeager accidentally killed his baby sister), but it is very uncommon. However, modern indulgent permissive parenting and giving children tools of lethal force don't mix very well.

It was Chuck Yeager's older brother Roy who killed their little sister.

 

[Roger Wilco]

Parents should have gotten the dumb kid a water gun instead.

The kid isn't dumb, the kid is a kid. Blame the parents.

 

[RJDiogenes]

Yeah, these idiots are responsible for the death of their kid and for whatever this boy has to go through for the rest of his life. The kid should be placed with a sane family so he can hopefully grow up to cope with this.

Nobody under the age of 13 should be using a gun and nobody under the age of 18 should be able to own a gun. Neither should anybody with an IQ of "Idiot."