8 year old shot leaving school [US]

leggit

http://usnews.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/02/22/10480055-8-year-old-girl-critically-wounded-in-washington-state-school-shooting

Police said a Wash. elementary school shooting that critically wounded an 8-year-old girl was apparently an accident.

Armin Jahr Elementary School in Bremerton, Wash., across the Puget Sound from Seattle, was just letting out for the day when the victim, a girl in the third grade, was shot at about 1:29 p.m. local time (4:29 p.m. ET), Bremerton police said. The city, which houses a naval base, is an hour ferry ride from downtown Seattle.

A Bremerton Police Department statement said a student had a firearm in his back pack that apparently discharged, striking the victim. Detectives believe the shooting to be an accident, the statement said.

Investigators were still trying to determine how the boy came to be in possession of the gun. He was booked into Kitsap County Juvenile Detention Center for unlawful possession of a firearm, bringing a dangerous weapon unto school grounds and third degree assault based upon criminal negligence. Bremerton police Lt. Peter Fisher said the gun used in the shooting had been recovered.

hmmm.... giving citizens access to guns is stupid. The boy who had the gun is 9 apparently!

.E_C_K_S.

ONLY IN AMERICA!!

Bad Panda

Ah the land of opportunity.....to get a bullet in the chest.

J. Marston

Pff, America...

Niggos

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Z5QRy7iL54

curlzy

Wow, poor kids! He'll probably be vilified too:(

Caveman1

This happens way too often, its sick

gbee

leggit wrote: »

hmmm.... giving citizens access to guns is stupid. The boy who had the gun is 9 apparently!

I wouldn't agree. Children should perhaps not have guns in their school bags, perhaps.

Given the randon and insane school shootings across the USA, I'd be slow to judge this one.

Seachmall

curlzy wrote: »

He'll probably be vilified too:(

Yeah, I mean he only brought a loaded handgun into school...

LittleBook

It was (apparently) an accident but whoever owns the gun and allowed it get into the hands of a 9-year-old boy should be prosecuted.

leggit

gbee wrote: »

I wouldn't agree. Children should perhaps not have guns in their school bags, perhaps.

Given the randon and insane school shootings across the USA, I'd be slow to judge this one.

Yeah, but this is bound to happen and I'd bet it will happen again and has happened before.

How many kids get shot by their classmates here??

I'd agree that the parent should be prosecuted and banned from owning a firearm ever again

token101

Seachmall wrote: »

Yeah, I mean he only brought a loaded handgun into school...

In fairness, he's 9! If I had access to a gun I'd have brought it in too! It's him having access to them thats the problem.

TeddyTedson

RIP
Queue* a gun rally in Seattle.

Lollipops23

I wouldn't blame a child for something like this- but whoever let it fall into his hands should be prosecuted. Not only did they leave it someplace accessible to a kid, they left a loaded gun in the house. No 8/9year old could load a gun by themselves.

Dyr

this happens once every now and then over in that america! its outrageous! I mean theres millions of legally held handguns over there but this is'nt actually a daily occurance :mad:

I demand that far more kids get whacked to justify my fear of guns :mad:

gbee

Lollipops23 wrote: »

No 8/9year old could load a gun by themselves.

The weapon would have been in a charged state with the safety off ~ pending further info ~ ready to fire!

It's hard to imagine an adult having a gun in this condition around the home.

meoklmrk91

What a truly tragic event, one kid dead and another's life ruined forever.

Yakult

I blame the parents.

If a 9 year old can get a gun, thats pretty worrying and actually happens quiet alot it would appear. Not the first time something like this has happened and it will continue to happen.

garv123

TeddyTedson wrote: »

RIP
Queue* a gun rally in Seattle.

She didnt die?

Daveaherne

This is the U.S.A you most know its that child's right to bare arms. I bet right now fox news and the NRA are blaming those who want gun control for this.

deman

TeddyTedson wrote: »

RIP.

Did she die?

deman

meoklmrk91 wrote: »

What a truly tragic event, one kid dead and another's life ruined forever.

I really can't understand how people make comments without actually reading the article.

gbee

deman wrote: »

Did she die?

At time of post, no, 'minor' injuries but further operations needed in time.

leggit

gbee wrote: »

The weapon would have been in a charged state with the safety off ~ pending further info ~ ready to fire!

It's hard to imagine an adult having a gun in this condition around the home.

You know that they give a gun to just about anybody who wants them so I wouldn't find it hard to imagine some moron leaving a safety off, loaded gun next to their cereal boxes!

and after all the school shooting tragedies I'm surprised people didn't go wild and start stampeding out of the school grounds! Could have caused more injuries and even deaths

garv123

meoklmrk91 wrote: »

What a truly tragic event, one kid dead and another's life ruined forever.

gbee wrote: »

At time of post, no, 'minor' injuries but further operations needed in time.

It said critically wounded, not fatally.
Bit worse than minor wounds it would appear.

minidazzler

leggit wrote: »

hmmm.... giving citizens access to guns is stupid. The boy who had the gun is 9 apparently!

No, you are wrong about giving citizens access to guns, especially in a place like Washington State, where there are lots of places to hunt.

Allowing a child to access a weapon unsupervised is stupid, the parents should have their weapons confiscated.

Iang87

I can assume she was snitching

John Doe1

shocking when i have a son he is definitely not being allowed a gun, maybe a crossbow

deman

gbee wrote: »

deman wrote: »

Did she die?

At time of post, no, 'minor' injuries but further operations needed in time.

Thanks for the answer but my question was rhetoric. Too many people jumping the gun.

JohnMarston

American logic:

Give millions legal access to firearms

Men, women and children get shot and robbed every year

Shake head and mourn victims

Do nothing

leggit

minidazzler wrote: »

No, you are wrong about giving citizens access to guns, especially in a place like Washington State, where there are lots of places to hunt.

Allowing a child to access a weapon unsupervised is stupid, the parents should have their weapons confiscated.

Sorry, I forgot hunting was a great reason to let anybody have a gun.... what about people who live in massive cities? should they have access to guns?

and you'd let a child have a gun if he was supervised!!!

It wasn't me!

leggit wrote: »

Sorry, I forgot hunting was a great reason to let anybody have a gun.... what about people who live in massive cities? should they have access to guns?

and you'd let a child have a gun if he was supervised!!!

People who live in cities hunt too. The miracle of transport.

And yes, children the world over shoot for sport and recreation. In Europe, competitive shooting training starts around 8 or 9 in most countries with airguns, and they're onto smallbore rifles by about twelve or thirteen.

minidazzler

leggit wrote: »

Sorry, I forgot hunting was a great reason to let anybody have a gun.... what about people who live in massive cities? should they have access to guns?

and you'd let a child have a gun if he was supervised!!!

Firearms are a great resource for home defence, and most firearms used in crimes would have been illegally acquired.

And yes, I would let a child use a firearm supervised, because I could teach the kid the right way to use it, what not to do and that it's all about safety.

Do you think pretending they don't exist works?

kowloon

Yakult wrote: »

I blame the parents.

If a 9 year old can get a gun, thats pretty worrying and actually happens quiet alot it would appear. Not the first time something like this has happened and it will continue to happen.

+1, the gun, if it came from home, which is usually the case, should have been stored where a child can't get access. The same goes for bleach and the likes.

I think it's right that they insist they be kept in a safe in this country, don't think that's always the case in the States.

CrazyRabbit

Lollipops23 wrote: »

I wouldn't blame a child for something like this- but whoever let it fall into his hands should be prosecuted. Not only did they leave it someplace accessible to a kid, they left a loaded gun in the house. No 8/9year old could load a gun by themselves.

A 4 year old can load & cock most handguns...so long as they seen someone else do it.

If it was an accident, then the blame lays at the feet of the gun owner.
If the boy was being bullied & put a stop to it using a gun, then the blame is with the school, teachers, the gun owner, the boys parents, and the bullies parents (especially them).

Regardless...I'll have sympathy for both the boy and the girl.

P.S. I bet the child will be tried as an adult and get 25 years to life. Insane justice system in the US.

RichieC

This is why the NRA wants mandatory gun indocrtination training for all children. these shootings simply will not happen if people are properly trained in gun safety. Have you ever heard of a person trained in firearms going on a mad one? probably. but that's just anecdotes.

amacachi

I love how the American justice system allows for a 9 year old kid to be criminally negligent.

Seachmall

amacachi wrote: »

I love how the American justice system allows for a 9 year old kid to be criminally negligent.

If they're mature enough to understand the nuances of sexuality they're mature enough to understand the thing that goes "BANG!" isn't a toy.

minidazzler

Seachmall wrote: »

If they're mature enough to understand the nuances of sexuality they're mature enough to understand the thing that goes "BANG!" isn't a toy.

But a lot of things that go bang are toys. The fact is a 9 year old child isn't old enough to understand death as something permanent.

gbee

TV News this AM says the girl is still in critical condition and they have managed to stop the bleeding ~ a far more serious report than yesterday's AM report.

They are leaving the bullet in place as it does not pose a health risk at this time. Contrary to earlier reports the little girl was near death and had a series of emergency operations later yesterday.

Meanwhile, dressed in orange, the little boy appears in courts with several charges and his biological father is patting his back.

It emerged that the boy had told students that he was going to bring his 'dad's' gun into school and run away. Police believe the gun belongs to the mother's boyfriend.

Lollipops23

Just saw a news story accompanied by pics of the little boy in an orange jumpsuit. Honestly choked me up- he's not an adult, and while I'm sure he knows what he did was wrong, he can't fully understand the consequences of his actions.
He also doesn't appear to have taken the gun in for the purpose of aiming at someone and shooting- probably just wanted to look like the big man to his friends.
All I could think was that it should have been his parents in the dock...

wes

Trying the kid as an adult is a bit much imho. It was clearly an accident.

Having said that, he should at least be expelled from the school, and should be punished in some other way as well, but trying a 9 year like that is silly.

FinnLizzy

Daveaherne wrote: »

This is the U.S.A you most know its that child's right to bare arms. I bet right now fox news and the NRA are blaming those who want gun control for this.

"Eight year old girl gunned down! Did gun control help her? Why didn't she have her gun? These liberals want eight year old girls going to school DEFENSELESS, vulnerable to gun attacks. Solution to the problem, arm all school children. Crisis averted!"

Manic Moran

It seems to me that the mother and her boyfriend have a little explaining to do.

This is why the NRA wants mandatory gun indocrtination training for all children. these shootings simply will not happen if people are properly trained in gun safety.

I submit that not training the kid at all is the worse course of action. It's like never talking to your kid about sex in the hope that if you don't bring it up, they won't know about it or do it. Instead, they go ahead and do it anyway, but without the advantage of good advice.

NTM

Mike 1972

gbee wrote: »

I wouldn't agree. Children should perhaps not have guns in their school bags, perhaps. .

Well if we take the NRA's arguments to their logical conclusion yes they should.

If American adults need guns to protctet themselves then surely American children have an even greater need to do so therefore let them all have guns ?

If American children had guns the death toll at Columbine would have been far lower and there would be no bullying or paedophillia.

Thats NRA logic.

Coming up next....NRA's logic on the Abortion question.....Let foetuses have guns !

Taltos

minidazzler wrote: »

But a lot of things that go bang are toys. The fact is a 9 year old child isn't old enough to understand death as something permanent.

Hate to tell you but I remember being 7 with a clear understanding of how permanent death is...
I think in this case though instead of not understanding death the child does not understand consequences - though he is learning fast now.