TruBrit

GERMANTOWN, Maryland (AP) A 7-year-old girl was shot in the arm at a day-care center Tuesday after an 8yr old classmate brought in his father's gun and it accidentally went off, police said. The father was arrested on gun charges. The boy had the weapon in a backpack and was playing with it when it went off ...think this is the youngest I've heard of..so very sad.

willmore

What the heck is going on? How on earth would an 8 year old get a gun and be able to take it to school in his backpack? Dont his parents check him before he leaves for school?

What are the gun laws or lack of in the States that this could happen?

TruBrit

parents..huh don't think they know the meaning of the word..apparently the dad left his gun easily accessible and he's now been charged and quite rightly so in my mind

Partystar

One word...stupidity!

BigDavyG

Three words...butros butros galli

Chorlton

Nooooo! It has nothing to do with gun laws in this case. There are already adequate laws regarding guns near schools and stupid people leaving guns lying around. The dad should have secured his weapons and educated his kid on firearms safety. Now he will (rightly) pay the price. End of story, I hope.

Partystar

I do agree with what you are saying, but the educating kids on firearms is not foolproof, kids will be kids & I know for certain that it doesn't matter how much you educate kids on guns, they are never safe from them. The Dad was a complete idiot on every point & yes, he certainly has paid the price & I hope he goes to jail for child endangerment.

I totally understand where you are coming from, but I'll never have a gun in my house.

ironporer

I agree with you, and do hope mom/dad are prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law for not securing their firearms properly.
Although I imagine that some press hungry politician (liberal surely) will immediately propose a law to make it a felony for any child to carry a handgun to preschool.

snowbunny

The youngest school killing I am aware of was six-year-old Kayla Rowland in Mount Morris Township, Michigan, by a fellow six-year-old classmate.

However, younger children have been killed in homes where other children have been playing with guns.

Celsius

Just shows that there are irresponsible owners of firearms in the US. I just hope that he had that gun was owned legally.

Could've been much worse. The son could've shot himself or another kid dead.

LeedsGirl

I just heard on the news that they have ruled out the accident and that they think the kid was robbing the other kid because of past incidents. The father has an extensive criminal past and the child had previously been suspended for making threats.

Partystar

That's ******' crazy!

TruBrit

all this and the kid is just 8yrs old,...omg

Partystar

Ahhh, yeah I remember when I was 8, carried out my first bank heist, ahhh memories, those really were the days...

Angry White Pyjamas

I've got 3 points to make on this:

1) As the law stands if the father secured the weapon and the kid took it without his permission by, say, breaking open a locked cupboard to get it, then the father is not guilty of anything. If, however, he left it laying around loaded then he is.

2) Also, if the father is a convicted felon then he is federeally banned from having firearms anyway (not that that stops them of course, after all since when did criminals start obeying laws?)

3) If the child had taken a kitchen knife and snuck it into his bag then proceeded to stab another kid at school would there be a sudden ruckass about the disgraceful availability of kitchen knives to children?