[kelly81]

http://www.todaystmj4.com/_content/n...story_3925.asp

Quote:

A 12-year-old Milwaukee boy is dead after his 13-year-old girlfriend accidentally shot him with a hand gun.

This is just so sad.

 

[Pynki]

Seriously. I know $#it about guns, but my I know and KNEW that there's always one in the chamber. My dad -who also doesn't own guns- made sure we knew as kids take out the clip there's still one in the chamber.

Perhaps it was all the Chuck Norris we watched with him as a kids, but SERIOUSLY KIDS! IF YOU TAKE OUT THE CLIP THERE IS STILL ONE IN THE CHAMBER!

Crimeny! How tragic~

 

[kelly81]

I know!! I don't know that much about guns either...but I do know not to point it at people! Poor guy, I feel so bad for his family.

 

[Marsupialmom]

I feel sorry for the girl and the families....

 

[pumpkinsmama]

I wonder how old his brother is. IMO, instead of prosecuting the girlfriend, which achieves nothing, they should prosecute the brother for leaving the gun where a fourteen year old can play with it.

 

[cielle]

How horrible.

 

[Pynki]

Quote:

Originally Posted by pumpkinsmama IMO, instead of prosecuting the girlfriend, which achieves nothing, they should prosecute the brother for leaving the gun where a fourteen year old can play with it.

Abso-freaking-lutely. Who has a gun where your 12 yr old brother can get it?!

 

[stellimamo]

Quote:

wonder how old his brother is. IMO, instead of prosecuting the girlfriend, which achieves nothing, they should prosecute the brother for leaving the gun where a fourteen year old can play with it.

How do you know that the pre/teens didn't get it out of a gun safe. You are assuming that it was just left lying around. Pre/Teenagers can be crafty and snoopy and might have purposefully sought out the gun. Yes guns should be locked up and kept safe but 12 and 13 year old KNOW better than to play with guns and definitely know better then to point them at someone and then pull the trigger. Don't place all the blame on the brother.

 

[Marsupialmom]

UMMMMMMM......how do you know the brother is even an adult? In the world I grew up in 12-18 year old boys obtain the guns illegally to protect themselves. As wrong as it is, it isn't as bad as an adult being neglance and leaving a gun unlocked.

I don't think she should be charged but for different reasons than you all mention. It does no good to charge and potentially jail her for this. It was a horrible tragic accident. I also think at 13 years old she knew better.

http://www.examiner.com/a-223187~12_...Milwaukee.html

This states the older brother is 14, just a year older than the girl. Does he still deserved to be tried for neglance? This IMO is just a symptom of one of the many issues there is in the black/impoverish in this country.
http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=484528

 

[blissful_maia]

This is really sad. On Valentine's Day 2005, my sister's best friend from childhood was showing his dad's guns to his new girlfriend and he accidentally shot himself in the face and died. He was 17. His girlfriend fainted from shock, and it was up to his 11 year old brother to call 911.

 

[Pynki]

Ok... I'm conflicted on charging the older brother. This is NOT his first firearms arrest/problem with the police.

On the otherside... I can't help but wonder if this is because they are black. If it was a white kid in prep school and his girlfriend accidentally shot him would it be the same charges? I don't know I don't live in Milwaukee, anybody who does or has have a feeling on that?

 

[chfriend]

Just gotta say: blech on talking junk about kids: "Pre/Teenagers can be crafty and snoopy and might have purposefully sought out the gun."

It sounds like a tragic accident.

for the families.

 

[cielle]

What a

disaster. I can't see where jail is going to help any of them.

eta: I don't think "knowing better" is a good test for guilt. These are kids who are still developing impulse control. Once they have that object of power in their hands, they aren't thinking logically.

 

[stellimamo]

Quote:

Just gotta say: blech on talking junk about kids: "Pre/Teenagers can be crafty and snoopy and might have purposefully sought out the gun."

It's true. Kids of that age can be that way particularly when it comes to looking for and trying to find something that they know is hidden. As a teen I know I went purposeful looking stuff that knew was around the house but wasn't suppose to have (alocohol, guns, etc.). It normal behavior for kids to want to find and seek out forbidden stuff. Curiousity. No amount of hiding or locking it up would have stopped me. And I know I'm not alone in that.

 

[stellimamo]

Yes it is a tragedy and no I don't think jail it the correct consequence but there still needs to be an age appropriate consequence. Something along the lines 100's of hours of community service that revolves around children/gun safety.

 

[pumpkinsmama]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Marsupialmom UMMMMMMM......how do you know the brother is even an adult? In the world I grew up in 12-18 year old boys obtain the guns illegally to protect themselves. As wrong as it is, it isn't as bad as an adult being neglance and leaving a gun unlocked.

That would be why I said I wondered how old he was. If he was an adult who was negligent, he should be prosecuted. As a minor, he is as much a victim as his brother and his brothers girlfriend. He should have been taught gun safety, his brother should have been taught gun safety. If they were educated on guns at any age I doubt the victim would have been showing it off to his girlfriend and /or letting her "play" with the gun.

 

[pumpkinsmama]

Quote:

Originally Posted by stellimamo Yes it is a tragedy and no I don't think jail it the correct consequence but there still needs to be an age appropriate consequence. Something along the lines 100's of hours of community service that revolves around children/gun safety.

For the girlfriend or the brother whose gun it was? Personally I think that since all involved were minors who should have been better protected by the adults in their lives, they have paid enough by losing a loved one. What is community service going to teach them that his death didn't?

 

[pumpkinsmama]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Marsupialmom I don't think she should be charged but for different reasons than you all mention. It does no good to charge and potentially jail her for this. It was a horrible tragic accident. I also think at 13 years old she knew better.

Bolding mine. Knew better than what? Are you saying she shot him on purpose? Or that she should not have been playing with guns? I am pretty sure that if she "knew" what would happen, unless she is a cold blooded murderer it wouldn't have happened.

 

[stellimamo]

Quote:

What is community service going to teach them that his death didn't?

By not having any tangable consequences you are teaching that you are not held accountable for your actions- intentional or not. And that is in fact how the world works. Hopefully this girl could share what she has learned and gun safety lessons with other children and this tragic accident won't happen again. Children will listen to this girl probably better than an adult and she could have positive impact.

 

[pumpkinsmama]

Quote:

Originally Posted by stellimamo By not having any tangable consequences you are teaching that you are not held accountable for your actions- intentional or not. And that is in fact how the world works. Hopefully this girl could share what she has learned and gun safety lessons with other children and this tragic accident won't happen again. Children will listen to this girl probably better than an adult and she could have positive impact.

I would hope she would do this voluntarily, but never would I force someone who caused the accidental death of a loved one to have to talk in public about it. To me that seems like mental torture of the worst kind. Who are we to decide when she is mentally ready for that? She could be mentally distraught about this for a very long time... Her actions were accidental. They played with the gun all morning. And she is directly affected by the consequence.

I can't believe the mother let the gun back into her house after the first incident and then didn't keep tabs on the keys!