WTF Another mall shooting

Do Brits have a clue about guns in 'Merica?


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I was reading about it last night on reddit, some people suggested that he posted about it to force himself to do it. They were pointing out how that's what you're suggested to do when you want to do something like lose weight- if you tell someone you're trying to lose weight, you'll feel more obligated to follow through so as not to look silly. I guess he did all that (and included his name) so he'd feel like he pretty much had to go through with it.
 
http://rt.com/usa/boy-fatally-shoots-sister-686/

A 5-year old boy accidentally shot and killed his 2-year-old sister in rural southern Kentucky with a rifle he had received a present last year, the local coroner said.

Police said the boy shot his sister with a .22-caliber rifle on Tuesday afternoon just moments after his mother stepped out onto the porch.

Their mother claims she had been gone for “no more than three minutes” when the incident transpired, Cumberland County Coroner Gary White told WKYT-TV.

The girl was taken to a nearby hospital, where she was pronounced dead. An autopsy is scheduled for Wednesday.

White told local newspaper the Lexington Herald-Leader, that the boy had received the rifle as a gift. It was usually kept in a corner of the house, and no one realized a shell had been left inside.

"It's a Crickett," White said in reference to the rifle. "It's a little rifle for a kid….The little boy's used to shooting the little gun."

"Just one of those crazy accidents," he continued.

State police said the shooting occurred when the boy was “playing” with the rifle, but provided no further information.

It remains unclear if any charges will be filed, Kentucky State Police spokesman Trooper Billy Gregory said.

Keystone Sporting Arms, manufacturers the Crickett and an assortment of other products geared towards children.

The company’s slogan is “my first rifle” and its website boasts a “Kids Corner” section, which depicts young boys and girls at shooting ranges and on bird and deer hunts.

The rifle is marketed by the company as a tool “to instill gun safety in the minds of youth shooters.”

Last month, 6-year-old Brandon Holt was shot in the head and killed by his four-year-old neighbor, who was playing with a .22 in the streets outside their homes in Toms River, New Jersey.

Meanwhile, Alaska State Troopers say an 8-year-old boy shot and killed his 5-year-old sister in the western town of Mountain View on Monday. A police spokeswoman said the boy was home alone when his sister arrived.

She declined to comment on whether the shooting was intentional or accidental, only saying the child was playing with a rifle he had previously used to go hunting.
 
This is an example of an air rifle Crickett manufacture. I absolutely believe the first lesson in teaching the seriousness of a gun to children is to paint it bright pink.

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Agreed this is just awful parenting. The rifle should have been kept with both a safety lock and into a locked safe or cabinet.
 
Agreed this is just awful parenting. The rifle should have been kept with both a safety lock and into a locked safe or cabinet.

When you read that the rifle was just kept in a corner of their mobile home, you begin to understand why things like safety locks or gun safes would never even occur to these people.
 
This is an example of an air rifle Crickett manufacture. I absolutely believe the first lesson in teaching the seriousness of a gun to children is to paint it bright pink.
I get it. You don't like guns.

Giving a 5 year old a .22 is fucking retarded. But once a kid reaches a suitable age, and a parent believes that their kid has the responsibility/common sense to safely own a gun, why not teach them to shoot? It's a fun hobby and sport, and teaching them responsible/safe/mature use of something dangerous like a gun gives valuable life lessons for the future. Like when they inherit something else that's potentially dangerous when misused and needs to be treated with responsibility - like a car.

And depending on where you grow up, guns can be part of everyday life. I grew up in newfoundland where moose hunting is a major source of food, and now live in nova scotia where deer hunting is the same - lots of people own and use hunting rifles. And if you work on a farm, you've probably got a rifle at hand for pest control.

Personally, I did a lot of target shooting when I was a kid, had various airguns and a .22 when I was growing up. These days I'm a proud owner of a lee-enfield that my grandfather carried during WW2. It's kept in a safe, and sees occasional use at the range or in the woods. I don't believe in the 'MURICAN idea that every person should carry a concealed pistol on them or whatever, but fuck, if people have the ability to responsibly own and use guns then I don't see why they shouldn't.
 
When you read that the rifle was just kept in a corner of their mobile home, you begin to understand why things like safety locks or gun safes would never even occur to these people.

Still loaded. I think the parents need to be charged in this case.
 
Still loaded. I think the parents need to be charged in this case.

I'm 100% in agreement. My dad would regularly check my shotgun back in the day during hunting season. When we came back to the cabin after a days hunt, if the gun was put down anywhere and still had shells in it, armageddon. If the gun made it back home with shells still in it, armageddon. If the shells weren't stored in their ammo box, armageddon.

The man was a hard case for weapon management but I'm glad he was.
 
I wonder how many air rifles actually kill people...

It's not a problem in the US as much as it is in England.

Airguns do not require a license in the UK and are thus responsible for a large percentage of gun violence in England, Scotland and Wales. In fact, Derbyshire police estimate 70 percent of gun crime in their county is attributable to airgun or BB guns.