NationStates Jolt Archive

And by the way, my brother's 7 year old daughter is a great shot with a .38

My first reaction to this was 'Christ!' and after all my post earlier in this thread I think my position on gun control is obvious.

Then I remembered that the first time I fired a rifle under supervision I was 13 years 3 months old. I had a marksman badge with both the number 8 rifle and cadet gp by the time I was 14. The first time I fired a fully automatic weapon in competition was just before I was 15.

Maybe I should rethink my position on children firing guns.

Ok, sorry for the gravedig but I came across this bit of news, which I edited into the first post as well:

http://kgmb9.com/main/content/view/11262/76/

8-Year-Old Boy Suspected of 2 Murders in Arizona

Two people have been killed in a small Arizona town and police say the suspect is an 8-year-old boy.

The shooting happened in St. Johns, Arizona Wednesday and police suspect the child of commiting the murders.

Police were called to the house and found one victim just outside the front door of the house and another man inside in an upstairs room.

http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5iG_nB7rdOr3TiaL5ph3YDR5qNNTAD94BUSSO0

Police say the boy confessed to planning and carrying out the shooting deaths of 29-year-old Vincent Romero and a co-worker who rented a room from him. The men were found dead inside Romero's home northeast of Phoenix last week.

http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/news/articles/2008/11/08/20081108kidmurder1108.html

An 8-year-old boy faces double-murder charges in the shooting death of his father and another man while residents in the bucolic community of St. Johns try to make sense of the chilling crime.

"This is precedent-setting. We're going to charge an 8-year-old with two counts of homicide," Police Chief Roy Melnick said.


Would an age limit with strict legislation for gun storing have prevented this act? Is the parent still responsible for this abuse of a gun?

edit:
In case of a gun license (ie. driver's license type of card) would the parent have qualified for possession and use of firearm in the first place?

Fuelled by this thread (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showthread.php?t=570417) where an 8 year old shot himself with an UZI out of control.

What is your take on the age limit?

Personally, I'd go with 14-16. People younger than that can have hard time acting responsibly, handling a weapon with the responsibility it requires and understanding the consequence of pulling the trigger.

edit:
A clarification

The point of the poll is not to question people about gun ownership but the actual age limit of pulling the trigger, similarly as there might be a legal drinking age, age of consent, age limit to see a movie or, indeed, age limit to driving a car - Consider this Firing a Gun Age poll.

If I'd be arsed to I'd dig an article up in the google about the ferocity of underage soldiers to back up my view about how a kid can't understand the possible consequences of firing a gun at someone else, accidentally or intentionally.

edit 2:
A further clarification

If you think age limit for buying a gun is enough and would like to leave the responsibility for its further use to the buyer, like letting a child fire the gun, vote for the Laissez Faire option.



edit 3:
Another incident involving an 8 year old, guns and mayhem

http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/news/articles/2008/11/08/20081108kidmurder1108.html

An 8-year-old boy faces double-murder charges in the shooting death of his father and another man while residents in the bucolic community of St. Johns try to make sense of the chilling crime.

"This is precedent-setting. We're going to charge an 8-year-old with two counts of homicide," Police Chief Roy Melnick said.

[http://kgmb9.com/main/content/view/11262/76/

8-Year-Old Boy Suspected of 2 Murders in Arizona

Two people have been killed in a small Arizona town and police say the suspect is an 8-year-old boy.

The shooting happened in St. Johns, Arizona Wednesday and police suspect the child of commiting the murders.

Police were called to the house and found one victim just outside the front door of the house and another man inside in an upstairs room.

http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5iG_nB7rdOr3TiaL5ph3YDR5qNNTAD94BUSSO0

Police say the boy confessed to planning and carrying out the shooting deaths of 29-year-old Vincent Romero and a co-worker who rented a room from him. The men were found dead inside Romero's home northeast of Phoenix last week.

Eighteen-we let high school seniors vote, and that's a power that can kill a lot MORE people. Eighteen is the age at which you are no longer tried as a Juevenile. It's also the age at which many parents kick their offspring out of the house with an intention of permanency.

Ok, sorry for the gravedig but I came across this bit of news, which I edited into the first post as well:

http://kgmb9.com/main/content/view/11262/76/

8-Year-Old Boy Suspected of 2 Murders in Arizona

Two people have been killed in a small Arizona town and police say the suspect is an 8-year-old boy.

The shooting happened in St. Johns, Arizona Wednesday and police suspect the child of commiting the murders.

Police were called to the house and found one victim just outside the front door of the house and another man inside in an upstairs room.

http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5iG_nB7rdOr3TiaL5ph3YDR5qNNTAD94BUSSO0

Police say the boy confessed to planning and carrying out the shooting deaths of 29-year-old Vincent Romero and a co-worker who rented a room from him. The men were found dead inside Romero's home northeast of Phoenix last week.

http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/news/articles/2008/11/08/20081108kidmurder1108.html

An 8-year-old boy faces double-murder charges in the shooting death of his father and another man while residents in the bucolic community of St. Johns try to make sense of the chilling crime.

"This is precedent-setting. We're going to charge an 8-year-old with two counts of homicide," Police Chief Roy Melnick said.


Would an age limit with strict legislation for gun storing have prevented this act? Is the parent still responsible for this abuse of a gun?

edit:
In case of a gun license (ie. driver's license type of card) would the parent have qualified for possession and use of firearm in the first place?

The parents in this case are absolutely Responsible for what happened. Eight-year-olds don't just pop up with the manual skills and physical access, and someone modified that weapon.

Hey, children are small, physically weak, and quite vulnerable, they need self-defense just as much as, if not more than, anyone else.

Hey, children are small, physically weak, and quite vulnerable, they need self-defense just as much as, if not more than, anyone else.

And thus the parent was invented.

Hey, children are small, physically weak, and quite vulnerable, they need self-defense just as much as, if not more than, anyone else.
Good thing the kid had a gun then...eh?