Boy, 8, shoots girl, 7, at Maryland day care

[RedEarth]

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - An 8-year-old boy accidentally shot a 7-year-old girl in the arm on Tuesday with a handgun he pulled from his backpack at a day-care center, police in suburban Montgomery County, Maryland, said.

The wounded girl was flown to a local hospital with a non-life-threatening injury, police spokesperson Lucille Baur said. There were six children at the For Kids We Care day-care center at the time the shooting and no one else was injured, she said.

The shooting happened just before 7 a.m. as the boy was handling the gun, which he brought to the center in his backpack, Baur said. Officers were investigating how the boy happened to have the weapon.

The children were attending a before-school program at the facility, which is located in an apartment complex in Germantown, Maryland.

http://today.reuters.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=topNews&storyID=2006-01-24T162009Z_01_N24169514_RTRUKOC_0_US-CRIME-DAYCARE.xml&archived=False

[Mithras61]

1. Good Heavens!

How on earth could anyone who understands what a firearm is let an 8-yo have unrestricted access to one? I certainly hope that whoever allowed him to get his hands on it to have it in his backpack is charged with reckless endangerment at the very least.

[otohara]

2. Last Week in CO - 15 Yr Old Accidently Shoots & Kills

friend w/ gun given to one of the kids by dad. The boy was playing his guitar one minute, dead the next.

[sasha031]

3. they should prosecute the parents

the insanity of the availability of guns in this country is mind boggling.:spank:

[Mithras61]

5. You're making an unsubstantiated assumption...

unless you have a source that indicates that the parents allowed him access to the handgun. I've had problems with some of the people in my neighborhood allowing my 11-yo son to "play" with real firearms without my permission, so I don't think it's impossible that the same may have happened here (that is, the parents may not have known).

But they should certainly prosecute WHOEVER allowed this boy access to the firearm.

[anotherdrew]

7. 100% agree, if it's not their responsibility? who's is it then?

where else could he have gotten the gun?

[slackmaster]

9. Maybe the kid got the gun from an ice cream truck

:eyes:

[greyl]

4. Why are they calling it an accident, I wonder? nt

[sybylla]

11. Because the boy had the gun

does not mean he intended to do anything more than show it to his friends.

Perhaps I'm naive but I'd to think an 8 year old boy would not intentionally shoot someone at day-care until I see a whole lot of evidence to the contrary.

[slackmaster]

14. I have some experience teaching people gun safety

A child who has not been trained is likely to point a gun at a friend and pull the trigger.

Unless he or she has been taught properly and is of a sufficiently advanced level of cognitive development, a young child may not get the connection between pulling the trigger, a bullet coming out of the barrel, and serious injury or death.

It is certainly NOT an accident that the boy had a gun. That requires an act of negligence by someone who is over 21.

[ManiacJoe]

18. For an 8 year old,

"accident" is probably the correct word. For teens and adults, the use of the word accident is to just be polite; for them the correct word is usually "negligence".

[orwell]

6. Uh...Guns don't kill people...

...kids do?

[jody]

8. Law enforcement should determine the source of the handgun and prosecute

the party or parties responsible. The sentence for a federal crime is 1 to 10 years.

Probability is the source had the gun illegally and should be prosecuted for a federal crime where the sentence can be 10 or more years in prison.

[slackmaster]

10. Link to Maryland's gun laws...

http://www.bradycampaign.org/legislation/state/viewstate.php?st=md

Here is a summary of ones that might have helped prevent this tragedy, had they been obeyed by everyone involved:

BACKGROUND CHECK AT STATE LEVEL
Do state police perform a background check in addition to federal NICS check? Partial

Maryland: State law requires handgun buyers to go through a state-based criminal background check in addition to the federal NICS check. But buyers of long guns (rifles, shotguns and many assault weapons)only go through the more limited federal check. This could create a serious problem since in many states the federal records are not as complete or up-to-date as state records. Failure to check state records may allow prohibited gun buyers, like those under recently-issued restraining orders or those with mental illness, to improperly buy guns. Also see: Licensing and Waiting Period.


BALLISTIC FINGERPRINTING
Must handguns be ballistic fingerprinted prior to sale? Partial

State law requires gun stores to provide law enforcement with a sample bullet/cartridge prior to the sale of a handgun so the state may create a digital image for future gun tracing, known as "ballistic fingerprinting." Ballistic fingerprinting can match a bullet/cartridge recovered by police at a crime scene to the gun that fired it. But the state has no system for ballistic fingerprinting of assault rifles or other long guns. In the Maryland sniper incident, the shooter used a rifle.


CHILD ACCESS PREVENTION - CAP
Are gun owners held accountable for leaving guns accessible to kids? Yes

State law holds gun owners responsible if they leave a gun easily accessible to a child under 16 years old and the child uses the gun to injure or threaten someone. But the penalty is weak.


CHILD-SAFETY LOCKS
Must locking devices be sold with guns? Partial

State law requires every handgun to be sold with an external child-safety locking device. But there is no such requirement for safety locks on rifles or shotguns. By January 2003, all new handguns must be equipped with an internal, integrated child-safety lock that can not be removed or discarded. But the law does NOT require gun owners to actually use the safety locks to secure their weapons - the law only says they must be sold with guns. Also see: Safety Standards and Child Access Prevention.


GUN SHOW CHECKS
Are background checks required at gun shows? Partial

The state requires a criminal background check and seven-day waiting period for the purchase of handguns and assault weapons at gun shows, just as at gun stores. But no background check is required for anyone buying a non-assault weapon rifle or shotgun at a gun show if it is sold by "private" individuals or gun "collectors." Such long guns can be sold at gun shows on a "no questions asked, cash-and-carry" basis, making it easy for criminals and even juveniles to buy weapons at gun shows. No records are required to be kept on such sales either, making it almost impossible for police to trace the weapons if they are used in a crime.


JUVENILE POSSESSION
Are minors restricted from possessing guns? Yes

State law restricts juveniles under 21 from possessing handguns and juveniles under 18 from possessing other firearms without parental permission or authorized supervision.


JUVENILE SALE
Is it illegal to sell guns to kids? Partial

State law limits selling or giving handguns or assault weapons to juveniles under 21. But there are no state restrictions on transferring other rifles or shotguns to kids - without even their parent?s permission.


LICENSE OR PERMIT TO PURCHASE
Is a license/permit required to buy handguns? Yes

State law requires handgun buyers to obtain a permit-to-purchase from law enforcement prior to purchasing a handgun or assault weapon. The handgun buyer must take a safety course. But the state does not require fingerprints or proof of state residency.


SAFETY STANDARDS
Are there consumer safety standards on guns? Yes

Maryland: State law requires handguns to meet basic safety standards set by a state commission. All handguns must be sold with a child-safety lock and new handguns sold by 2003 must have an internal, integrated locking device that can not be readily removed or discarded. But there is no requirement that handguns be equipped with a loaded-chamber indicator or a magazine safety disconnect to prevent unintentional shootings. State law provides authority for the State Attorney General to establish additional gun safety standards, with the approval of the legislature, but the Attorney General has not done so.


SAFETY TRAINING
Is safety training required for handgun buyers? Yes

State law requires handgun buyers to take a handgun safety course prior to buying a handgun. The safety training involves handgun safety principles, state gun laws and the operation of safety features.


SCHOOL ZONES
Is it illegal for CCW permit holders to carry guns into schools? Yes

Maryland - State law restricts carrying firearms on school grounds, except for law enforcement personnel. Even people with permits to carry concealed weapons (CCW) are prohibited from carrying weapons onto school grounds.


SECONDARY SALES
Are background checks required on 'private' gun sales? Partial

State law requires people buying or obtaining ownership of a handgun or assault weapon to go through a criminal background check, including a 7-day waiting period. The waiting period and background check is required for all handgun and assault weapon transfers including those by private sellers and at gun shows. Private sales and transfers of rifles and shotguns do not require a background check or waiting period.


WAITING PERIOD
Is there a waiting period on gun sales? Yes

Maryland: State law requires a 7-day waiting period for all handgun or assault weapon sales. This 7-day period is used by law enforcement to run a criminal background check to make sure the handgun buyer is not prohibited from acquiring firearms.

[Township75]

12. And MD gets an A- from the Brady Campaign on protecting families...

from gun violence:

http://www.bradycampaign.org/facts/reportcards/2004/md.pdf

[slackmaster]

13. The only point they lost on handguns was not requiring license to own

That must be the one that would have saved the girl.

:mad:

[crankybubba]

15. than god for marylands

strict gun control laws....errr what exactly did they do to prevent this again?

[brentspeak]

16. Aren't gun-locks supposed to be mandatory w/ handguns?

They SHOULD be mandatory with handguns; and failure to have one put on a handgun needs to be a major jail term.

[ManiacJoe]

19. The gun locks are manditory in the sale, but not use.

Securing the gun through whatever method is the responsible thing to do. All states already have laws that can be used to prossecute the lack of proper storage even though the laws are not specific to firearm storage; however they are almost never used that way.

Trigger locks and cable locks are two ways to secure guns, but they are not a one-size-fits-all solution. However, in this day and age, there is no excuse for unsecured guns since the fancy, expensive, brand-name locks go for all of $10.

[benEzra]

17. The father is apparently a criminal...

(from the latest Yahoo! update)

Police charged the boy's father, John L. Hall, 56, with leaving a firearm in a location accessible by an unsupervised minor, contributing to the delinquency of a minor, and possession of a firearm by a felon.

It is Double Super Illegal under Federal law for a person with a felony record to so much as touch a single round of ammunition, much less own a gun. The gun was obtained illegally, possessed illegally, and obviously stored illegally.

(As an aside, my wife and I keep our guns (legally obtained, owned, and operated!) in a safe or quick-access lockbox when not in use, or on our person; I own a couple of trigger locks but do not generally consider them a suitable way to store a firearm, for a variety of reasons.)

[slackmaster]

20. I heard that on NPR yesterday evening

Very sad. The guy should go to prison.

[thirdpower]

21. Yes he should

Since it was an illegal firearm in every sense, in this case, I feel he should also be up for attempted murder.

Unfortunately, this case will be used to go after those who are actually responsible w/ thier children and firearms.

[Lefty48197]

22. If the 7 year old girl had been packing, she could have prevented this.

Everybody knows that arming the honest citizenry is a recipe for preventing gun crime, so naturally the honest 7 year olds should now start carrying guns.