5 year old boy shot his sister dead

[Nevsky]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-22386105

A five-year-old boy who shot dead his two-year-old sister in the US state of Kentucky used a gun marketed for children, authorities have said.

Kristian Sparks was given the .22-calibre rifle, called a Crickett, as a gift.
The Cumberland County coroner said a bullet had been left in the gun before Tuesday's shooting.

Caroline Sparks' death has been ruled accidental, and it is not clear whether any charges will be filed.

'Normal way of life'

She was shot in the chest as Kristian's mother went outside to feed their dogs, authorities said. The gun was apparently stored in a corner of the family's mobile home.


Officials and residents in the rural Kentucky county said it was common for children to begin shooting guns at a young age.


"It's a normal way of life, and it's not just rural Kentucky, it's rural America - hunting and shooting and sport fishing," said Cumberland County Judge John Phelps.


"There's probably not a household in this county that doesn't have a gun."


Kristian's rifle was manufactured by Keystone Sporting Arms, which has a "kids' corner" on its website featuring images of children at shooting ranges and on bird and deer hunts. The guns are sold in pink, blue and other colours and designs.

'Nurture gun safety'


The 17-year-old company states its mission is to nurture gun safety among young shooters and displays testimonials from parents who say they are grateful to be able to go shooting with their children.


In the past three days at least three young boys have shot their sisters in the US, says Daily Kos writer David Waldman, who tracks accidental shootings.


In addition to the Sparks case, a five-year-old girl was shot and killed by her eight-year-old brother in western Alaska on Tuesday, while a seven-year-old boy shot his sister, nine, in the leg in Auburn, Washington state, on Thursday.


Kentucky state lawmaker Robert Damron, a Democrat, said: "Why single out firearms? Why not talk about all the other things that endanger children, too?"

I can't believe that there is a market for deadly weapons for little children in the USA. Their insanity should never be underestimated.

[#FF0000]

I can't believe that there is a market for deadly weapons for little children in the USA. Their insanity should never be underestimated.

I don't think it's that weird. I was raised with guns too.

What's bizarre to me is how lax people are with their guns, e.g. leaving that shit in a corner with ammunition in it or somewhere easy to find for a kid. jesus christ.

[ÑóẊîöʼn]

Doesn't seem at all insane to me. Shooting is fun, with adult supervision it can be an opportunity to teach and habituate firearms safety at an earlier age, and typical firearms can be too heavy or bulky for smaller hands. Thus a smaller firearm makes sense.

The real tragedy here is that storage and handling wasn't being done in a safe manner, and in this case has lead to a death. It doesn't seem like the firearm in question was being securely stored when not in proper use.

[Os Cangaceiros]

I remember shooting the "crickett" before. That and the chipmunk, marlin, and various other .22's. I actually shot those as an elementary school student on a class trip to the shooting range! Which I guess some people would probably find shocking but it was part of a field trip and guns aren't really thought of as a big deal here...

I think most of those rifles are intended for kids a bit older than 5, though. 5 is maybe BB gun age, w/ adult supervision.

[ВАЛТЕР]

This is the tragic result of shitty parenting.

[Pelarys]

It's always interesting to see different perspective on gun handling, the attitude over here towards gun is of absolute repulsion for a lot of people, and story like this always generate the immediate reaction "oh those crazy Americans". I never have handled a gun, and I think it's kind o a shame really.

[#FF0000]

It's always interesting to see different perspective on gun handling, the attitude over here towards gun is of absolute repulsion for a lot of people, and story like this always generate the immediate reaction "oh those crazy Americans". I never have handled a gun, and I think it's kind o a shame really.

There are a lot of shitty gun owners though, so I can sort of understand the reaction. I was really blown away when I learned how to get a carry permit and found out how lacking the safety training was compared to what my father gives me every time we are at a shooting range.

And thinking about it again I do think it's weird that there is a .22 specifically marketed for children because I'm pretty sure a child could handle every .22

[ÑóẊîöʼn]

I dunno about every .22, since the last .22 rifle I handled felt pretty damn heavy even as a teenager - it might even have been heavier than the 5.56 rifle I used afterwards.

[homegrown terror]

it's not the gun's fault, it's the parents' fault for leaving the gun where he could get it.

[homegrown terror]

I dunno about every .22, since the last .22 rifle I handled felt pretty damn heavy even as a teenager - it might even have been heavier than the 5.56 rifle I used afterwards.

generally the heavier a gun is (compared with similar models) the shittier its quality, since a higher-quality gun will use more lightweight materials. then again if it's TOO light you also have to sorry since there's a good chance it's cobbled together from cheap plastic components.

[Quail]

Maybe it's a British thing but I wouldn't let my kid near a gun at the age of 5. At 5, does a child really understand what a weapon is, what killing/death is? I don't really remember much about being 5, but I do remember not properly understanding what was going on when my granddad was ill and dying. Guns are specifically designed to kill people (or animals) so if a child is too young to fully understand what the consequences of shooting another person might be, then they are probably too young to be playing with guns.

Also, I keep all dangerous objects out of reach of my son, so I imagine if I had guns in the house they would be locked away. It's irresponsible to keep weapons where a young child can get at them (even if said weapon actually belongs to a young child).

[Philosopher Jay]

1. Ban all private ownership of guns, now! People have the right to walk the streets without fear of being shot down by gun loving lunatics.
2. Arrest the NRA terrorists now! Hold them responsible for the 30,000 deaths and 500,000 wounds that occur every year from guns in the United States.

These should be leading demands of any socialist party in the United States. I will join any socialist party that makes these simple and clear socialist demands. We need a socialist revolution to free ourselves from the NRA-terrorists who now have power in the United States.

[Tenka]

Is there a point to learning to shoot a real gun at the age of 5 besides "it's fun"? The point of marketing guns specifically to children, on the other hand, from a capitalist's perspective, is obvious, and it is the same reason they market identical things to different sexes: selling more shit.

Many American RevLefters appear to have had fine childhoods with a rifle in-hand, so to speak, and I probably would have been raised similarly had the patriarch of my family not become deathly ill when he had. It is a very unfortunate part of American culture, shooting things and firearm ownership, and the cultural aspect of it actually seems to promote carelessness in the handling of the weapons these days (especially as it has merged with bourgeois marketing to some extent).

[REV3R]

Peoples obsessions with firearms, I could care less if its fun....Its something with nothing positive coming from it and should only be used in cases of an armed struggle other than that ban em

[Dropdead]

Great parenting. ''WE NEED TO GIVE GUNS TO EVERY 2 YEAR OLD GIRL SOON FOR SELF-DEFENCE!111111'' Can't wait to hear that.

[ÑóẊîöʼn]

1. Ban all private ownership of guns, now! People have the right to walk the streets without fear of being shot down by gun loving lunatics.
2. Arrest the NRA terrorists now! Hold them responsible for the 30,000 deaths and 500,000 wounds that occur every year from guns in the United States.

These should be leading demands of any socialist party in the United States. I will join any socialist party that makes these simple and clear socialist demands. We need a socialist revolution to free ourselves from the NRA-terrorists who now have power in the United States.

You're a liberal, not a socialist. Get lost.

Is there a point to learning to shoot a real gun at the age of 5 besides "it's fun"?

Why isn't that sufficient?

The point of marketing guns specifically to children, on the other hand, from a capitalist's perspective, is obvious, and it is the same reason they market identical things to different sexes: selling more shit.

Many American RevLefters appear to have had fine childhoods with a rifle in-hand, so to speak, and I probably would have been raised similarly had the patriarch of my family not become deathly ill when he had. It is a very unfortunate part of American culture, shooting things and firearm ownership, and the cultural aspect of it actually seems to promote carelessness in the handling of the weapons these days (especially as it has merged with bourgeois marketing to some extent).

If that was true, then there would be many more deaths involving the millions of firearms in private hands in the US. But despite the scary stories beloved of American liberals, the proportion of people being killed in firearms accidents, vs the number of firearms owners, is very small indeed.

[B5C]

The problem in the states is that many people who have guns are not responsible or trained. I can go to Wal-Mart and pick up a rife without any training for it.

Even setting up laws requiring gun owners to have gun safes to prevent kids from getting firearms as horrible to the NRA. From the feeling I get from the right wing is that dead people are just the price we have to pay for freedom.

[Philosopher Jay]

I apologize for the 500,000 figure in this post. The number of non-lethal gun injuries in the United States appears to be closer to 100,000 per year, at least according U.S. government statistics. Still 30,000 deaths and 100,000 serious injuries a year that are largely preventable is a crime against humanity. It is a crime that socialists and communists should charge directly to capitalism and capitalists.

1. Ban all private ownership of guns, now! People have the right to walk the streets without fear of being shot down by gun loving lunatics.
2. Arrest the NRA terrorists now! Hold them responsible for the 30,000 deaths and 500,000 wounds that occur every year from guns in the United States.

These should be leading demands of any socialist party in the United States. I will join any socialist party that makes these simple and clear socialist demands. We need a socialist revolution to free ourselves from the NRA-terrorists who now have power in the United States.

[cynicles]

For fuck sakes regulate this shit already, your countries bullshit irresponsibility with guns spills over into Mexico and Canada too. And don't give me some people's war/ anarcho-insurrection bullshit either.

[REV3R]

Im sure wealthy people find it fun to make alot of money yet here you are.... I rather take away this "fun" from some people so that other people dont end up being hurt by this "fun" of yours.