As a parent, I have no idea how these people will ever be able to live with themselves after something like this. Who in their right mind gives a five year old a real gun as a gift? And worse than that, leaves the child unattended with it loaded in the presence of their two year old sister? Unbelievable.
There are definite problems south of the border when it comes to firearms and their accessibility by the general public and this case not only draws more attention to that matter, it screams bad parenting.
A five year old Kentucky boy recently shot and killed his two year old sister. It was an accident of course but my gosh it was an accident that never should have happened.
The children's mother was home at the time of the shooting, but she claims she only left the pair for a mere few minutes. A few minutes was enough time for the boy - who got the gun (a 22-calibur rifle) as a gift last year (that would make him four) from a corner in the room (where it was perched and loaded). Who knows what happened next but the gun went off and the little two year old is no longer of this earth. How tragic. Who leaves a loaded gun on the floor when there are toddlers about? WHO gives their BABIES loaded guns as gifts?
I grew up with a dad in the military. Along with my brothers he used to take us to the range where he taught us how to shoot and the importance of gun safety. There were always guns at home, which my dad used for hunting, but they were never out in the open and always safely locked and stowed away. It's not that I'm an anti-gun person, its that I wonder what's wrong with some people.
The gun in question in this instance was made for kids. Apparently there's a US company that specifically produces child size rifles and hunting gear. Its slogan is "my first rifle" and the goal they say is 'to instill gun safety in the minds of youth shooters and to encourage them to gain the knowledge and respect that hunting and shooting activities require and deserve.' I get that. But how young is TOO young? How can a four or five year old possibly grasp and retain all the information needed to handle a loaded firearm in a responsible manner while unattended?
If you ask me there should be repercussions following what has happened. Should the gun manufacturer be held accountable? While there obviously needs to be more restrictions in place, I don't think so. This comes down to poor parenting. What message are we sending if nothing happens in the aftermath?
