I only aim my gun at targets and birds.

I agree, and how pissed off would you be if that was your kid who was shot and she might die? I would sue the living hell out of those 2 parents.

It is wrong that a person shooting another person (intentional or not).

It is wrong to bring a gun to school.

It is wrong for parents to let a child obtain a gun without their knowledge.

It is wrong that a child felt the need to bring a gun to school for his/her protection.

I pray the little girl heals completely and quickly. This is sad for all people involved. But why do parents who have guns not keep them in a gun safe? My parents didn't lock up their guns and my brother and sister both on separate occasions almost killed someone while messing around w/ the guns. My husband and I have quite a few guns but before we bought the 1st gun we bought a gun safe. All guns and ammo are locked up. And we have never had an incident w/ our guns. Our kids have never touched them except when hunting or at the firing range. I consider irresponsible gun ownership is a big problem.
Btw - the kid didn't aim the gun. From what each article has said, the gun somehow went off while in the kids backpack (though I don't know how that is possible).

Thing is the gun was in his backpack not his hand. so the "I knew that pointing a gun much less shooting a gun at someone was wrong." Doesn't apply here.

Should he have brought a gun to school no matter the reason.......NO

Now you have to break down wether or not he truely thought it was for his protection and this was just a tragic accident that accured because of it.....OR..... if it was type of protection agaist adult that might make him return to his gardian isnstead of from people on the streets that might try to take adcantange of a child on the run living on the streets.

I blame the parents for this, why was there not a trigger lock, why was it accessible in the first place to the kid, these parents should be the ones facing charges ..

According to the article he didn't point and shoot, it discharged from his backpack. I certainly hope that this incident makes Washington take a serious look at their lack of a firearm child access prevention law. If he did get the gun from his mother's house, she needs to be held responsible.

I thought parents were responsible for such an act. They should be in jail right now and the kid in foster care. That little girl may have some terrible injuries and could be paraplegic if the bullet hit her spine....or end up with a colostomy for the rest of her life. She may not ever survive. What a tragedy.

he didnt shoot her on perpuse it discharged in his backpack... its still bad that he broght the gun to school and that he was doing it to run away the preson that should get in troble should be the parnets for putting the gun in his reach

This is ridiculous, it states he was NOT aiming the gun...... it went off while still in his backpack. He was not waving it around or threatening other students. According to the article both his parents have criminal backgrounds and he was planning to run away. In this case they need to blame the parents, not punish this child.

Can't understand how they call it a shooting when no one actually held the gun. The gun accidently fired.

I don't see how a semi-auto pistol can just fire when it is layinig inside a backpack. Most pistols of that calibre have a 4-6 lb pull on the trigger. That kid must have some large hands to want to carry a big weapon like that.

Kiyzzers, we know he didn't do it on purpose, read alumette's post. Keep in mind that the mother who has an extensive criminal record is NOT allowed to have a gun legally in her possesion.

The mother ought to be charged with contributory negligence.

Desirae, Kiyzzers, Blonde and BP - you are part of the problem. Quit making excuses for the idiot kid that brought the gun to school. Who gives a crap whether he pointed the gun or that it was in his backback. He had access to a gun, decided to take it to school and then another child was severly hurt.

Both the parents and the kid should have to answer to the justice system.

This sad story is a testament that gun safety should be taught in schools. as long as guns exist and they always will, the safety procedures have to be taught its common sense, kids don't know every thing, its our responsibility to teach every thing we can. its not just guns ammunition alone can be dangerous in the hands of a child, or a blasting cap these things exist and sometimes children get their paws on them, and don't know the potential of the thing they have. I blame society for this as much as the parents. this troubled child will not benefit from going to detention. all children will benefit from education. these things used to be taught. now all they teach is the anti gun agenda, it doesn't work.

From the content of this article the little fella should be nurtured rather than jailed. Might though, want to jail both the parents. Get him out of that Goddamn jump suit as well. This is a tragedy constructed by his parents and a pitiable home situation. I fervently hope for the recovery of the little girl. Both are innocents, caught in the stupidness of a dysfunctional adult world. Love to have the little guy live in my home with my wife and me.

1. The gun was discharged accidentally while it was in his backpack.

2. chit happens.

3. no one on this forum will care about any of this in one week.

Legal guardian is the Uncle, the uncle did not allow the boy to get the gun... the boy pinched the gun from his mother's house during a visitation.

So we already know that this boy lives in a broken home. Likely he is suffering from that fact. It is likely that the desire to run away had nothing to do with the care his uncle was giving him and more of a halfbaked plan a desire to get away from or improve his life somehow.

This is tragic. I don't think anyone can be prosecuted here. I think the boy has this on his conscience on top of what he was already suffering from. I say, give the boy some strong counseling, have his visits with mom be supervised from now on and revoke her carrying license (if she has one) and have her be liable for the girl's medical bills.

b - Only thing I can think of is that the safety (if there was one) was not engaged, and something shifted around in the backpack and managed to squeeze the trigger. As they don't teach gun safety in school (they really OUGHT to if you ask me), I'd definitely blame the parents and not the child for this incident.

The article also states he got his hands on the gun while on visitation with his mother (who has a record). Yes she should be charged, and clearly unsupervised visitation was not good. But what's done is done. I hope he can return home with his legal guardian, lesson learned.

The boy did not point the gun at anyone. Did you read the entire story or just the headline and perhaps the first paragraph? The gun was in his backpack and it dishcharged somehow. There are no further details about what happened to make the gun go off. We are all glad that you were taught how to handle a firearm by the time you were 9 years old. We are also glad that you know the difference between right and wrong. Most people do but then again most of them do not go around pointing it out in an effort to appear and feel superior to other people....

This shooting was obviously not intentional. The law is based on intention, and there was no intention to commit harm to that girl. I pray for the girl, if that does help, and I pray for the boy, if that helps. The right to bear arms does extend to children, children often had to protect their families in pioneer days when the father was absent. In all states, there are training courses for children, some as early as 8 or 9. Some states allow children to carry a weapon in the field at 10, after completion of hunters training; if accompanied by someone as young as 16. This is horrible, but it would be more horrible to lose both children to PTSD for life. Give them both a chance to heal, healing should be the prime concern.

Will someone explain to me why you feel BOTH parents should be held responsible or charged? It was the mother's gun that he got his hands on. She's the one responsible for keeping it where he could get a hold of it. Why should the father be charged?

This was just a tragic accident. I pray this little girl recovers very soon. After reading an article in the Seattle Times which stated the little guy either dropped or slammed the backpack on the desk and it went off. I agree he should not have had the gun at school, or to have one period. Why did he feel he had to steal the gun to runaway? He lives with his uncle under circumstances which were not mentioned except that both parents had extensive criminal pasts. Hope this little guy can now realize just how dangerous a gun can be.

While I think it's wonderful that everyone has an opinion as to who they would sue, I cannot imagine what sort of life this child had to have lead to believe he not only needed to run away, but that he needed to take a gun with him. Two parents with extensive criminal records does not make for a well adjusted third grader.

I hope this child gets the psychological counseling he needs, and while I pray for the classmate that is in critical condition, I also pray that her family is not in search of vengence here, but wants this child to have a chance at a life as well.

Officials with the Kitsap County Juvenile Department said both the child's mother and father have extensive criminal records.

And there you have it! extensive criminal records = felon in possession. Charge the mother with the felony. Get off the back of law abiding gun owners, and give p the gun-ban bull@!$%#. Plenty of laws on the books to deal with the criminal aspect. Enforce them like the NRA constantly pleads for. There are two victims here. The poor little girl that was shot and the poor little boy that had crappy parents that failed to teach him not to touch a gun. My prayers go out to both. I sincerely hope both of them recover from this tragedy.

I have my gun for personal protection. A gun safe or lock? No way. If someone is breaking into my house, what am I supposed to do if its locked up? Tell them to waite a couple of minutes while I retreive my gun? I keep it close to me or on me at all times, fully loaded,chambered and ready to fire. If the only thing you want a gun for is to hunt or to just to be able to say you have one, then by all means,you should keep it locked up.

You people typing on this post saying you don't point guns at anyone blah blah learn to read an article before you post if you cant read the article and actually gather the facts from it stop posting on articles and go back to school and learn comprehension. Also for everyone saying charge the parents blah blah learn to read also and comprehend the fact is in Washington that law doesn't exist where the parents are to be held accountable for the kid getting the gun. Ive known cops that played with guns in my friends house and because the clip was out they all thought it was unloaded passing it around acting like fools one of my friend pointed it at his head i told him wtf you doing did you clear the chamber and what do you know one in the chamber. Even people that are trained with weapons don't respect them that's the real problem in our society. No Respect No common sense and by half these posts Brain dead. No this kid should not go through the juvenile system there has been enough heartache caused all around. He has to live with what happened for the rest of his life. If it was my kid who was shot i would be in the courts telling the judge and cops to let the kid go without a damn trial or investigation wtf is wrong with our society where we feel we need to lock people up for life instead of helping people to be productive in our society. OFF TOPIC: I don't care how honest or how law abiding you think you are go 3 days with no food no water and no money in a strange place and see how mentally stable you are. But what do you know about the human psyche you cant even comprehend the article.

Oh I totally agree guys, I think 9 year olds are fully competent, should have responsibilities like driving, and are totally guilty in situations like these.

/epeen

Seriously, the kid needs counseling and you people need to get a life. If anyone taught you how to use a gun at 9 you either live in the deep south and subsisted almost entirely off of alligator gumbo, or your parents need to be locked up.

It said the mother had an extensive criminal record. It didn't say if any of them were felonies or not, but I'd be willing to bet she had the gun illegally.

Auto762, while you are at home having the gun unlocked and out is probably ok as long as children can't get to it. What kind of idiot leaves a gun loaded, safety off, and cocked where a child can take it without knowing the child can get to it? That is the point. A lot of guns end up in criminal's hands because of people leaving their guns laying in a drawer instead of a safe while they are away from home. The home gets broken into and the gun has value on the street, easy to walk away with and easy to sell. Or they keep it to commit more crimes. I personally would not live anywhere that I felt I had to have a loaded, safety off, and chocked gun in easy reach. I am sorry you do or at least think you do. The child is too young to be prosecuted for any crime and since Washington doesn't have the laws in place to charge the parent nothing should be done in criminal court. Civil court is another matter for the parents of the girl that was shot. The child should be placed in foster care as none of the homes (parent's and uncle's) sounds safe.

Who in the HELL was the judge and DA in this? Are they narcissitic sociapaths? This little boy felt the need to run away from the Uncle? The little boy felt the need to procure protection in the way of a gun. This little boy threatened no one. This little by pulled no trigger. This little boy put the gun in his backpack, he was not carrying it and waving it around. This little boy dropped his back pack and the gun went off randomly hitting the little girl. This little boy knew nothing of safteys and the like. This little boy had both a mother and a father that were felons. Who are the victims in this? The little boy and the little girl. Who are the ones who should be held accountable? Maybe the uncle, it should be investigated why the boy wanted to run away. Definately the mother and most likely the dad and yes the kneejerk, heartless moron of a judge and DA should be disbarred!!!!! I wonder did they also try to hold the backpack responsible? What is wrong with people in this country anymore? I am always in a state of disbelief lately. I pray for this little boy and girl and hope somehow,someway they are both ok, physically and emotionally. It will take God to help them because apparently we have alot of mindless adults who definately not be of help.

BP the Grape: A gun that is already cocked, does not have a 4-6 POUND pull. Anyone who knows guns would know exactly how it could go off accidentally. I think they need to get the boy help as he will need help in dealing with what has happened. I don't think he deserves to be charged with anything.

Devil's son,,, Almost any place you live any more is a big risk for home invasion, robbery, road rage or a long list of things where a gun could be an asset. Again I agree with you to keep it locked if you are not in charge of that weopon. There are people out there who will kill you for the change in your pocket. If ALL citizens were armed, there would be less crime. I have a sign on front of my house stating that the occupant is armed. If a home invasion was to take place on my block, do you think the perpetrators would hit my house? NOT.

Both of these kids are victims of circumstances. I live in Seattle, and I know a little bit more about this than is printed in the story. First of all, the boy had been removed from the custody of both of his parents. His grandmother was given custody, and gave him a happy and loving home. He was very close with his grandmother. She recently died, and he was shuffled off to live with his uncle. This kid has led a hard life, and the only person who ever took care of him is gone. He wanted to run away to escape from his life. At 9. This is a tragedy on all fronts. I don't know how they made the decision to bring this kid up on charges, but in the state of Washington anyone under the age of 11 is considered incapable of forming the intent necessary to commit a crime. This kid just wanted to get out of his situation and be safe. I am heartbroken for both families, and I hope that this kid gets counseling and maybe a better living situation.

having an extensive background in weapons, I am curious as to why the gun fired. Normally, dropping a firearm should not cause it to fire. There are actually built-in mechanical safeguards in most firearms to prevent accidental discharges. A gun not properly maintained is more likely to malfunction. That said, I keep several firearms in my home, and carry concealed regularly. I have three loaded weapons, a rifle, pistol and shotgun, but they are only partly loaded - rounds in weapon, but not in chamber. I don't use a gun safe, I don't use trigger locks. I taught my children to not touch things, even as I taught them to shoot. I never had a child show any interest in the firearms except when we took them out to do some shooting, then all enjoyed the action. They never played with things that weren't toys, so I don't have to secure my other tools, either.

Release the boy...arrest his parents!!!

I would like to congratulate kdc43 for disproving the theory that brainless morons are incapable of posting on the Internet. Thank You.

Jon, I've got some constructive advice for you... Have you ever thought of a thing called peer pressure? Example: A friend of one of your kids convinces them to take out one of your firearms and then a tragedy occurs. If ALL adults kept their firearms secured in a safe place away from children, these types of tragedies would be greatly decreased.

To all gunowners... If you continue to be careless with your rights, then Washington will regulate and erode those rights even more than they already have, mark my word on it! Remember, they're always looking for ways to gain more power over average Americans. Don't give them any reasons to do so even more!

Let's face it .... this kid is definitely not a STRAIGHT SHOOTER -- needs a god ol' trip out to the woodshed with a singapore-style caning to drive some clarity into his naughty self...

I blame the parents for this, why was there not a trigger lock, why was it accessible in the first place to the kid, these parents should be the ones facing charges ..

What I'm hearing on the network news this evening is that the pistol had been in the possession of the mother's boyfriend, and he had found it while at her house over the weekend. If the mother had a criminal record as some are saying, then it only stands to reason that her boyfriend is probably a real piece of work, too.

Only thing I can think of is that the safety (if there was one) was not engaged, and something shifted around in the backpack and managed to squeeze the trigger.

No safety engaged, round in the chamber, firing pin cocked back, ready to strike. Put that gun in bag with some other things on top of it and drop the bag; see what happens! I was surprised to read, however, that the pistol had apparently cycled, ejecting the spent casing into the bag and chambering a fresh cartridge. Normally, if ANYTHING is obstructing the free movement of the slide, that's not likely to happen. The scary thing is that the gun had effectively reset itself and was ready to fire again.

To all gunowners... If you continue to be careless with your rights, then Washington will regulate and erode those rights even more than they already have, mark my word on it!

Unfortunately, given who the kid's mother and her boyfriend seem to have been, I doubt the possibility of the firearms ownership laws and restrictions becoming more ponderous is something either one of them has ever given any thought to, or plan to...

This is NOT the childs fault. Along the line, the child was left with a gun in his hand. As a parent we know how to protect our children. If you purchase a gun put it in a safe!! If not, don't purchase the GUN!!! He should NOT be in jail, the gun went off in his backpack! He did not point the gun at the child, yes he did bring it to school but, that again goes back to his parents (or Uncle's fault). The child lived with his Grandmother and then his Uncle so, it sounds like he has a hard life to begin with! Give him some counseling and take him to a better family! God Bless the child that was hit and God Bless this little boy!

"Unfortunately, given who the kid's mother and her boyfriend seem to have been, I doubt the possibility of the firearms ownership laws and restrictions becoming more ponderous is something either one of them has ever given any thought to, or plan to"...

This is another reason why more laws and regulations won't stop crap like this from happening.

Why doesn't the NRA lobby for mandatory gun safety classes for the entire family when one purchase a gun? Because it infringes on people rights some how or because of pure laziness and stinginess...

Makes you wonder about the saying "guns don't kill, people do.." So let's see, an armed, cocked 45 caliber pistol in a backpack that get's dropped and the gun goes off. Must have been the backpack's fault. (sarcasm).

This is a tragedy for everyone involved, and while I'm a firm believer in the 2nd amendment, having a gun often ends up with someone being seriously hurt or killed. That's why I don't own a gun, however, I do have a Doberman Pincher who is quite the deterrent.

I knew a young boy about 12 who shot and killed another child many years ago (they were friends of my family). The young boy ended up committing suicide when he was in his 20's. So think about the necessity to own a gun, especially when you have children. The chances of them being harmed by a gun in the house is a 1000 times more likely to happen than by a burglar or other criminal.

john 2149156 I don't even want to diss you or talk smack but really i mean really. Since i have no idea how old your kids are but to just assume your kids never play with anything that is not a toy so you don't have to secure your tools. My best friends sister was married to a cop. He came over to our place pulled out his gun took out clip showing it off to the boys. Passing it around one of my friends put it to his head first thing i said when i notice what was going on did you check the chamber? Luckily before my friend shot himself with a police gun handed to him by a trained officer who knows the danger of guns. Guess what bullet in chamber ready to pop off. (these were all adults ages from 25-40) not young kids who have no clue of Life in general. I don't care what you think your kids play with and what they don't. If you cant learn from my post here I hope you don't have to learn the hard way. Ignorance is not bliss and if something does happen you will not be happy. I understand guns are for protecting and don't need to be locked up(when people are fully trained in guns and always practice to check if its empty even if you know its empty) and make it that much harder to protect yourself under the dire situations which they are meant for. But no reason to take the chances for your life to be turned upside down over not having some safety taken into consideration.

Why doesn't the NRA lobby for mandatory gun safety classes for the entire family when one purchase a gun? Because it infringes on people rights some how or because of pure laziness and stinginess...

Or perhaps because it would be the most retarded thing ever... families have young kids that are too young to hold or shoot guns and safety classes include doing both. Yeah, like a family with an infant should have that infant holding and firing a gun at a range with a safety instructor, how retarded is that?!?

God you people are a-holes. The kid is 9. NINE. Let me say this again, 9. He doesnt know any better. This was an accident and the courts system is treating this kid worse than adult murders, pedophiles, and drug dealers. Trust me, this kid wont go near a gun for a long, long time if ever. HE'S NINE!

That being said, my thoughts are with his eight year old friend. I hope that she gets thru this okay and heals from her physical and emotional scars.

Donna Hess, your blog is the only one that makes a lot of sense. Obviously, you are one of a few that has really read the article. I am in total agreement with you! And, the court system needs to find out what is/has been going on in his life. Obviously, he is a very unhappy child. He needs to be placed with someone that really cares about children and that is willing to love him and take good care of him. He needs not be be discarded or thrown aside. He needs to be given a real chance at life.

The story seems to say that the gun was only at the school because it was being transported to the boy's new residence. It isn't clear at all that it was anything more than the patchy reasoning you get from a youngster under a lot of stress. He seems to have been bouncing around from one relative to another and not liking it much. He doesn't seem to be guilty of being anything more than a very unhappy kid not knowing which way to turn. The mother, leaving the gun out where he could get his hands on it, probably with the chambered round. ought to be held responsible for child endangerment. They ought to at least have a law about that.

Who in the HELL was the judge and DA in this? Are they narcissitic sociapaths? This little boy felt the need to run away from the Uncle? The little boy felt the need to procure protection in the way of a gun. This little boy threatened no one. This little by pulled no trigger. This little boy put the gun in his backpack, he was not carrying it and waving it around. This little boy dropped his back pack and the gun went off randomly hitting the little girl. This little boy knew nothing of safteys and the like. This little boy had both a mother and a father that were felons. Who are the victims in this? The little boy and the little girl....etc.

Yes, I am in total agreement with Donna Hess.

Thank you. My thoughts exactly. WHY is this boy living with his uncle...and why does he want to run away from him? WHY did he feel he needed a gun for protection? There is something seriously wrong here.

I feel really bad that the girl was shot. I will hope and pray for the best outcome for her. I also believe the 9 year old boy is VERY sorry that it was because of him even though the gun was in the bottom of the bag when it went off...but still it went off and someone got very seriously hurt. That will forever haunt him. For goodness sakes this boy is only 9. He didn't pull the trigger.

There is more to this little boys story, otherwise I do not believe he would have felt the need to have a gun for protection in the first place. Protection from what...or whom? I believe that needs to be investigated before the courts release him to anyone for his own possible protection. I would think the courts should second guess sending him back to the uncle.

I agree with Donna also on this one. He's a 9 year old CHILD and he obviously has had little or no parental involvement in his young life, he also fears his uncle for some reason. Also, lot of judges and district attorneys are in their own little world these days, and it's about time they're held accountable when they do something wrong.

Mr. Clarke, take a breath and get over yourself. Really??????? This is not the wild west anymore.

I wonder if murderers (accidental, or not) wouldn't be murderers if they were only "taught how to properly use a gun?"

That's the most insane argument I've ever heard.

God you people are a-holes. The kid is 9. NINE. Let me say this again, 9. He doesnt know any better.

Is he mentally handicapped (retarded)? Nine is way older than needed to know better than to bring a gun to school, even if his parents or guardians are retarded enough to give him access to them at home. I GUARANTEE YOU that the teachers went over the no weapons policy at some point in his classroom experience.

He's not innocent in all this, the funny thing is he seems to know that better than you.

That being said, my thoughts are with his eight year old friend. I hope that she gets thru this okay and heals from her physical and emotional scars.

If she lives she will get over it, but he won't... no matter how long he lives he'll regret this like nothing else and it will likely destroy his self-image and self-confidence.

1. Not an intentional, possibly negligent if he has reached age of accountability, which I am sure the court will find out through a psychiatrist. By that age responsibility varies, I was hunting on my own for dinner by that age, but lived on a large country property.

2. Neither parent has custody, and we can apparently see why this is a good idea. Just because someone has a record, does not mean it was a Felony, or violent related crime. The only stipulations (unless the state differs) by Federal law for ownership. If you have a gun in children's reach, they better darn sure know safety rules and how to properly handle it. MAJOR Parenting Failure.

3. Mother should be the one locked up, for not teaching her child any better than she did.

4. H&K is too classy for this woman, however, a good firearm. As a SA/DA pistol it features a single action (when hammer is cocked) trigger pull of <3.5 lbs. The fact it cycled fully, even though in a crowded bag is an example of its dependability. It is truly a shame, that the boy/mother behaved recklessly allowing it to go off, and injure the girl. Hopefully all will turn out well.

Hopefully the mother will receive the punishment, and not the child. The child will have learned an expensive lesson, at someone else's pain and expense. Perhaps someone will take the time to teach him gun safety. Hopes the victim will have a speedy recovery without psychological effects or trauma. And the H&K will find a new deserving home, after its years in the evidence room, awaiting release.

Another tragedy, and another metal detector further adding to the whole "guns are evil" society. And another mother not being accountable for her actions or lack thereof.

The 9 yr old boy's mother has a Meth conviction. The gun belonged to her 'boyfriend' and the boy took it from her home while visiting. The boy was adopted by his grandmother, she died last year and his uncle, the father's brother, became the legal guardian. His father has multiple convictions and is behind on child support.

Any wonder the thought or dream of running away from this life was on his mind?

The shooting was completely unintentional and the little 8 year old girl is the epitome of being an innocent bystander. The entire event is so sad for both of the children and those that love them.

The hero is the teacher, credited with preventing the girl from dying by giving proper emergency medical care.

I understand being angry that the little girl was shot, but please read the article again. He didn't point the gun at anyone, he left it in his bag, dropped his bag on the chair and the gun went off. He probably didn't even know the gun was loaded, or even how to turn the safety on or off. This was a pure accident. Where is the compassion for both of these children? Listen to yourselves saying a 9 year old should go to prison as if he consciously pointed a gun at her. God help you if anything like this ever happens to you or yours. As cruel as some of you sound chances are your children feel the way he did.

2 victims here.

I feel so badly for the poor boy. 9 years old, his parents are so messed up they lost custody. His Grandmother who was raising him dies. Now he's with an Uncle... In nine years he's had 3-4 different people raising him. Kids need consistancy. Both his parents should be ashamed at themselves that the choices they made in their lives have caused this tradgedy. Given his parents criminal background he probably had been raised to beleive that the world was a dangerous place and he really believed that he would need a gun for protection if he ran away.

God it's just so sad. I was tearing up reading it.

I hope the poor girl makes it through all of this. I hope that this kid gets some help and is adopted out to a loving family that can offer him some stability. What a tradgedy....

seems some people can't be bothered to actually READ the article BEFORE commenting, right UdunnoBro?

The boy did not point the gun or shoot a gun.

To find out what really happened, try reading the article.

For b-895713...the H&K is a reliable and very safe weapon. However, the article stated that the gun was cocked (in single action mode, making the trigger very light) and the safety off. H&Ks have very smooth, light SA triggers. A pencil lodged in the trigger guard could easily have fired the weapon.

I do not agree with the third degree assault charges. This young man had NO INTENTION of hurting anyone with the gun. If I read between the lines correctly he was running away, more than likely to live in the woods (a perfectly logical idea at nine years old), and thought to protect himself, more than likely from FOUR legged predators. It's easy to blame the parents of this broken family, but we do not know the circumstances, or the familial climate since the separation. I pray this young man receives two things: leniency and education. Nine is quite old enough to learn gun safety.

PARENTING. Nuff said.

Mr. Clarke: Relax Frances. HAHA! Freak

thturd

It is wrong that a person shooting another person (intentional or not).

It is wrong to bring a gun to school.

It is wrong for parents to let a child obtain a gun without their knowledge.

It is wrong that a child felt the need to bring a gun to school for his/her protection.

OK, what's your point.

I do not own ANY guns because of this exact example. Kids will find them and will want to show them to their friends. Bring guns into your World and guess what you will be surrounded by their effects, good or bad. On our ranch we had rifles and hand guns. The rifles remained behind the doors for easy access. Real protection needed from wild dogs. As kids we were all taught, do not touch guns we have not been trained on. PERIOD. But having seen how they inevitably attract bad situations I decided to get rid of all of mine.

Very sad story...but WTH was he doing with a gun in the first place...some grand parenting going on there!!! My prayers go out to the girl and her family!

The fact that some of you keep calling this 9 year old child an idiot is a shame. He has parents who are criminals, one of which owns a gun and legally cannot be in possession of one. He feels the need to run away and have a gun as protection. What is going on in this child's homelife that he feels he needs protection from? The gun was loaded, safety off and cocked in the bottom of his backpack. He did not point it at this little girl, he did not take it to school with the intent to kill his classmate(s). Punishing him for this would be a crime in itself. His parents and guardian apparently have not taught him the serious responsibility and consequences of a gun. The mother, who's gun he took, should not only be thrown back in jaill for unlawful possession of a fire arm but should also be charge with this crime and be responsible for this little girls hospital bills. This 9 year old little boy is also going to need counseling, because growing up knowing that you almost or did kill someone, even by accident, is a life altering thing. So lets place the blame where it belongs, the mother who owns the gun and the guardian who should have taught him the responsibilities and consequences of firearms. You can't charge a child with a crime when they have no real understanding. If you own a gun and have children, you must first make sure that you have a safe, that your guns are in that safe and that your children have no access to them at all!! My prayers go out to that little girl, her family and to this little boy.

A couple of things...

@ RandomFox:

If anyone taught you how to use a gun at 9 you either live in the deep south and subsisted almost entirely off of alligator gumbo, or your parents need to be locked up.

Your bigotry is astounding, sir. I have known plenty of kids that were taught gun safety/use/marksmanship right around 8 or 9 years old. If you grow up in a hunting family, this is the norm-- and a great bonding experience for father and son/daughter or for the whole family, which is increasingly common. There are also a lot of sport shooters (IDPA, USPSA, IHMSA, ISSF, Trap & Skeet shooting, etc) that commonly have youth competitions-- in fact, one of pistol sporting's greatest competitors is a 15 yr old girl, Tori Nonaka (click name for bio-- she started at age 3!) who currently is sponsored by Glock. In other words, you have absolutely no idea what you're talking about.

@Crais P:

The chances of them being harmed by a gun in the house is a 1000 times more likely to happen than by a burglar or other criminal.

That statistic is made up. Seriously. Look it up. It's a commonly stated lie, so I don't fault you with believing it. I thought it was true the first time I heard it to, but it's not. Check the FBI Crime statistics on the matter.

Now, to the article at hand, this was clearly a case of negligence and bad judgment. The mother and/or her boyfriend who failed to secure the firearm is at fault here. Any and all applicable charges ought to be applied against them. The boy is a victim here. And let's hear it for that teacher, right? WAY TO GO! She is no less than a hero for her swift application of 1st aid, which absolutely saved that little girl's life. I don't know whether she's a drinker or not, but I'd gladly buy her a beer! (Or any other beverage of her choice, for that matter. Hell, I'd buy her a 4-course dinner if she wants). Let's hope for a speedy recovery for the injured girl, and a compassionate and swift court for the boy-- get him into a home with some accountability and stability. At the same time, let's hope the prosecutors in this case level some charges where their due: at the idiots who allowed a loaded firearm to get into the hands of a young boy unsupervised.

Why was my comment collapsed? I said nothing offencive and I followed the Code of Conduct for the site. Far as I can tell there was nothing wrong with it.

Sometimes comments get collapsed because they get too big. Nothing more.

Actually I'd say that's plenty of an excuse for the boy NOT to be at fault here. The parents having the criminal background more than likely means they did not have a healthy respect for firearms and thus failed to pass that respect on to their child. I could be wrong, but that's how this situation seems with the few facts that we're given.

More regulation? Good God, this is a matter of common sense, not more regulation!!! ALWAYS keep firearms safely secured and away from children! Such a simple way to PREVENT tragedies like this one!

One version was passed by the Congress,^[6] while another is found in the copies distributed to the States^[7] and then ratified by them.

As passed by the Congress:

A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.

As ratified by the States and authenticated by Thomas Jefferson, Secretary of State:

A well regulated militia being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed.^[8]

ObeyTheLaw, as you can see both versions stated "A WELL REGULATED."

• WHAT PART OF THE STATEMENT YOU DON'T WANT TO UNDERSTAND ?

(Many of us, have a more conservative view but THICK SKULLS LIKE YOURS, is what push me again any weapon ). Let me know if you want definition of REGULATED.

The child is 9-years old, with a child's mind, and seemingly has a difficult family life. This kid shouldn't be in jail. His idiot parents or whomever left a loaded, unsecured weapon where a 9-year old could find it should be in custody. This doesn't have to devolve into the usual pro-gun, anti-gun rhetoric.

I don't care if you own a weapon as long as the public is safe from your stupidity in how you treat that weapon.

OTL, how does one enforce your very good common sense? By making it a requirement, and punishing those who don't comply. Again, stupid people shouldn't own weapons.

Let me know if you want definition of REGULATED.

I'll offer up the definition that applies: consistent.

Well over 200 years have passed since that time. Things have changed, considerably. As a large standing army was not considered to be a good thing, the best substitute in time of need was an on-demand citizen army. If effective small arms were limited to nobility like they were in Europe, the net result would be that you would have various prince and knight types of men who were well equipped to fight, and hordes of peasants with ax handles and broomsticks to back them up. Hardly an effective team effort for fending off an invading professional king's army such as the 'redcoats' were. Instead, each property owner (tax paying citizen, as all taxes then were property taxes) would not only be represented in government, but would be expected to defend their home turf in an emergency. They'd be expected to do it with a weapon that they were familiar with and proficient in the use thereof.

People assume 'regulated' means lots of rules. It also means more or less uniformly effective from one community or township to the next. No matter where you would go, you would find people giving 100% effort to defending their homes and families if such became necessary, and they'd have the suitable tools with which to do it.

wcritiquing, You certainly have something weird going inside that tiny brain of yours. I was talking about common sense steps parents can take to prevent tragedies like this, and you throw some garbage at me. Jesus Christ!

DISCLAIMER: To Sally or any other moderator here who thinks I broke the code of honor then wcritiquing did the same thing. Take a look at post number 2.4 also. If you're going to punish me, punish her too. Thanks!

Hey wcritiquing, the Supreme Court of the United States disagrees with your interpretation, so why don't you spend a little less time here spouting your nonsense and focus on trying to chang their minds?

This issue comes does to parental responsibility. Have kids? Lock your weapons up...it is a pretty simple concept. I say let the kid off and throw the person that allowed access of a firearm to a kid in jail.

PARENTING. Nuff said.

Is there some reason that the conservative commentators are not screaming for 'personal responsibility' at this particular moment?

You keep a loaded gun at your house. You keep that loaded gun in an insecure location where a nine year old kid can easily get it. Is this parent not obviously responsible?

I am SO SICK of parents not taking responsibility to raise their children!! Hold the parents responsible and get the kid some help!

They spit these kids out like chewing gum and then society has to pick up the pieces and the cost. I've HAD it.

WTF??? A nine year old in an orange jumpsuit in court? Are you kidding me?? The mother should have been in that jumpsuit. The nine year old surely knows the rules...no weapons in school, but I doubt he truly understands WHY...because they are dangerous and accidents can happen. Little boys are not so good at understanding real-life consequences. But, adults are, and parents especially have to anticipate that kids are curious and make mistakes. I feel for this little boy. And I am outraged that his mother put him and his classmates at such risk from her stupidity and failure to follow the law. I hope this boy finds a proper home with real adults to raise him.

All the focus seems to be on the boy and whether he will face criminal charges. The parents/guardians who owned the gun should be held accountable for not taking steps to secure this weapon so that the child couldn't get his hands on it so readily. Not that this boy shouldn't face some correction and receive counseling but the environment he is growing in needs to be taken into account as well. I certainly hope this girl makes it.

MarineDoc, you didn't have to reply to my post in the fashion that you did. No child or even adult is going to gain access to any firearm that I own. Go back and read my post again, and hopefully they'll smarten you up a bit.

Loaded, no safety and cocked? Why aren't the parents in jail instead of the kid?

ObeyTheLaw - I grew up in a house with guns. I owned my own gun, shot regularly, was trained in gun safety. The guns were locked down, and we sternly admonished with dire threats to never, NEVER touch the guns without an adult present. We knew where the keys were and every single opportunity we got when the parents were out of the house we trotted our little friends to the gun locker and showed off our guns.

You can never guarantee that your guns won't be touched unless you have the key around your neck at all times.

My previous post I said "they'll" when I meant to say "that'll"

There is no cure for stupid!

Passing ALL the laws in the world, will not help nor explain why a 9 year old has access to a loaded gun!

Pedestrian-in-SF, Jesus Christ, why do I have to admit I don't own any firearms anymore? This is one reason why I can guarantee that no one will EVER get a firearm from me! Regardless, if I did decide I want to own a firearm again one day, I could still guarantee that NO ONE would get their hands on that firearm unless they bring either some kind of specialized cutting torch, or some kind of explosive into my house, because I would buy a very good safe in addition to my firearm purchase.

Mike, you are right, that's why I've been trying to tell some of these dorks here that parents need to secure their firearms away from children, and it can be done quite effectively! There are some people here that do understand what I'm trying to say

I grew up in a gun-owning, Reagan-Loving household but guess what? The guns were in a safe, the ammo, in another safe. I am 32 now and I STILL dont know the combination to either of them. My dad made sure guns were dealt with respectfully and safely and we had to pass a gun safety class before we could go out shooting with him. I know everyone doesnt have those kind of parents and that is sad but lets face it guns arent going anywhere so we need better education and less fire breathing rhetoric from the NRA, they are an embarrassment to responsible gun owners who think that owning a freaking M-16 is not akin to hunting rifles. Oh and BTW I am a Liberal Democrat and I love guns, the media too often wants us to fit into a narrative but we are all individuals when it comes down to it.

You can never guarantee that your guns won't be touched unless you have the key around your neck at all times.

Or you could just use common sense and not use a lock with a key. Keys can be found. Use a combination lock, or if you have the budget they have biometric locks now. Locking something with a key and then hiding the key in the same house is a recipe for disaster.

@SANITY

a freaking M-16 is not akin to hunting rifles.

A lot of people hunt with AR-15 style rifles. What's wrong with that? It fires the exact same bullet as any hunting rifle in .223 -- a popular caliber for deer hunting. You don't like it because it's black? Because it doesn't have that comfortable wood stock that reminds you of your granddad? I've never understood the argument-- the same bullet comes out of either rifle, regardless of what the rifle looks like. I'm pretty confident that the creature/paper/steel on the receiving end doesn't care what the rifle looks like.

Boy "Sanity" you are on the mark there! The NRA is a rabidly blind defender of the second amendment who refuse's to admit that there are clear differences in intent and purpose between assault weapons,certain handguns and true sporting arms. They are radically uncompromising and their defense of militarized "people killers" is a gaping wound that has bled out and stained all of us who own guns ,but realize that some firearms should be regulated, because the true purpose of them is unmistakable. This crap of "once one gun is banned then all guns will be banned" is just that! Crap! I'm a southerner and come from a long line of outdoors-men,generation after generation of men and women who owned and used sporting arms for over a century. Growing up in a family of sportsmen Guns were as much a part of our lives when we were children as golf clubs and tennis rackets are to a family growing up on the greens and courts. We were tutored in safety and handling of firearms as soon as we could heft the weight of one and no one in the entire history of my family has either accidentally killed or been killed by a gun and no one in my family has ever defended the need or purpose of an everyday citizen owning something like an AR15 or a Mac 10 despite the fact we were all sprouted and rooted in one of the reddest Republican states in the nation.

The NRA's stance that citizens have a constitutional right to bear arms and defend themselves is not at all unreasonable up to a point, but that point to me is where they refuse to concede the difference between an ordinary old handgun or a sporting rifle and shotgun(which are more than adequate for use as defense if the need arises) and a weapon that was designed expressly for armed engagements and nothing else. How many everyday people are going to find themselves in a friggin fire fight where they are going to need something capable of suppressing fire? That is unless they go looking for it or are where they shouldn't be in the first place. And i don't care if it is "my constitutional right to own a rapid fire military weapon" i don't want anything to do with one,have never seen a need for one and i surely don't believe that the "right" to target practice with any type gun i want supercedes the right of every other citizen in this country to not have to live in fear of being caught in the cross fire of some homocidal lunatic with 1,500 rounds of ammunition and a death wish!

Banning all guns is an unreasonable concept to me and one that i personally don't believe the federal government has ever truly contemplated. I also believe that no matter what we think about the powers that be there are enough of them out there smart enough to realize the repercussions of attempting to ban and or confiscate all the guns in this nation is not worth the turmoil and realistic expectations of bloodshed such an attempt would surely provoke in the more radical among us,but i also believe they are completely justified in attempting to limit the number of militarized rapid fire weapons that are destined for the streets of this nation now and in the future. The NRA operates on fear of impending chaos and some Nazi like governmental control where they are attempting to rob us all of our individual rights and leave us all defenseless like lambs in the wolf den and they have succeeded gloriously in the proliferation of such distrust and paranoia that the concept of reasonable compromise has flown right out of the window and the minds of otherwise level headed gun owners in this country and has in fact succeeded far more in hurting the cause of gun ownership and second amendment rights than they ever have in helping it... and they have done so by painting such a fanatical picture that the rest of our society now associates their "radically diseased" positions on gun rights and ownership with all gun owners in general and we are now all labeled "blind fanatics" who would rather have the streets washed in blood rather than give up the right to own a friggin "50 caliber machine gun"!

I wish they would waste away to dust and dissipate into nothing...but as long as they can frighten people into memberships it will never happen and i fully believe that when that nauseous crowd finally dissapears...if they are remembered for anything .... they will be remembered for almost single handidly causing the abolishment of the second amendment.

I like to keep my guns loaded and cocked so I am ready to kill at a moments notice. I hope you don't bump into me on the street because I will drop you in a flash. Really.... ban handguns.

OTL,

I don't know why you took such offense. I happen to agree with your common sense approach..unfortunately too few people actually HAVE common sense, hence the need for regulations to protect us from other people's stupidity. Hope that clears things up.

@Hunt --

Thank you for your contribution to the conversation-- that was well stated. I don't agree with it, but it was well-stated and perfectly articulated.

The reason I don't agree with it is because the 2nd amendment was not provided to the people for sporting purposes. I understand that that is your use of firearms and you feel that there is no other need for them, but the fact remains that the 2nd amendment was drafted as a final safeguard against tyranny in government-- hence the militaristic preamble:

"A well regulated militia being necessary to the security of a free state,"

Any research into the matter will clearly show that the founding fathers intended for the common citizens to have the basic means of defense against a government that over-stepped its bounds and violated the "inalienable rights" referred to in the Declaration of Independence and enumerated in the Bill of Rights. Now, you might say something like, "well warfare has advanced too far and a common man with an assault rifle is useless against the military, so to achieve the effect you're indicating, every man would need access to tanks/jets and nuclear missiles." But that thinking is flawed as well-- because even with the technology of the day, the average man wasn't expected to have access to Warships stocked full of cannonade (and in fact, the American Colonies did not have an effective Navy during the revolutionary war-- at least, not one that could defeat the British Navy). Yet, here we stand, free men all. The spirit of revolution and the ability to resist a tyrannical government is why the second amendment exists. In order for that capability to exist, they framed it thusly:

"the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed."

Please note that the 2nd amendment did not read:

"The right of the people to hunt and target shoot being necessary for a fun state, the right of the people to keep and bear appropriate sporting equipment shall not be infringed."

Since the Civil War*, I am very well-pleased that tyranny in our government has not been realized to the extent that large-scale, armed revolution would be necessary. I pray to god it never comes to that-- but the fact remains that the second amendment was specifically drafted to ensure that the US Citizenry had the capability to defend against tyranny both foreign and domestic. The militia, as referred to in the amendment, is a byproduct of the right of the people to remain armed. We the people are the militia, uncalled upon for decades, and hopefully never again, but ready to defend our country should it come under attack. In modern law, we are referred to as the "unorganized" militia and constitutes every able-bodied man aged 17-45 (i.e. anyone who is draft-eligible).

For this reason, I believe that "assault" weapons ought to be available to the law-abiding citizen and see any form of restrictions against such ownership as nothing more than a slow erosion of rights once thought inalienable. I also stand by my comment above regarding the bullet being identical-- whoever or whatever on the receiving end of the bullet is not going to give one rat's ass what the rifle that fired it looked like. For all intents and purposes there is no difference between a semi-auto hunting/sporting rifle chambered in .223 and an AR-15 other than the aesthetic. Oh, but what about the magazine capacity? Well, you can slap a 10-round mag in an AR-15 and it's still and AR-15, or you can slap an extended 30-round mag into a hunting rifle and it's still a hunting rifle. Look at the Bushmaster "Varminter" rifle. Is it an assault rifle or a hunting rifle? Or what about "Sniper" rifles? The Remington 700 is a popular hunting rifle, but it is the exact same rifle as the M24 Sniper System used in our military and is used by our police forces as the Remington 700P. Is it a military grade weapon or a hunting firearm? The answer is that it's both. So when you call for a ban on "Assault" weapons, because there is no clear ability to define them, you open the door for some very serious erosion of your rights. And I know it's cliche, but I have to repeat it: once the second amendment falls, the others will soon follow.

And NO, I am not an NRA member. But I have read a good deal of history and I know a good deal about the founding fathers and their intentions for the second amendment-- and more importantly, I agree with them.

“The very atmosphere of firearms anywhere and everywhere restrains evil interference—they deserve a place of honor with all that’s good.” –George Washington

*I just want to clarify that when I refer to the Civil War and tyranny, I refer to the mindset of the southern leaders at the time, wherein they perceived the abolition of slavery and other infringements of their commodities production, etc. as the actions of a disconnected central government superceding their state's rights. I mentioned it because it is the only time in our country's history, other than (of course) the revolutionary war, where armed rebellion occurred on a large scale to combat "tyranny" -- however poorly it was perceived. Just wanted to clarify that. Morally, I'd side with Abe.

sorry sally I get angry at people that don't want more gun regulation. .....alot of kids dying that can be stopped.....sad.

The article said it came from the mother's house. What I'm wondering is why someone with an extensive criminal record can get a gun.

Um do you read it was from the mother not fathers house

Typical. It's always the mans fault, right? Read the article....Jeez.

The boy got a hold of it while on a visitation to his mothers over the weekend, however it says it is his fathers handgun.

it says from the mother in one sentence and from the father the next sentence

What I'm wondering is why someone with an extensive criminal record can get a gun.

Because criminals don't obey the law perhaps?

No, it does NOT say it was the father's handgun. It said the boy PLANNED to get his father's gun and run away. The father's gun is not the one he ended up with.

gun in mothers house.yes I read..give her time. The kids at uncles and grandmothers anyway

Ding,ding,ding and we have a winner folks. Step right on up and get your prize!

This boy clearly has some issues, and all of the primary adults (parents, legal guardians) in his life have let him down. They failed him. They should be held accountable. How a 9-year-old can get his hands on a firearm and then be compelled to carry it to school "for protection" is beyond comprehension.

The boys' grandmother died a year ago and he had been living with his uncle. The story states the boy told classmates some time before the incident that he planned to get a gun from his fathers' house but ended up getting one from his mothers' house. Parents and the school, and all schools need to make it a point to encourage children to report hearing things like "i'm going to get a gun" to their parents, teacher, counselor, principal. Heck if even only the lunch lady would have gotten one kids confidence this incident could clearly have been avoided.

Yeah well, it's not rocket science. This kid is an idiot. When I was kid I knew that "guns are bad". The kid is just as responsible as the parents, imo.

Guns arn't bad. It's people who have no common sense or no experience with a firearm that are bad. Set your gun on a table and leave it there. Will it shoot anyone? No.

No, I meant my parents taught me that "Guns are dangerous". This kid should have known better. It's his fault.

It was up to the parents to teach this kid what can happen with guns.......they failed and a little girl paid for it. I never said the kid wasn't responsible but the parents hold a lot of responsibility. At the very least one parent wasn't smart enough to put the gun away where the kid could not get at it.

Newswinner101 If this child is an idiot your remarks tend to suggest you are not even to that level, this is a child what is your excuse.

This looks to me like another case of a child paying for their parents having unsupervised visitation.State of Washington better get their act together.

Bill, he's not 4 years old, he's 9. He would know that guns kill people, he would have watched TV. He should have had the judgement to not bring a weapon to skill. Regardless of whether or not it discharged accidently, he still knew that guns are dangerous, therefore he is at fault for it going off.

Can you believe the first 3 comments and the one by "Jazmen?" They are nut jobs who can't read or think. The boy DIDN'T point the gun at anyone dorks, he put it in his backpack and when he laid it down it went off indiscriminately shooting the poor little girl. My God I would hate to think of any of you having children. Go get your guns your "DADDY" taught you about and use each other as targets for target practice. Geesh!!!

Most gun owners can't fathom that there's a 9-year-old out there who doesn't know how a firearm functions, let alone, a double-action H&K.

Please, HE'S 9. And he didn't even point the weapon at someone. Read the god damn story before you comment.

Ranman87, it was a pistol, not a freaking uzi. Chill. Pistols are easy to operate, stop downplaying it and making it sound overcomplicated. The kid is a moron, and he shouldn't have brought a gun to school of any kind. It's HIS fault that a 8 year old girl was shot.

Newswinner101

Right....and adults don't drink and drive...Or, drive and shave...Or drive and Text...Or___________! Adults know cars are dangerous, but it's NOT theirs that is.... So you were taught when young, so with your superior-brilliant mind you knew how to hadle a gun.... Yet your brilliant mind assumes the same is true for all 9 year olds.....

Hello people! Why was he saying he needed protection? Under normal circumstances, in a loving family, he would probably known not to take the gun or take it to school - the circumstances would have never presented themselves for him to do that. But what points to him being a 9 YEAR OLD is that children that age cannot make judgment calls all that well. He felt he needed protection and did what he thought would protect him - as he has watched on t.v. all the time. Bad mistake? Yes. But good grief! Some of you act like, naturally, he should have the same life experiences that YOU had and why didn't he act on YOUR experiences as a nine year old? Something went wrong here and again: a nine year old CHILD is not capable of making the best decisions and if you say "Well I WOULD HAVE NEVER..." or "I KNEW AT NINE..." .. i bet a million bucks you were not in the same set of circumstances as this kid and if you had been at nine, you don't know WHAT you would have done. The way some of you talk, you aren't all that grown up yet. For shame! I hope the little girl recovers and the family life of that little boy is looked into - no 9 YEAR OLD CHILD should feel the need to protect themselves.

Newswinner 101: "No, I meant my parents taught me that "Guns are dangerous". This kid should have known better. It's his fault"

This means you ASSUME some responsible adult taught him gun safety. Judging from the story, this poor kid is surrounded by a bunch of irresponsible, incompetent adults. Why should the boy automatically "know better"? He's 9! Kids do not intrisically know anything about gun safety, especially if they see adults handle firearms carelessly, or leave them lying around willy nilly. NO way this kid knew there was a safety on that gun, or that tossing it in the bottom of his backpack, with tons of other crap on top, could press the trigger and cause a discharge. The adults are at fault, not this boy.

Can you believe the first 3 comments and the one by "Jazmen?" They are nut jobs who can't read or think. The boy DIDN'T point the gun at anyone dorks, he put it in his backpack and when he laid it down it went off indiscriminately shooting the poor little girl. My God I would hate to think of any of you having children. Go get your guns your "DADDY" taught you about and use each other as targets for target practice. Geesh!!!

I was just making a point idiot. Not blaming anyone with my comment

Idk about that. I guess it depends on what kind of gun you're using. I was out hunting one time with a Winchester lever action. As I was climbing up the tree, the shoulder strap snapped off and fell about 15 feet down. It discharged when it hit the ground. (and yes, the safety was on) Glad no one got hurt.

Not to say that's the case in this story. All it takes is a faulty part.

Guns with their hammers cocked that are in a backpack with God knows what rattling around in there with it, including pencils and pens and wire book binders could well go off without a finger being anywhere near the trigger. All it would take is to have something wedge itself inbetween trigger and trigger guard and bam! off it goes. It just doesn't seem that there was anything intentional in the shooting other than sounding as if the child was truly frightened of something at home,obviously had parents with questionable backgrounds and one of them not having the sense God gave a fence post in as much as having a loaded pistol in easy reach of an 8 year old.

This is the one time in a truly long time when something like this actually seems to be accidental between the shooter and the shot. It's a no less horrific and tragic outcome... but at least it doesn't seem to be the product of "malice aforethought"

Or a simple heat source. Either way they can discharge without a trigger pulled. Not to common but still.

White Judge, It would take a heat source of at least 450 degrees F to "cook off" a cartridge. I would not consider that "simple"!

Might be some of those Chinese bullets in there you know! Look he was 9yrs old and while he is still a kid, he knew better. Not saying he should get some kind of crazy punishment, but, he shouldn't just walk away either. How is he going to learn or anyone else for that matter, if the people see him just get off scott free?

This would in my opinion be a slippery slope for other attorney's to use for other mishaps like this. This is just not good and especially for that little girl. This boy definitely needs some real parenting skills applied in his life. I just wish all of them a better day for tomorrow.

I'd like to know what model H&K this was. Some are double-action only and can't be "cocked." Yes, I know the article says it was cocked, but most news writers don't know guns. (And how would they know it was cocked in the kid's bag - who told them that?) It certainly had a round in the chamber, and this may be "cocked" according the writer's knowledge. Even if it was a cocked single-action it probably has some kind of safety or safety feature(s) that would prevent (and I mean absolutely prevent) a discharge from being dropped; i.e., the trigger and/or a grip safety must both be depressed in order to make the weapon fire, or there is a stop between the hammer and firing pin that doesn't get out of the way unless the trigger is pulled, or a transfer bar must rise up between the hammer and firing pin to transmit the force of the strike, but only when the trigger is pulled. H&Ks are expensive, well-made firearms; I'd bet it had some kind of feature (and possibly more than one) that would prevent an accidental discharge by dropping. You could drop one all day and it wouldn't go off. Firearms just don't work that way any more (litigation fears). I simply don't believe that the weapon went off because it was dropped. This is such a low-probability even with modern firearms from reputable manufacturers that the excuse is simply unbelievable. And I don't trust the media (even without the anti-gun bias) to get facts correct.

Apparently that is not true. The story says the safety was off and the gun cocked, Also after it fired it reset and was able to go off again. REad the article darrell along with other posters who have some knowledge of guns.

People tamper with weapons all the time. Who's to say what condition this gun was in other than the authorities who investigated.

That's what an automatic doe's it loads and cocks itself everytime the trigger is pulled.however just like any other gun, single shot or single action.....all it takes to start that process is a round in the chamber and the hammer drawn . Some automatics have numerous saftey mechanisms that prevent it from firing whether its cocked or not and some have safe guards that prevent them from cocking themselves if the hammer makes contact with or brush's up against something and some others have none of these things and once that hammer is drawn it only takes a minimal amount of pressure on that trigger to discharge.

All firearms have different "trigger pulls"...the amount of pressure applied to the trigger to fire them. Some require you to put some serious force on them and others are so light they will go off if you look at them wrong. But.... accidental discharges are never really accidental in as much as the weapon has to have a round infront of the firing pin to go off and all it requires for that not to happen is not having a round in the chamber.

This was an 8 year old boy who likely had never been taught even basic gun saftey.... some of the posters on here have called him an "idiot" and "stupid" but all he was, was a child with a lethal mechanical device and likely no idea how it really operated.and unfortunately for everyone concerned found out the worse way possible. I'm always fairly cynical about this sort of thing,always think there was some intent in the act...but this time all i see is an unfortunate chain of events that could have been prevented had a loaded pistol not been left laying around the house where the distraught kid could get to it.

People don't kill people, GUNS KILL PEOPLE!

Sandungo - I hope you were being sarcastic, because if not that was really the dumbest statement I've heard today. Let's sit a gun on a table by itself and see if it goes off...

And then in another room we'll put a hardcore KKK member and a member of the Black Panther and see how long it takes before they rip each other apart with their bare hands...

Its not the same,duh. He bought the laptop with his own money. He can do with it what he wants. His daughter misused and acted badly for the web to see. He practiced good gun safety either way you look at it. Two totally different stories with different facts.

Jim, I strongly disagree with that. There is never a situation under which the discharge of a firearm due to anger is appropriate. The fact that you seem to think otherwise really undermines the notion that you really understand what gun safety really is.

Also, you do realize that the only version of events in that incident comes from the father, right? Just because he's angry, doesn't make the domestic violence aspect of it any less serious. In both cases the parents should be investigated, and in this case the child should be placed with a more responsible family.

Dad was absolutely correct in his actions. The laptop was his property and the girl had been warned not to post disrespectfull comments on facebook. She thought she was smart.

No Mo, civil people would simply take the laptop away. Shooting the laptop in front if her is done with the purpose of putting fear in her heart. DO you know who controls people with fear? Evil, tyrannical people. Like our politicians, for instance.

I do not think its ok for a parent to terrorize their child with a live fire arm. It also inevitably leads to the question "what else is he willing to do?". If I was that girl, I would want out of that house RIGHT AWAY.

Are you currently raising a teenager?? AS much as you try to teach your child appropriate behavior and respect todays' teen are unfortunately very influenced by their peers and usually the ones with behavior issues. Some times girls are worse in rebelling and being disrespectful to parents, teachers and adults in general. My kids are 30, 20, 19, and 16. Just the 10 year difference between my 1st and the 2nd made a big difference in the bad influences in the community and schools. Teens outlook on everything is MUCH different then when I grew up. I never dared to disrespect adults. Today its' much more the norm than the exception. Just ask any middle school or high school teacher. I'd bet this father was at the end of his rope with this girl and I can truly believe her only problem with what her dad did was the embarassment and the teasing she got from her peers. Likely she is only upset about the embarrasment and the loss of her computer and if she is not currently openly disrespectful to her folks she's thinking it. Some kids never get things until they are grown and out on their own for awhile. Thats what they call learning the hard way. The dad probably should not have took this public but I do understand the frustrations of the surly nasty attitudes and the entitlement mentality of todays' teens. The more you give the more they expect and think they are owed computers, cell phones, cars, unlimited spending money, no curfews, no accountability for themselves. Its tough indeed to bring kids up with their heads on half way straight. Kids being bounced around from parents, relatives, foster homes or living with druggies, abusive parents or homelifes etc.. have it so much worse.

When I was that age I found my mothers .25 caliber pistol that was hidden under some clothes in a drawer. I use to take it out every so often to look at it. Although I had never fired a pistol before, I had enough sense to know how it operated, and only messed with it with the magazine removed and checking to see that no rounds were in the chamber. That kid was obviously stupid. I knew then and now that you don't carry a pistol that is cocked unless it is kept in a holster. Even nowI don't leave a round in the chamber.

Ok, I resepect, very much all the views so far. Interesting topic. BUT, we teach by example, true? How many of us have bought toy guns, I don't care if they even shoot water, for our children at one time or another. We are all guilty in contributing to the desensitizing and neutrality viewing of guns by children. Our entertainment, which we allow them to view, is full of violence. We have media showing cars being used as weapons to chase down and kill people. Saw a movie just last week showing a stick, the stunt was done twice in two seperate scenes on two seperate people being used to 'gat a person' (is that the term?) i the throat and kill them. Once done by a man, once by a woman. Equal gender. A plastic bag is a weapon. It is the family/friend/community mentoring that develops a childs mind and eye. I am wondering WHY was he so afraid, that he felt he had to run away from home (uncle's house) and needed a gun for protection. Hopefully that will be thoroughly investigated.

I am inclined to believed this child may have picked up a cocked gun, placing it in his bookbag, from the mother's home. Chew that one for a while. It could have gone off at anytime, and killed the 9 year old boy in the process. And the teacher, herself, I believe stated she heard the bag/saw the bag hitting the desk followed by a loud bang which she at first thought was a gun. I want to congratulate that teacher, she may have saved that little girls life for giving her speedy medical attention. A hero in my mind.

Sorry meant to say towards the last the teacher thought it was a balloon, not gun, popping.

In France, the weapons are prohibited and not a young 9 year old boy has shot a classmate ... Perhaps Americans should think about banning arms sales. In this case, who is responsible? Surely not the child ...

I don't keep my gun in a gun safe because it's for home protection and I seriously doubt that a "bad guy" would stand by while I fumble with various security measures to get at my firearm. That being said, I live alone and no children come to my house. If one did, I would lock up the gun.

you may pray but I doubt that it will make a difference in that little girl's condition...unless you can walk on water.

there is another victim here. the 9 yr old boy. all the comments act like he's a harden crimmial.

he does'nt need to be in jail. $50,000 bail. that would be funny if not true. prepose of bail is to ensure court apperance. common sense is come up short on many levels.

Elizabeth, how do you think criminals get guns in the first place? Doesn't matter whether there are kids or not, having easily accessible firearms just makes it easier for them to be stolen.

You'd be better off ditching the firearm and doing something that's actually going to increase security like improving exterior lighting or beefing up the doors.

Frank - my gun is hidden, but accessible to me (not someplace obvious like a nightstand). I live on acreage so lights don't do anything...and I do have beefy doors but anyone can break a window. I'm just not going to be alone out here without a gun, period. I had two break-ins last year when I wasn't home - the alarm stopped them from cleaning me out, but if someone breaks in when I'm here they're getting shot.

A gal I know lost an eye as a child because her brother threw a bullet into the fireplace and it blew up and pieces hit her in the eye. She's only lucky it wasn't worse. That same brother and a buddy were messing with a gun. The brother struggled to get the gun from his friend, it went off hitting him in the stomache. The boy survived thankfully. This kid stayed away from guns for a few years. However, one night he got drunk and his brother goaded him into taking a gun and robbing a convience store. He spent a lot of time in prison for that. Some people just never learn.

The question is, why isn't mom being charged with anything? The article kept emphasizing that the gun came from his mothers house. So I assume his parents are divorced.

Yeah, but his original plan was to steal his dads gun. So his dad must be an idiot too.

Mom isn't being charged b/c WA doesn't have laws that allow the adult to be charged in this situation. Too bad...as it's completely the adults' fault here for allowing access to the gun and NOT having a safety on it. In Colorado, a 4 yr old shot his 2 yr old brother and killed him, after a friend of their dad's let them play video games in the room he was staying in, and he left his gun on the dresser. That adult friend has been charged with reckless endangerment and child abuse, and faces up to 18 yrs in prison. It's time WA and the other states to toughen up their gun laws to protect innocent children from getting caught in adult dysfunctional crossfire

I hope the mother and her boyfriend (it sounds like he is owner of the gun) will be charged and arrested, but they are waiting to see what happens to the little girl before filing the charges. 9-year-olds know right from wrong, and we all know this boy knows he should not have brought a gun to school and should have a consequence of some kind, but this is mostly the fault of the owner of the gun (and the mother.) Surely they will face very serious charges. If they do not, what a travesty.

Wait...Flower...He's an idiot because his son planned to steal his gun?

No, there isn't. The NRA has made sure of that.

Bob, the article said mom has an extensive criminal record and the gun came from her home, BUT the article never said she owned it legally! Those darn criminals....not following the law!

Many crimes involving the use of a firearm are committed with an unregistered/illegal gun.

bob extensive could mean bad checks, shop lifting on & on.

Thats like asking "if you are a convicted drug dealer can you still buy drugs". You can buy anything if you have the money, motivation and someone willing to sell what you need. I'm no fan of the NRA don't get me wrong...but legally purchasing a gun from a legal dealer who is compliant with all the federal statutes (like most are) is a near impossibilty for someone who has a criminal record. But....to think a criminal or a parollee has a need or any desire to go through the proper channels rather than to a "street dealer" is quite frankly naive and the NRA has absolutely no control over that. This has been the case long before the NRA ever existed and will remain the case long after they are gone.

An extensive criminal record of which none of it is explained. YES you still can buy and own a firearm in the FREE united states of America if you do not commit a more serious crime. You might of heard of these they are called "Felonies". So if this woman has been convicted of numerous misdemeanor charges she could have an extensive record and still legally own a fire arm. If you run a stop sign committing a misdemeanor should your right to own a fire arm be denied? I blame the parents for allowing access to any fire arm. Do you seriously blame the NRA for this in any way? The only thing the NRA has ever done is fight to keep your right to own a gun and not leave that decision for YOU to make FOR ME, which by the way is a constitutional right. If you do not want to own a gun by all means feel free not to! Any criminal that wants a fire arm can get one anyway and that will never change until all private gun sales are required to be reported. Just like you sign your liability away when you sell a vehicle the same needs to be done when a gun changes hands. I have no problem with registering guns and having them tracked because I will always use mine legally and responsibly.

Perhaps the gun was not obtained legally.

There is zero tolerance for guns in schools. If this had happened off school grounds what you suggested would have happened. You can't make exceptions. Every doe-eyed kid would be an exception in grade school if you slack off on the policy. Who even knows what this kid's real motive was in bringing a gun to school?

Motive? Seriously? He's 9 years old.

What? You think maybe he was strapped because he planned on taking hostages and demanding a flight to south america with 10 million dollars worth of unmarked Pokemon cards?

The gun was already cocked, meaning the hammer was pulled back. All it takes is the corner of a book wedging itself between the trigger and finger guard and BAM. When he set his backpack down, that is exactly what happened.

But lets not forget how the US judicial system works. He will be tried to the letter of the law as a matter of principle, but things will come out in the wash during sentencing. Furthermore, I have a feeling the DA is already cooking up charges for the parents, to insure that after the kid gets his slap on the wrist, he winds up in a different home.

Kris Craig

I've lived in Washington all my life and I'm utterly ashamed that we're one of the states that do not have child firearm laws on the books! The parents are the ones responsible for this, not the 9-year-old child!

But at least they have gay marriage. I guess social issues are more important than children in Washington.

Even in grade school bullying is a serious issue. I can see this happening more and more often as schools do very little and sometimes nothing about bullying but will suspend kids for bringing an asprin with them. In this case don't think school bullying was the issue. The problem with this child fearing for his safety seems to stem from his home life and clear desire to get away from it. Counseling and a good healthy structured enviorment would be a very good place to start rather than a detention facility as these often teach further criminal behavior, give little or no rehabilitation and no love, caring family enviorment or concern to nurture and teach this kid what life is supposed to be. The parents likely don't ahve a pot to piss in as far as the girls family collecting any damages from them. The mother and the boyfriend need some kind of punishment. At the very least fines and several hundred hours of community service, along with counseling and parenting classes.

Yes, the 9 year old is a victim; but, he is also responsible for putting the girl, himself and everybody in that school and community in harms way. He is not with his family but being processed through the Juvenile Court System and being investigated for a series of potential charges including bringing a handgun onto the school grounds. I am not sorry to see the child in the orange jumpsuit. It is all for his protection as well. Nobody can respond as to his current state of mind. Nor do we or the court know what developmental mentoring this child has received to date (from what is proving to be yet another dysfunctional family). Certainly he's scared but what road has he traveled to this point. He needs full evaluation as he could be suicidal at this point. I agree he should be removed from his uncle's care and put in a foster home until mandatory analyzing and counseling is concluded. Only then will it be known if he deserves to be punished further or not. Here is a 9 year old child SCREAMING for help in my opinion...or it was just a lark. Remember he purportedly was running away from home, not just his father or mother, but from his uncle's house as well. His grandmother is dead--does anybody know the full story as yet? And the $50k is to stress the mandatory court appearance on what is a serious incident. The parents and family definitely need to be held accountable and should be charged with child(ren) endangerment.

It seems to me, it should be included in school curriculum that the students receive counseling on the aspects of gun control and why school grounds should be kept gun free and the consequences thereof (but then bullying too) and how important it is to report potential incidences to counselors and teachers. My children are grown, does this occur? If children are not taught respect for each other at home, how can you ever expect them to respect guns. How many have actually talked over this subject with your children entering grade school. Too young you say, well these two poor children is an example. Modern society and state of affairs sometimes demand our children loose their innocence and childhood at an ever encroaching earlier age. Sad state of affairs, but this problem is not going to go away with simple well wishes. I grew up from three generations of gun owners and avid hunters. It has been instilled on me from an early age, the right to bear arms for protection of family and home, hunt food for the table, the sport of shooting--and to respect the responsibility of owning and handling fire arms. There is absolutely no, excuse, none for not owning a trigger lock on each firearm if we don't keep them in a gun safe. We lock our cars, well most of us.

lots of people should be sterilized; mainly most of the "pro-life" ignorant fools.

Guess he was taken away from his Mother and Father because of their records to live with Granny. Granny died, now the Uncle gets to keep him. With an occasional "visit" to his Mom. What a crappy life. When these people get pregnant why don't they give the baby up for adoption?

Jeanette, if our stinky Government wouldn't allow all of these foreign child adoptions, there would be more people in America to adopt the American child castaways.

bill-1455818, I didn't get my .22 until I was 10 (although I was allowed to purchase my first BB gun at 7 years old). It was a birthday present from my Grandfather who along with my Father taught me proper usage and firearms safety. At the age of 12, I was allowed to use it unsupervised. I could place my .22 rifle across my bicycle handlebars, stop at the corner store to purchase a couple boxes of ammunition, and ride down to the river to target shoot. 48 years later I have yet to experience a firearms accident. The only time I carried my .22 rifle or any other firearm into my school was in 1968-1970. A firearm was stolen from a student's vehicle in my highschool parking lot when I was a junior. The Principal's solution was to require any firearms brought to school be secured in the student's hall locker. Later that year an English class assignment was to write and demonstrate technical instructions. I brought my hunting rifle to school, secured it in my hall locker and at the appropriate time carried it into class. Following my written instructions I demonstrated how to disassemble, clean, and reassemble the rifle. No one even batted an eye. Times have not changed for the better.

Vickie as much as you would like to put the dad in jail he personally wasn't involved. The thing here is he knew it was wrong to bring it school. They constently are telling kids the rule of the schools, so even if he can't read I'm sure he can hear. Not trying to be to rough on him and yes he deserves a better life for sure.

However this is the real world and this goes on all the time, plenty of kids going through the same thing believe it or not.

actually its the sins of the mother......Geeze did anyone besides me read the entire article?