Update on shot third grader

[Grace62]

The news I got the other day was overly optimistic about the child and her condition. She nearly bled to death after the shooting and the classroom teacher is credited with saving her life with first aid.
She does have organ damage and the bullet is near her spine and cannot be removed. She's in for a long recovery and the extent of neurological damage is not known, although she has been able to talk with her family. Her injuries are so severe because of the type of weapon involved.

As for the weapon, if it's owner is charged, it will be with reckless endangerment. The fine is $5K and a possible short jail term. That's about all that is available in Washington, which as states go has pretty slack gun control laws.

And the boy who brought the gun to school. He told friends he was planning to run away and needed the gun for protection. So that's why he had it at school.
His situation made me cry when I read the article about him. He is out on bail. His mom is a criminal and has been involved with meth and both she and the Dad lost custody of the 4 children. His Dad has been charged with domestic abuse and has violated restraint orders. He had care from his grandmother but she died from cancer. Now he lives with his unemployed uncle and violent Dad. I assume these are people he wanted to escape from, with a gun.
I think he most likely won't be charged with anything, I mean he's nine. But I hope some social workers are at least taking a close look at that home.

[Sam3]

Someone was kind enough to post the $50,000 bail so the boy was able to go home. It was unnerving to see a 9 year old in an orange prison jumpsuit, however.

[Grace62]

Sam3 wrote:
Someone was kind enough to post the $50,000 bail so the boy was able to go home. It was unnerving to see a 9 year old in an orange prison jumpsuit, however.

I agree. Apparently the family was able to round up the cash from friends. I can't say I feel comfortable about him being in that home.

[Trouble]

Grace62 wrote: which as states go has pretty slack gun control laws.

Gun control laws have nothing to do with this.

[Ca Bob]

Maybe gun control laws have nothing to do with this, but they certainly should. Why is it that a nine year old has access to a deadly weapon, uses it, and the resident conservative wants to argue the validity of gun control laws rather than the reality of children shooting each other nearly to death.

There's another part of the story that is questionable at best. The boy says he wanted to run away. He could have gone to his school authorities or to the police and reported his problems, but apparently this wasn't an alternative he could believe in. Perhaps he has already been down that particular road before. I wonder what the authorities would actually have done, vs what the kid speculated would happen?

The rest of the story about needing a gun for protection is the same kind of nonsense that gun nuts love to proclaim, but which often fails the test of reality. Who was the kid going to defend himself against -- his own family? -- or who else? Notice that this kid has no real concept of self preservation through law and order, even though he seems to be the only member of his family who has actually used a gun against another human being if I read this story correctly.

[Trouble]

Ca Bob wrote:
Maybe gun control laws have nothing to do with this, but they certainly should. Why is it that a nine year old has access to a deadly weapon, uses it, and the resident conservative wants to argue the validity of gun control laws rather than the reality of children shooting each other nearly to death.

I'm not. Gun controls laws have nothing to do with this, but other laws certainly do. So prosecute under those laws rather than try to bring unrelated "gun control laws" into the discussion like Grace did. Grace is using this to opinion on gun control laws so why don't you ask her the same question you asked me?

[RgrF]

As Troubling as it may seem, proilferation of guns has everything to do with this.

[mick e]

Gee - what ARE gun control laws... hmmmm lets see. Some that mick e can think of REQUIRE GUNS TO BE LOCKED IN A SECURE LOCATION OR HAVE TRIGGER LOCKS WHEN KEPT IN THE HOME.

Those might have been helpful in this case, don't you think Slash???

[Sam3]

Ca Bob, he didn't use the gun. It was in his backpack and it went off. He did not take the gun out and point it at the girl.

[Trouble]

RgrF wrote:
As Troubling as it may seem, proilferation of guns has everything to do with this.

Sorry no. Again, people who want gun control laws are trying to use this issue that has nothing to do with gun control.