5 year old boy kills his sister with gift gun gods will

[doggie]

This is really about extremely poor parenting. but the worst part is grandma. it was gods will? so god wanted the parents to give their child a gun so he could dispose of his worthless 2 year old sister?

The grandmother of the children, Linda Riddle, told WLEX, “It was God’s will. It was her time to go, I guess. I just know she’s in heaven right now and I know she’s in good hands with the Lord.â€

http://www.addictinginfo.org/2014/06/30 ... ls-sister/

A Kentucky woman gave her 5-year-old son a .22 caliber Crickett brand rifle for his birthday. This resulted in the 5-year-old killing his 2-year-old sister, Caroline Sparks.

Sparks left her son unattended with the rifle when he fatally shot his baby sister. Believing that a “child safety†was all that was necessary to keep the child safe from accidentally firing the weapon, the rifle was kept unlocked in a “safe place.â€

The uncle of the victim said, “It’s just tragic. It’s something that you can’t prepare for.â€

The grandmother of the children, Linda Riddle, told WLEX, “It was God’s will. It was her time to go, I guess. I just know she’s in heaven right now and I know she’s in good hands with the Lord.â€

Kentucky police trooper said that, “It’s just one of those nightmares,†he said, “a quick thing that happens when you turn your back. In this part of the country, it’s not uncommon for a 5-year-old to have a gun or for a parent to pass one down to their kid.â€

The rifle that was used was a “My First Rifle†Cricket rifle, designed and marketed as a toy for children. Their website says on the home page, “Quality Firearms For America’s Youth.â€

[apple1]

This (horrible) story is at least a year old and has been previously discussed on FJ.

[doggie]

I did not remember it just popped up on facebook. getting sick of old things coming around like new.

[DGayle]

Anyone who lets a child have a gun unattended needs to be charged with endangerment, and when it results in harm, with manslaughter.

[doggie]

Anyone who lets a child have a gun unattended needs to be charged with endangerment, and when it results in harm, with manslaughter.

I know but it depends on the location. the grandma was the worst though.

[ViolaSebastian]

I live in Kentucky and I just remember this woman's eerily calm demeanor, almost like it was a good, or to use the Sparkling One's word, neutral.

[FloraKitty35]

I know but it depends on the location. the grandma was the worst though.

I read the grandmother's quote and it sickened me. God's Will my ass! Negligent adults FFS. :twisted:

[doggie]

Blame god he never defends himself.

[Becket70]

Apparently there is technology available in the form of a "smart gun" which will allow only the registered owner to fire it. If a child gets hold of a gun, it will not work. The NRA is against this so it is going nowhere. That is how pathetic our legislators have become. They won't even allow their citizens the freedom to purchase a smart gun if they want one. The next time some GOP gun nut goes on and on about their freedoms, they ought to address this issue, which is also a "freedom" issue.

[Mama Mia]

A 5 year old with a gun?! And it's seen as common?????? :shock: I am just flabbergasted. I get that guns are really common in some parts, even with children, but a 5 year old? That's a baby. I have a 5 year old granddaughter who is extremely mature and responsible for her age. She came out of the womb that way. When she was a toddler she would point out if a baby latch was left undone. She thinks to pack a snack for her 2 year old brother. She will tell me if a show comes on tv that her parents wouldn't want her to watch.She would have made an ideal j'slave--- it's just her personality. And I still can not, in my worst nightmares imagine giving her a $&&@$ gun! WTF is the matter with people?

[AnywhereButHere]

"The uncle of the victim said, “It’s just tragic. It’s something that you can’t prepare for.â€

Well yes, actually you can kind of prepare for it by not leaving a gun somewhere a 5 year old can get a hold of it. Hindsight and all, but obviously their safe place wasn't all that safe.

**Edited because I know this was a gift for said 5 year old and so technically his, but I really don't want to believe that the parents wanted this poor kid to be using his gift unsupervised.**

[Jana814]

What a sad story!!

[DGayle]

I know but it depends on the location. the grandma was the worst though.

Location doesn't matter. A dead child in the boonies is just as dead as a child in a city. In fact, someone in the boonies probably has more experience with guns, and has even less of an excuse to know how they can be used to kill.

[DGayle]

Apparently there is technology available in the form of a "smart gun" which will allow only the registered owner to fire it. If a child gets hold of a gun, it will not work. The NRA is against this so it is going nowhere. That is how pathetic our legislators have become. They won't even allow their citizens the freedom to purchase a smart gun if they want one. The next time some GOP gun nut goes on and on about their freedoms, they ought to address this issue, which is also a "freedom" issue.

I have a friend whose husband whines about government interference with things. Then he started on about how the number of cars should be limited based on how many adults are in a household. She called him out on his hypocrisy.

[Hane]

"The uncle of the victim said, “It’s just tragic. It’s something that you can’t prepare for.â€

This kind of reasoning reminds me of things said by the locals in West, Texas after the fertilizer plant explosion that killed over a dozen people. The conditions in the plant were dangerous, the place had no safety oversight, and it was located near a school and a retirement home (IIRC). Texas localities in general tend to be laissez-faire regarding government safety regulations--but locals were quoted as saying the tragedy was "unpreventable" and "God's will."

[Maggie Mae]

This kind of reasoning reminds me of things said by the locals in West, Texas after the fertilizer plant explosion that killed over a dozen people. The conditions in the plant were dangerous, the place had no safety oversight, and it was located near a school and a retirement home (IIRC). Texas localities in general tend to be laissez-faire regarding government safety regulations--but locals were quoted as saying the tragedy was "unpreventable" and "God's will."

I read that differently, as in he is unprepared to deal with the grief from losing his niece and the emotions surrounding the accident. That poor child has to live with the fact that he accidentally killed his sister, for the rest of his life. The parents have to live with the fact that their gross indifference to proper safety procedures regarding gun safety caused one of their children to kill the other. It IS tragic, and you can't prepare for that.

I have a rifle that I believe the same over very similar model. I can't believe that they "wouldn't know" there was a shell in it, it holds just one and is pretty obvious when it's loaded. Who leaves a five year old unsupervised with guns? What kind of negligent person has guns and doesn't have a procedure for teaching the kids how to handle them?