BF2S Forums A Better Moral Dilemma

13 year old for leaving a loaded gun unsupervised.
Parents for not teaching the 6 year old about gun safety (assumption) and for leaving an 18 year old in charge of 3 children for an extended time.  That last part is a disaster waiting to happen, IMO.  When did siblings ever really listen to each other?
6 year old for managing to pull the trigger while pointing the gun at himself.

The uncle does not bear responsibility as he was not present or the primary caretaker at the time.
15 should not be held responsible UNLESS he saw the 6 year old playing with the gun.

Last edited by RAIMIUS (2008-02-25 07:30:05)

Braddock wrote:

13 year olds with guns ...absolute madness.

Not even close.  I had my own shotgun at 13 and was completely safe with it.  My father taught me the rules of gun safety starting with my first bb gun.  He would not let me even us that by myself until I had proven I could handle it safely.  We lived out in the country btw.  My shotgun was always unloaded before entering the house and then locked in its case where my younger sister could not get at it. 

The 13 year old in this case did not follow basic gun safety.  Let the phone ring, the weapon needs to be unloaded and safely locked as first priority.

Gun safety in my home?  I've never told my children I have guns and they're all properly secured.  When my son is old enough, I'll start him with a bb gun to teach him safety.

Last edited by Stingray24 (2008-02-25 08:54:57)

FEOS wrote:

SenorToenails wrote:

The dad and mom (assuming joint parenting) is to blame.  The 13 year old is not legally allowed to own a handgun, and the dad supplied it.  The 13 year-old would be next, because he left it out.  I would then blame the 18 year old for not taking the guns away from the 13 year old if it was known that he was using them when he left for the store.  Then the 16 year old, because he was the next oldest at the scene.  I would blame the uncle and 6 year the same -- and that is very little, if any.  The uncle had no physical presence, and could not know what was going on and the 6 year old is not old enough to have any responsibility.

In short:

Dad/Mom
13 year old
18 year old
16 year old
uncle/6 year old

What he said.

I just realized I agreed with him too.

The kid is 15, not 16.

Cyrax-Sektor wrote:

Everyone. Except the uncle.

The parents should have locked up all guns until they came back from their trip. The dad shouldn't have given a 13 year old a handgun with actual ammunition.

The 18 year old could've took away the hand gun for safety purposes if the parents didn't, at least, while he was away.

Had the 15 year old answered the phone, the gun wouldn't have been misplaced in reach of a 6 yo.

The 13 year old should have properly put away the gun whilst on the phone.

The mom should not have bought the 6 year old toy guns, not until she taught everyone proper gun safety.

A sad story, a case where accidents can happen, but can also be avoided by taking precautions.

The Cake isnt a lie for Cyrax.

/gives delicious cake.

(Damn you Portal....)

Cyrax-Sektor wrote:

Everyone. Except the uncle.

The parents should have locked up all guns until they came back from their trip. The dad shouldn't have given a 13 year old a handgun with actual ammunition.

The 18 year old could've took away the hand gun for safety purposes if the parents didn't, at least, while he was away.

Had the 15 year old answered the phone, the gun wouldn't have been misplaced in reach of a 6 yo.

The 13 year old should have properly put away the gun whilst on the phone.

The mom should not have bought the 6 year old toy guns, not until she taught everyone proper gun safety.

A sad story, a case where accidents can happen, but can also be avoided by taking precautions.

I agree sorta.  It all depends.

Did the 15 year old know the gun was out?  Did the 15 YO know that the 18 year old was even gone?  If he didn't know the 18 year old had left, he is not responsible to keep an eye, unless was asked and agreed to watch the kids by the 18 year old.  Plus, it's not quite the 18 year olds fault if: the 15 year old was supposed to be watching them, and did not know the gun was out (maybe they took it out after he left).

13 YO should know better than leave a gun out. plain and simple.  The parents NEVER should allow a gun not locked up with children in the house. No kid should have any gun or have acces, unattended.   IF the 15 year old knew NOTHING, and he was gaming, it's not abnormal to expect a sibling to answer the phone. If he knew the 18 year old was gone, he should have at least been kinda aware of the situation. But even if that's the case, How often do people let kids hang around the house if you are busy?  If the 15 year old was in charge, but knew nothing of the gun, it's not really his fault.

If the 15 year old KNEW the gun was out,  he should be there to watch over, which isn't as good as the parents having the guns locked up, but it's better than knowing younger kids are palying with guns, and not overseeing it's IMMEDIATE safe storage.

FallenMorgan wrote:

SEREMAKER wrote:

I amazed no-one has blamed Bush



I would say .................. doesn't really matter bc the whole family is now devastated and the dad will be going to jail

Why him?  The damn stupid 13 year old left it there.  I hate this legal bullshit where "oh, 16 year old Jimmy shot up a school and then killed himself, let's procecute the parents, because they didn't invade his privacy and act like a big douchebag under the IDEA that his access to the internet and a private diary allowed him to hatch a maniachal plot.

why the dad ............ simple, he purchased the gun ........... when you purchase a handgun you sign 2 waivers,1 stateing that your not purchasing this for someone else and 2 that you will not leave it un-attended in the company of children

FallenMorgan wrote:

Yeah, the 18 year old left, and that's an adult, thus it's not his fault because he knew there would be an adult, who left without his knowledge.

The law is bull sometimes.

No.  The responsibility is placed on those responsible.  That seems like an obvious statement, but it isn't.  The parents bought the kid a gun, and didn't think to lock it up when he was using it frequently and they were away.  The 18 year old is also to blame, for not making sure his brother wasn't messing around with a firearm unsupervised when he was left in charge.  You don't understand now, but maybe you will someday.

DrunkFace wrote:

I drove a car when I was 10 and didn't crash. Therefore its perfectly safe...

There is no way a 13 year old should be able to get a gun licence or access to a gun without adult supervision. So I blame the Law for allowing the kid to get a licence and gun and then the parents for giving him a handgun. No one else is to blame, not even the 13 year old for leaving it out. If you want to teach your children about guns and gun safety go ahead, but while they are still learning they should not have access to their own gun.

You can't blame the law for the actions of his parents.  The kid has a hunting license, which does not grant the right to own a handgun.  The hunting license is inconsequential in this case--the parents provided the firearm, they are at the most fault.

SineNomine wrote:

idiots who make laws to let 13 year olds have weapons. seriously!!!! i have nothing against the right tu own guns, but you should be old enough and prove yourself responsible enough

QFT

Deadmonkiefart wrote:

HellHead wrote:

Wow, do you guys actually use your brains before posting ?

If I´m a Dad and teach my 13 year old son the use of guns, I will make sure to teach him to :
1. NEVER leave the gun unattended when loaded.
2. ALWAYS keep the saftey on, when not ready to shoot.

and most important
3. I would NEVER leave a gun for free accses around the house when I´m leaving it in the first place.

I can see trusting your 13 yr old by himself, but I cannot see trusting a 13 yr old with a handgun when there are small children in the house.

That seems reasonable.  I know of several young teenagers would are responsible enough to safely handle a firearm.  (I'll avoid generalisation here!)  I can see trusting the 13 year old (if he is responsible enough to personally handle a firearm).  I cannot condone the same thing with a small child present!  I would not expect a 13 year old to be able to effectively supervise a child...so the parents set up a bad situation, and the 13 year old violated a basic principle of firearm safety (he lost control of it).

the dad. a 13 year old shouldn't have access to a gun no matter how much 'gun safety' he has been taught.

the 18 year old could of also stopped him from using it while there was no other adult supervision. thats if he knew the 13 year old would take it upon himself to use the gun.