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5 Year Old Boy Brings Loaded Gun To School in Holyoke

Buck F

Buck F

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www.bostonherald.com

Police: 5-year-old boy brings loaded gun to school in Holyoke

A Holyoke man is expected to face charges after his 5-year-old grandson took a loaded handgun from his home and brought it to school Friday, police said. Officers responded to the E.N. White Elemen…
www.bostonherald.com www.bostonherald.com

A Holyoke man is expected to face charges after his 5-year-old grandson took a loaded handgun from his home and brought it to school Friday, police said.

Officers responded to the E.N. White Elementary School on Jefferson Street around 3 p.m. after school officials reported that a pre-K student had a .22 caliber Ruger SR22 semi-automatic handgun in his backpack, according to Holyoke Police.

Police said the boy did not take the gun out of his backpack while at school and that no one was injured in the incident.

After speaking with him and his mother, police said they determined that the boy got the gun from his grandfather’s house while visiting with his mother before school.

The grandfather, 52, is cooperating in the investigation, though police said charges including reckless endangerment of a child and improper storage of a firearm are expected to be filed.

According to police, a second handgun and ammunition were seized during a follow-up visit to the man’s home, along with his Massachusetts license to carry card.

Holyoke Police and the Massachusetts State Department of Children and Families are investigating the incident.
 
Dumbass deserves the shitstorm coming. This could have been a lot worst had the child fired the weapon. My guess is loss of LTC, a heavy fine possibly Parol or jail time is coming
 
Woodsy said:
Dumbass deserves the shitstorm coming. This could have been a lot worst had the child fired the weapon. My guess is loss of LTC, a heavy fine possibly Parol or jail time is coming
Click to expand...


Or the kid could have not taken the firearm. In most states nothing the grandfather did was against any laws. I can lay guns all over my house if I choose to and it violates no laws.

This mindset is what’s wrong with this country.
 
Well, the old man did violate the rules of common sense and basic firearm safety, if not any statutes. I've said here often that if we hold ourselves only to the lowest common denominator standard of "not violating the law" we don't have much to be proud of.

If the kid didn't take the pistol out of his pack, presumably it came to light because he told someone about it. Grandpa should also have taught him about how "loose lips sink ships".
 
Don’t know enough about how the kid was raised to know if it’s dangerous for him to have a pistol. I’m going to guess not, though.

Grandpa is screwed for BS.
 
dhuze said:
Or the kid could have not taken the firearm. In most states nothing the grandfather did was against any laws. I can lay guns all over my house if I choose to and it violates no laws.

This mindset is what’s wrong with this country.
Click to expand...

When you have a child in your home, you don’t leave Guns laying around. If you do then you are fully responsible for any accidents etc that may happen should the child get his hands on it. That’s pretty simple
 
This story sounds exactly like the story from a few months ago. Dad put a gun in the wrong backpack.

I leave deadly kitchen knifes on the kitchen counter all the time. My kids could kill themselves with it but they know better.
 
one-eyed Jack said:
You need to train them young, but the RIGHT way. Jack.
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Varmint said:
I leave deadly kitchen knifes on the kitchen counter all the time. My kids could kill themselves with it but they know better.
Click to expand...

My mother told us how her father, a police officer, would hang his gun belt on a closet door knob in their (parents') bed room. All 8 of the kids knew that they were NOT to touch it. I'm sure that a severe ass whipping with his belt, would have followed if any of them had violated that rule. That's the problem with a "kinder, gentler nation" that we have today.
 
Woodsy said:
When you have a child in your home, you don’t leave Guns laying around. If you do then you are fully responsible for any accidents etc that may happen should the child get his hands on it. That’s pretty simple
Click to expand...

When you have a child, you are responsible for ensuring that they don’t touch things they shouldn’t. That’s the responsibility of a parent. Granted this was the grandfather, but I’m guessing (without facts) that the kid spent enough time there to know the house rules.
My kids were taught what they aren’t allowed to touch without me present. They’ve passed all tests. To the point where friends only move guns out of the way of my 8 year old to avoid my kid spilling his drink on it.
Maybe I’m the exception to parenting, and if so it’s a damn shame, because neither me nor my kids are perfect by any means. I had guns and ammo in my room at 6 and there was never a problem. What’s different today?
Sorry, I refuse to buy into the idea of keeping kids away from everything.
 
tuna said:
When you have a child, you are responsible for ensuring that they don’t touch things they shouldn’t. That’s the responsibility of a parent. Granted this was the grandfather, but I’m guessing (without facts) that the kid spent enough time there to know the house rules.
My kids were taught what they aren’t allowed to touch without me present. They’ve passed all tests. To the point where friends only move guns out of the way of my 8 year old to avoid my kid spilling his drink on it.
Maybe I’m the exception to parenting, and if so it’s a damn shame, because neither me nor my kids are perfect by any means. I had guns and ammo in my room at 6 and there was never a problem. What’s different today?
Sorry, I refuse to buy into the idea of keeping kids away from everything.
Click to expand...

Yeah it's just a different mindset. How many 6 year olds try to drive their parents' car? It happens but it's very rare, despite the car being left out unlocked every day in most homes.
 
tuna said:
When you have a child, you are responsible for ensuring that they don’t touch things they shouldn’t. That’s the responsibility of a parent. Granted this was the grandfather, but I’m guessing (without facts) that the kid spent enough time there to know the house rules.
My kids were taught what they aren’t allowed to touch without me present. They’ve passed all tests. To the point where friends only move guns out of the way of my 8 year old to avoid my kid spilling his drink on it.
Maybe I’m the exception to parenting, and if so it’s a damn shame, because neither me nor my kids are perfect by any means. I had guns and ammo in my room at 6 and there was never a problem. What’s different today?
Sorry, I refuse to buy into the idea of keeping kids away from everything.
Click to expand...

Was not his kid, while you would hope that most firearm owners would instill responsibility around firearms to their children the fact is a 5 year old does not have near the capacity of an adult to weigh the consequences of a complex action. If a firearm owners position is only that the guy didn’t break a law by leaving them out and the 5 year old should have know better, is a pretty low standard. My guess is those that say that would reconsider had that 5 year old accidentally shot their child. It takes seconds for a grown responsible adult to understand that a child who would blame a dog for stealing cookies is likely not a good candidate for self guided gun handling. Taking a few seconds to place the firearm out of their access and even reminding them that firearms are not a toy etc. is the right route. I stand by my earlier opinion that the grandfather was in the wrong is lucky it’s not worse.
 
Just a dumb question here. We don't know yet, but the gun could have been properly locked up and the kid knew the secret to open whatever it was stored in? It could have been properly stored and locked up and the kid got it anyways (think Adam Lanza).
 
VetteGirlMA said:
Just a dumb question here. We don't know yet, but the gun could have been properly locked up and the kid knew the secret to open whatever it was stored in? It could have been properly stored and locked up and the kid got it anyways (think Adam Lanza).
Click to expand...
Very true. No guns in it, but I was opening my dad's safe around age 10. I found the combo, and I liked looking at the coins he had in there.
 
Varmint said:
Yeah it's just a different mindset. How many 6 year olds try to drive their parents' car? It happens but it's very rare, despite the car being left out unlocked every day in most homes.
Click to expand...
6 year olds?? Bah. My wife stole a car at 4 years old.... Managed to get it out of the church parking lot and onto the street before she was apprehended. And she took another kid with her on her crime spree.
 
VetteGirlMA said:
Just a dumb question here. We don't know yet, but the gun could have been properly locked up and the kid knew the secret to open whatever it was stored in? It could have been properly stored and locked up and the kid got it anyways (think Adam Lanza).
Click to expand...
Not a dumb question but I don’t see the difference. Keeping the code secure or key hidden is the point. Having either in kid’s reach is the same fail as never securing at all.
 
Correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't Holyoke have the same thing happen to it demographically as did New Britain, Connecticut - namely used to be very Polish, but is now very Latino?
 
Woodsy said:
When you have a child in your home, you don’t leave Guns laying around. If you do then you are fully responsible for any accidents etc that may happen should the child get his hands on it. That’s pretty simple
Click to expand...

Adding one. Also if you have a child in the home and don't follow the Cornerd Cats rules; you are negligent. My 5 year old would never do this because he was trained starting at 3 to know what guns are and what to do if he sees one.

They have been demystified. He has no interest in playing with them but also know how to safely handle them if one was shoved in his hands. (Say at a friend's house).


It does suck for this guy. He is now likely unable to own firearms for his defense again. But I agree, it was his responsibility.
 
VetteGirlMA said:
Just a dumb question here. We don't know yet, but the gun could have been properly locked up and the kid knew the secret to open whatever it was stored in? It could have been properly stored and locked up and the kid got it anyways (think Adam Lanza).
Click to expand...


Could be, but the guy is screwed because guns.

If the kid got into a locked container of pills then these things happen. If the kid scaled a six foot fence and drowned in a pool it’s a tragedy.

My kids know how to pick most simple locks. It’s a useful skill, especially since they have a tendency to lose keys.

How far do you have to go to secure your guns? Apparently melting them into chunks no bigger than 1/2 ounce is the only way to be sure.
 

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