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http://www.cnn.com/2006/US/03/29/kindergarten.gun.ap/index.html

5-year-old expelled for bringing gun to class

FIRCREST, Washington (AP) -- A kindergarten student was expelled for 10 days after he brought a .22-caliber gun to school, officials said.

The 5-year-old boy climbed from a chair onto a washer-dryer and got an unloaded pistol out of a cupboard at home, police said. He showed a friend the gun on the Whittier Elementary School playground, then put it into a friend's backpack, Police Chief John Cheesman said.

The boy never made any threat and told the principal what he had done Monday but was expelled immediately, said Patti Holmgren, a spokeswoman for the Tacoma school system. Police confiscated the gun.

School officials were investigating, classmates have been reminded not to bring guns to school and a letter on the incident has been sent to parents of Whittier students, Holmgren said.

The boy's parents tried to keep the gun out of his reach and did not store ammunition with it, so no criminal charges are likely, the police chief said.

"The boy now realizes he should not have brought the pistol to school," Cheesman added. "There was an understanding there that he shouldn't have done it and that what he did was wrong."
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That's wonderful. The boy "now" knows. What the hell? It's amazing that parents who own firearms do not educate their children. When that happens all you have is a ticking time bomb.
 
Cptn5spd said:
I agree locking up your guns is way to overrated [rolleyes]
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So much for privacy. Lock up gas, cleaning chemicals, lawn mowers, garden tools, shop tools. They hurt more people than guns ever will.

Am I the only one in here that grew up in a free state? That at the age of 4 knew that firearms were dangerous?

I guess when you grow up in communism it's all you know. [rolleyes]

Is locking up your firearms a bad idea? No. Should you be made to do it? well according to you I guess so.
 
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When will they get it?

You don't Child-Proof your house, you House-Break your kids.

FWIW, one of the reasons I got out of the Regular Army was I was sick and tired of raising other people's kids. Hard enough to make "men" (or ladies) out of them, when they were operating on a 5 year old responsibility level, or LOWER.

Derek, I grew up in a Gun Shop, and worked there.
 
derek said:
So much for privacy. Lock up gas, cleaning chemicals, lawn mowers, garden tools, shop tools. They hurt more people than guns ever will.

Am I the only one in here that grew up in a free state? That at the age of 4 knew that firearms were dangerous?

I guess when you grow up in communism it's all you know. [rolleyes]

Is locking up your firearms a bad idea? No. Should you be made to do it? well according to you I guess so.
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If you have children around that are not properly educated about gun safety then yes I feel those parents better lock up their guns
 
Cptn5spd said:
If you have children around that are not properly educated about gun safety then yes I feel those parents better lock up their guns
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I agree 100%. Where we disagree is, you feel the government needs to tell you how to live. I don't.
 
derek said:
I agree 100%. Where we disagree is, you feel the government needs to tell you how to live. I don't.
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Hell no, I think we agree I just gave off the wrong impression damn keyboard. I think it is crap of course to have restrictions especially handed down from some out of touch politician. Personally I lock up my firearms but only because I want to.

For example: MA making it mandatory to wear a seatbelt in your car, or receive a fine. I still will not wear mine not that it is a good decision but it is my decision.
 
The boy's parents tried to keep the gun out of his reach and did not store ammunition with it, so no criminal charges are likely, the police chief said.
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Someone please explain to me what the hell this means?! They TRIED to keep the gun out of his reach? He's FIVE YEARS OLD! Unless the kid is some sort of mutant, how difficult is it to keep it more than 5 feet off the ground, let alone take the time to put a lock on it as well.
 
dre,

Not defending anyone, but look at reality here.

Put chair in front of washing machine, climb up on top of washer (~4' above floor), reach up 3' and you are almost at ceiling height in an average house/cellar!

How much higher could they have put the gun?

I agree with two things, as "personal responsibility", but they shouldn't be "law"!

- Store guns in some sort of locked state unless they are on the person if you have children in your home (visitors or your own).

- Gun-proof the children with training as soon as they are walking. Demystify guns and teach them that they can be dangerous, but they can handle them responsibly when a parent is with them (and only then).​

I have a big problem with laws about this, because when you are in the situation that my Wife and I are in (no children and none visit here), you are forced by law to always have the guns locked up . . . in a house with two responsible and trained adults with LTC-As!
 
So, let me throw out a situation for you. Couple has numerous long arms and oner handgun. Said handgun is stored in night stand next to bed, not locked (perfectly legal at the time in this particular state). Couple has 2 children, both UNDER 5. Kids have been educated to not disturb said handgun, to stay out of the cabinet under the sink, and use REAL plates and REAL glasses.

Is that so FREAKING hard?
 
LenS said:
I have a big problem with laws about this, because when you are in the situation that my Wife and I are in (no children and none visit here), you are forced by law to always have the guns locked up . . . in a house with two responsible and trained adults with LTC-As!
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exactly Len!
 
It's been covered...agreeded.

Parents need to work on thier kids.

My kid is two, and when she sees the safe open, she aske me to see "her" gun. She knows that the Chipmunk is hers when she's older. But, she knows that she can't touch it without asking. And I'll ask her what do you do when you see a gun around. She tells me, "It's dangerous. I need to get Daddy."

Which works for me because I think that she means any daddy, or really a grown up.
 
Nickle said:
And that folks, is EXACTLY how it's done.

Thanks, C-Pher, awesome back-up.
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Indeed. My kids grew up with my assortment of handguns and shotguns and I made sure they all got to handle them (safely) and even fire them (not in the house! [wink] ) if they wanted.

They all have kids now and I know at least three of the four have guns in the house (one son-in-law is LEO and my oldest son is LEO). I only hope they use the same common sense old dad did, back when.

Firearms can't be that mystery object dad hides in the closet, or you're just asking for trouble like this.

RJ
 
Jaxon said:
Indeed. My kids grew up with my assortment of handguns and shotguns and I made sure they all got to handle them (safely) and even fire them (not in the house! [wink] ) if they wanted.

They all have kids now and I know at least three of the four have guns in the house (one son-in-law is LEO and my oldest son is LEO). I only hope they use the same common sense old dad did, back when.

Firearms can't be that mystery object dad hides in the closet, or you're just asking for trouble like this.

RJ
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I was raised the same way. So, I'm trying to do the same thing. As I don't really remember when I was two. But I do when I was 5 and 6, and my granddad gave me my Winchester Model 190. He made me read the whole manual before I could even shoot it. He also made me sit with him and work the parts and such before as well.

Then we went out in the yard and started plinking cans on sticks.
 
C-pher said:
<SNIP> Then we went out in the yard and started plinking cans on sticks.
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That would have been nice, but we lived in the city. The cops sorta frowned on plinking in the back yard. [grin] We used one of the state park shooting ranges.

Those were the days.

RJ
 
I wasn't allowed to have toy guns as a kid, since they teach poor habits. Sounds strange, considering my background.

C-Pher, you ARE a young pup. I have a Winchester 190. You come up, you can shoot it, and give you a taste of yesterday.
 
#1 I too am a parent, but I guess I look at things different than many here. I am far more upset that they expelled a 5 year old for bringing a gun to school, than I am that the parents some how didn't teach there 5 year old to really not play with guns.

I don't recall ever playing with my fathers guns when I was little, because he told me not to AND put them places I couldn't get to easily. But guess what I am pretty sure I lost a hammer or two of his out building "forts" even though I wasn't supposed to take his tools (but I could still get to his tools).

My daughter is 2 I can tell her all I want not to touch my guns, that they are dangerous, just like I tell her standing on the couch is dangerous. But some times she still stands on the couch...And I am not sure most kids under say 6 really understand the difference in "dangerousness" of things. So needless to say I am not willing to let my word alone be the only thing between her and my guns, so I keep them where she can't reasonably get them unsupervised...

I just think it is silly to expell a 5 year just for bringing a gun to school, with no real ill intent...

Just my 2 cents
 
I recently taught my 10th grade Electrical vocational class how to operate a variety of powder actuated tools. (Ramset, Hilti, etc.) Each took an on-line test and recieved a certification for safe operation. Naturally the analogies to "real" firearms came up and I took the opportunity to discuss firearms and firearms safety in, of all places, a public school. Normally any discussion of firearms in public schools is taboo but I thought this was a good time to answer all the questions these 15 and 16 year old boys had. I was stunned at the ignorance and misinformation these kids had. My 11 year old son knows 100 times more about firearms than my students do. Their knowledge is based on exposure to firearms through popular culture, and TV and the movies are not the best depictors of safe and proper firearm use. I stressed the importance of safety and responsibility, telling each to NEVER TOUCH A FIREARM they find unattended. What more could I offer as unsolicited advice without crossing the imaginary line and offending a parent?

Regards,
Chris
 
I never got to shoot growing up (except in camp!), but my dad had a basement full of power tools... lathe, drill press, table saw, belt sander. And as I grew older he taught me how to use them one by one. I always knew I'd be learning to use them, so I didn't try to play with them.

Strangely enough... most of them are in my basement now.

Ross
 
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