kids (8&11), a gun, and a sandbox. How'd you teach your kids to be smarter?

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yy

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The first thing that struck me was, man, these kids knew how to be prepared.

But the second thing was, these kids could not deal with a girl without deadly force? (see the part about intended girl victim taunted these kids)

How do we bring up kids (same family or not) to be smarter than this?

Sigh, the "snitch" actually did the right thing. Report firearms to adults.


see story here: http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2004/03/18/national/main607230.shtml

Violent Playground Plot Foiled

FORSYTH, Mont., March 19, 2004



(CBS/AP) Two 8-year-old boys and an 11-year-old schoolmate were arrested after they buried a loaded handgun in a playground sandbox and plotted to shoot and stab a girl during recess, authorities said Thursday.

Sheriff Tim Fulton said the boys told investigators they intended to harm the young girl because she had teased two of them.

The plot was uncovered late Wednesday morning, about a half-hour before recess, when another student alerted school officials,

"A young man — our hero here — came to the principal, Kelly Anderson, and informed her that he was aware of a gun being on the premises," School Superintendent Dave Shreeve told CBS affiliate KTVQ Billings.

The gun, a .22-caliber revolver, had two bullets in it, Michael Hayworth, the Rosebud County attorney, said. Shreeve said a box of bullets also was found nearby.

The boys were identified in court records as Klint Cook and Levi Strait, both 8, and Blake Belgarde, 11. They were charged Thursday in juvenile court with conspiracy to commit assault with a weapon.

"There was nothing that I would've had a sense that something like this could've been put together and occur," said Anderson, the principal.

"From the interviews (with investigators), I don't believe that they fully comprehended the full significance of their actions," Hayworth said. "But they understood that this was going to bring harm to her ... and they intended that."

In a court affidavit, Hayworth said Cook apparently brought the gun to school Wednesday morning and buried it in the sandbox, while Belgarde brought the paring knife from home. Authorities initially said the paring knife also was hidden in the sandbox, but Hayworth said in an affidavit that Strait had the knife in his possession when questioned by school officials.

"I need to commend that young man for such a brave act," Fulton said. "He saved the lives of who-knows-how-many people."

Forsyth is about 100 miles east of Billings. The elementary school has about 200 students.

Many of the parents arriving to pick up their children Thursday said they were not even aware of the incident until they heard news reports of it Thursday.

The school was sending letters home with students on Thursday, and had a counselor available during the day to talk to any students. The letter urged parents in this rural area to lock their firearms and store the bullets separately.

"Needless to say, it is a frightening experience for a community and our schools," Shreeve said. "We believe it's an isolated incident but it does bring into reality that this can happen in any place at any time."
 
If I'm not mistaken, the NRA's Eddie Eagle program encourages kids to "Stop, don't touch, tell an adult" whenever they see an unsecured firearm.

What exasperates me to no end is how the anti-gun crowd contributes events such as these to the increasing "easy access" to firearms.
What they don't seem to realize is nothing's changed; firearms have always been accessible to some children. Only recently have we seen such a number of children take guns to school (to show off, shoot the teacher, kill the class hamster, etc).

Accessibility to firearms hasn't changed, society has.
If a student wants to kill a fellow student, they certainly don't need a gun to do it (as I'm sure we'll soon see in the years to come). It's going to take a lot more than knee-jerk band-aid legislation to fix the societal problems we face today.
 
The letter urged parents in this rural area to lock their firearms and store the bullets separately.

In rural Montana? Oooooookay.

I do think it's important to keep kids away from dangerous things. Kids can act awfully stupid at times.

But why in heck are school administrators advising parents in home security tactics? I think I'll retch if I hear even one more time, "lock your firearms and store bullets separately."

Just once I want to hear a school advise, "Keep your gun loaded and on your person, or in a secure quick-access device, at all times." :D
 
I worry about running into 8 and 11 year old idiots with firearms. I used to worry about having to smoke a kid in my neighbourhood. The parents were finally arrested for making meth and the JD was remanded to state custody. I feared that I was going to have to kill that kid. There are homicidal, crazed, gangbanger kids. They are just like their drug making/dealing/abuser parents. We truly need to build more prisons and youth detention centers.
 
I drive up that way periodically. Standard little Montana town in the middle of nowhere.

Someplace very early in life these little sociopaths picked up the idea that this sort of thing was ok to do. A generation or two ago this would have been literally unthinkable. Now anything is possible...

As to whoever left the gun and ammo available, they ought to be horsewhipped.
 
I took away the mystery

My children, 7 and 9, have fired my .22 rifle on our hunting land. They are well versed in the Eddie Eagle program. I have shown them what guns I have, how they work and how they come apart. I even shot a watermelon to demonstrate just how devastating a gunshot can be.
 
"The first thing that struck me was, man, these kids knew how to be prepared"

Oh come now! 2 boys get teased by a girl and they want to take her out.

Sounds like they have issues or have been taught by parents with issues.

Im glad they got the little tykes and hope they nail the parents that left the gun within access of the kids. Control of firearms withing our posession is a big point with me.

I have a loaded gun on my 24/7 and its in MY CONTROL......if its not and some kid gets it....then I should be help liable. PERIOD!

Shoot well.
 
These kids may be on the young side, but maybe the reason is that they have no actual experience with guns, and have been brought up on computer and video games, (not to mention TV programs) where there is a lot of shooting, blood and gore - but no serious consequences. Apparently they did intend to hurt the girl, but the story seems to indicate they didn't have a rational understanding of what this kind of hurt was. Somewhere there was a critical disconect in their thinking and perspectives. The key question is, "what caused it?"

That said, firearms in a household with children should either be under the control of an adult, or secured. But what about the kitchen knife ?????
 
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