Five Year Old Shoots Dead His Two Year Old Sister...

[birdie1971]

A five year old boy in the USA who was given a firearm (marketed as 'my first rifle') and live ammunition as a birthday present accidentally shoots and kills his two year old sister:
http://goo.gl/LRYsM

Tragic, shocking, entirely preventable and woefully predictable are some of the ways I could use to describe this event. However, since this is the R&S section, I want ask how people (both religious and non-religious) feel about the girl's Grandmother who said the following:

“...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...”

[jomifl]

Because the links to the Cricket rifle web site have been removed I looked it up on youtube. 'Culture shock' doesn't do it justice, Why would anyone need 1000 rounds of Nato spec. steel tipped armour piercing ammunition. Doe american wildlife wear flak jackets? There are some seriously obsessed morons in the boondocks it seems.

[Togo30]

"""The little Crickett rifle is a single-shot rifle, and it has a child safety," -

Now that really does beggar belief! Arms manufacturers are making guns designed to be fired with live ammunition, with 'safety catches' for CHILDREN????

What drugs are these people taking!!!"

^As does medication pots and door locks and many other day to day items... let's not get too hysterical here

[vulcan42]

Togo, safety catches on medicinal bottles and doors are there to save life, rifles are made to take it.

[jomifl]

I think the 'child safety' is when it doesn't leave the shop.

[LazyGun]

Take a look at this article, which has pictures of these "my first rifle" rproducts. It certainly makes me feel a little queazy to see guns marketed directly to kids and made to look like toys. Little wonder that the dangers of something that looks like a toy might not be fully appreciated by kids...

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/young-guns-the-rifles-made-especially-for-children-8601794.html

[mikey4444]

She is American and religious...stupid just can't even begin to cover it.

[andy-hughes]

Togo30 - if you live in a home with doors - and most of us do, then child locks make sense.

If you take medicine, and a lot of us do, it makes sense to have a child-proof cap on the bottle.

If you think buying a rifle for your child is sensible behaviour then why bother with a 'child-proof lock', which, in this case, was either not used, or failed.

Doors keep people safe and secured, medicines help to cure or manage illness, rifles kill people - spot the difference?

Who is being 'hysterical'?

[mibn2cweus]

^ Who is being 'hysterical'? ^

The mother I suspect . . . that would be the most understandable response so far demonstrated by family members. :o/

[jomifl]

The big flaw in the argument that firearms are perfectly safe when handled properly is that they often aren't. People are forgetful, people get senile, drunk, angry, and insane. Gun safety procedures do not cover these cases.You don't need a lethal firearm to teach gun safety, a BB gun will do that job. I have used lethal firearms (12 bore shotguns), the consequences of a small error can be so dreadful that I wouldn't touch one now.

[DaisyNonna]

Words fail me.