What kind of mother buys her 14 y/o son a 9mm assault rifle?

Question

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071012/ap_on_re_us/student_arsenal_5

lock her up too.

I see we have a couple of yahoos who think I am anti-gun. Not the case, I have about a dozen guns, rifles, shotguns, pistols. And I got my 1st gun at 10 or 11 yrs or so. Sorry to sink your boat. We're talking a 9mm assault rifle, not a .22 or a .410, which is what a 14 y/o may be responsible enough to handle. Take a look at the cache they found in his bedroom. You gonna tell me mama didn't know that stuff was there? And what did she thin he was going to do with it? A 14 y/o DOES NOT need that kind of stuff, period. Anyone who would argue that his is an ok situation is either really out of touch with reality or just arguing to be a smartass.

oh, yes, I am a parent, to a 14 y/o & a 17 y/o. Both know how to hangle a weapon, but have access to light firearms, when I unlock the cabinet.

Answer 1

Unfortunately, here in America we have 2 kinds of parents that really bother me. 1st are the completely irresponsible parents that buy their kids guns without educating them about the uses and dangers of the weapon. 2nd are the oblivious/negligent parents that do not pay any attention to their children what so ever. Even more sadly is when a parent has both traits, causing parents such as this woman. Personally I do believe you are right in saying that she should be charged for this as much as the son. I also applaud you for being a responsible parent and teaching your children that guns/knives/sword aren't toys.

Answer 2

There are going to be things that any parent does that another is going to say “what were they thinking?” I have always found it funny that the person who knows best about raising your child is a complete stranger.

I recall when I was younger, a high school student from a couple of towns over ran a stop sign and broadsided a mini-van. The killed the parents and two small children. Did anyone scream that the kid should have never been driving? No as he was properly trained and licensed. As a matter of fact, when the DA contemplated charging the kid with vehicular manslaughter, the community argued that he should only be cited for running a stop sign.

Was the parents of this child wrong for buying the kid a car? Afterall, if they hadn’t bought the car, then the family would still be alive.

Was the mother wrong for buying her son an assault rifle? I don’t think so. The American society is conditioned by the media that assault weapons are bad. There was a 10 year ban of the importation or manufacture or any new assault weapons under Clinton that only expired a few years ago. Did you notice the reduction of violent crime when the weapons were banned or the sudden explosion in violent crime when the ban expired?

There is nothing magical about assault weapons. As a matter of fact, they tend to be less accurate and generally a piece of crap as they are made quite cheaply (they only look nice and feel cool). To this day, “assault weapons” are so terrible, that the US Military distributes is old, outdated military rifles to the public via the CMP program.

As long as my children understand firearm safety and shoot under my supervision, I don’t care what they shoot.

Take a look at the Beltway snipers, one of the most successful terrorists in US History. Two people single-handedly shut down the east coast, one shot at a time. They carried an assault rifle, but as smart as they were, they could have accomplished the same thing with a Ruger #1 single-shot rifle.

The boy could have been a highly responsible individual who loved to shoot. There could have been a number of reasons his mother bought him the weapon (got a good deal in it, ammo is cheap, etc…).

Actions make a person bad, not an assault rifle. I am glad that a potential school shooting was stopped, but I don’t think the mother did anything wrong.

So what else should parents be banned from buying their kids? Cars as they get into car accidents? Motorcycles because they are unsafe? Guns because they might shoot someone? Candy or McDonalds because the kids might get fat? Baseball bats because they might club someone?

You have to teach teens to be responsible adults. You can’t do that by treating them like babies. They need their own hobbies and make their own choices.

Answer 3

Apparently according to the laws of her state, parents can purchase firearms for their children as long as they store the firearms themselves and supervise the minors when they shoot. I'm not sure there is a violation of law here, except if the state has enacted a statute "where you cannot leave weapons where a minor can access it unsupervised". I don't know if her state has that law on the books, many states do not. Also many rural or gun owning parents go shooting with their children and many adults got their first firearms this way. .22 rifles and pistols are commonly the first firearms purchased for kids, and after 1934 any handgun would be in the name of the parent and then transfered to the child upon their 21st birthday.

As for your question, I also assume that it is a purely rhetorical one and you're not expecting a serious answer, except one that rails against the mother for being 'barbarous' in your eyes.

Also the HiPoint Carbine is not an assault rifle, except in the eyes of the sensationalist media and the convoluted laws of some states.

Answer 4

The firearm in itself is not particularly disturbing. I seldom trust the media to get anything right concerning guns and I'm especially skeptical of any initial report that contains terms like "9MM assault rifle" or refers to an assortment of BB guns as an arsenal. That said, the these folks DO seem to be a little off.

Answer 5

A mother who hadn't thought things out properly she probably thought she was buying the gun for her sons protection but as we have seen this weeks tragic circumstances she made the wrong decision which she will have to live with for the rest of her life. Its not a decision I would have made. She must have realised that her son had mental health problems and realised that he was probably being bullied at school. She should have take pro active action than buying rifle like maybe taking him to see a psychiatrist or maybe spoke to the school or got him self defence classes or maybe home schooled the boy. I come from a country where we are not allowed to own weapons like guns and I am glad.
EDIT:- I agree with the answer above even though I don't like guns and am glad I am not allowed to own one but I think with proper education about what a gun can do to someone will make people think twice about using one except for protection or hunting which I definately disagree with. Yes we can have differing opinions and vote for different political parties but that doesn't mean you don't have a valid point of view when it comes to gun control. Guns SHOULD be kept out of the hands of children FULL STOP END OF STORY.

Answer 6

I got my first weapon at age 11. It was a single shot .22 rifle.I still have it,39yrs later and shoot it ocassionally with my twin 7yr old grandsons.I taught these boys about the awesome power and responsibility of handling firearms and they DO get it...gun safety is no joke and firearms are not toys.
You are very obvious in your anti-gun stance, and in my opinion, are afraid of them no matter in whose hands they are. Maybe the boy is intelligent and has parents that actually
know what they're doing.
You seem to be the kind that didn't like it when your kid got dirty. Are you a parent? If not...shut the f***up!

Answer 7

What does a 14 y/o youth or anyone else for that matter want a 9mm assault rifle for. To shoot someone or even their cat. I would think twice about buying him a water pistol. Get him a pair of boxing gloves and teach him to be a real man.

Answer 8

The article says the parents are under investigation, and presumbably will be liable to arrest for child endangerment if not accessories to murder.

Answer 9

A gun totin' moron.