Something bad happened in my town today. A 14 year old boy shot and killed a cat with a Marksman BB pistol he got for Christmas today. Today was the parent's return to work. Perhaps because it was only a $17 "toy" that only shoots @ 250 fps they left him home alone with it. Obviously they had no idea what he'd do first chance he got.
From what I've heard, he stalked it and shot it. Then he pursued it again and shot it several times in the course of the afternoon. What a cruel torturous murder. Makes me sick.
Here's the best part we can thank the nimrod AND his parents for, the cat was owned by his DEMOCRAT alderman! You know this will help push through ordinances that limit our RIGHT to bear arms. We can be our own worst enemy.
What can we do to prevent such horrible criminal acts perpetrated by unsupervised minors? What can I say it city council meeting to assure them this will not happen again? Thanks for your intelligent input.
2007-12-27 18:07:25 · 15 answers · asked by Anonymous in Sports ➔ Outdoor Recreation ➔ Hunting
Doc, it wasn't in his yard. The kid went out and hunted it down off his own property.
2007-12-27 19:01:29 · update #1
Sounds like the parents were real winners. I think that the issue here is "unrestricted minors"
In many areas, the shooting of a pellet / BB gun is restricted already. While you may be able to get them at K-mart and Wal Mart, the firing of them in city limits may be restricted.
In my town, they are. For that matter, reading the regulation a staple gun or a nail gun is also unlawful...
§ 161-1. Carrying and discharge of weapons unlawful. [Amended 6-2-1986 by Ord. No. 86-484]
It shall be unlawful within Upper Merion Township for any person to discharge or cause to be discharged or to permit to be discharged or to carry in pursuit of game with the intent to discharge or carry, etc., any weapon or other device or mechanism which propels a projectile with force. For the purpose of this chapter, the word "weapon" shall include, but shall not be limited to, guns, pistols, rifles, shotguns, carbines and air rifles. Also, for the purpose of this chapter, anyone dressed in hunting clothes, wearing a Pennsylvania hunting license and carrying a weapon into areas where game may be located shall be presumed to have the intent to discharge the weapon.
2007-12-28 04:41:36 · answer #1 · answered by C M 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Unfortunately you can't legislate good sense or decency.
Personally, I shot many a cat or dog with bb guns as a kid. And when they departed from my yard, it was all over until they returned. So I don't heavily fault the kid for popping a cat in his yard. Where he went wrong was in the pursuit and multiple shots. That was wrong, and cruel.
The only way you can be sure it won't happen again is to ban kids. Perhaps you should make that motion as an amendment to any stupid gun control ordinance, cause you can bet that they gungrabbers will twist attention away from bb gun to just GUN.
Good Luck,
Doc
2007-12-27 18:45:26 · answer #2 · answered by Doc Hudson 7 · 3⤊ 0⤋
First of all, check the existing ordinances to see if the kid or parents violated any. If they did, then all you have to do is suggest that better law-enforcement is necessary, not new laws.
Make it your emphasis that the kid needs immediate intervention--kids who hurt animals generally grow into criminals, and the law-enforcement and council people know this. The method of cruelty is unimportant here; he would have thrown rocks at the poor animal if he hadn't had the gun.
I suspect that the ownership of the cat and the party affiliation of the alderman will not be important here. It's more a matter for the police than for the legislators.
I'm afraid that the NRA won't be of very much help here. They've proven that they like raising funds more than helping gun owners.
2007-12-27 18:20:57 · answer #3 · answered by 2n2222 6 · 8⤊ 0⤋
I'm sorry for you. If you live in a place where there's any real likelihood your local government would enact firearms restrictions over a petty incident like you describe, your community is in BAD shape and your best bet is to move.
In a sane world the kid's family would be responsible for damages and the kid's parents would of course take the BB gun and beat the kid soundly with it before bending the barrel to a sharp 90 degrees and hanging it on the wall as a permanent reminder.
And of course, while killing a cat is usually stupid and pointless, it is NOT murder.
2007-12-28 00:08:11 · answer #4 · answered by gunplumber_462 7 · 3⤊ 0⤋
That's a case of parental irresponsibility.
It has nothing to do with the airgun, and everything to do with the failure of the parents to lay down concrete rules and enforce them rigidly.
The 14 year old could not legally purchase the airgun himself, that requires you be 18 or older.
Therefore the parents made an incorrect call in buying it for the little monster.
Insisting the parents be made liable legally for the actions of their minor children is a far better solution than blaming an object for the incident.
The child could just as easily run down the animal with his new go-cart, rendering it just as dead. Should they then ban go-carts? Of course not. That's silly.
Just like blaming the airgun is silly.
If he'd beat the cat to death with his new baseball bat, should you blame baseball? Should you blame and ban bats? No, again, that's silly.
Blame the society,
blame the lack of hunting education in schools,
blame the immorality on television,
blame the parents,
blame the kid,
but blaming a single potentially dangerous object that is only one among many potentially dangerous objects is nothing more than passing the buck.
A run-over cat,
or a beat-to-death cat,
is no deader than a shot-cat.
Blame the creation of the circumstance,
not a singled out detail,
that is only a part of the whole problem.
2007-12-27 18:24:40 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 5⤊ 1⤋
The parents are solely responsible for this incident. They should heavily fined, and made example of. Hopefully this would deter other parents in the area from being as stupid. I had a BB gun at the age of 9 and never had a problem like this. I was taught to respect guns and what they would do. I also did not have access to the gun while my folks were not home, until I showed them I could be trusted to use it responsibly.
2007-12-27 18:24:18 · answer #6 · answered by Stocky 4 · 4⤊ 0⤋
I concur with gunplumber wholeheartedly. When I was a kid I shot a bull in the nutz with my red ryder. He charged and almost killed me and my brother. Bro got a huge cut on his leg from the fence he was leaping over to get away from the bull.
Kids do stoopid things. It hasn't changed in a million years and nor will any legislation alter that fact.
2007-12-28 01:42:26 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
The thing to do is NOT give BB guns to immature kids, and secure all firearms in a gun safe. This is cheap insurance, considering the possible consequenses.
2007-12-27 23:37:24 · answer #8 · answered by WC 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Enforce the laws already on the books. Certainly this issue has already been addressed and there must be stiff penalties in place, see that they are enforced and no new laws will be required.You can't prevent stupidity, only hold those responsible accountable for their actions.
2007-12-27 20:40:51 · answer #9 · answered by Steel Rain 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
You cannot always prevent this stuff. What needs to be illustrated is that parents need to be responsible for educating. Also you cannot punish everyone else because of the actions of a few. AND this kid needs to be on the list that bars him from owning a gun.
2007-12-27 18:26:53 · answer #10 · answered by The GMC 6 · 3⤊ 1⤋