Thank you for being a valued part of the CNET community. As of December 1, 2020, the forums are in read-only format. In early 2021, CNET Forums will no longer be available. We are grateful for the participation and advice you have provided to one another over the years.

Thanks,

CNET Support

General discussion

weapons in the house?

Mar 13, 2005 12:46PM PST
4-year-old boy shoots brother in Houston

In a shocking incident in Houston, a 4-year-old boy shot his 2-year-old brother with a gun taken from his mother's purse. The 2-year-old, suffered a single gunshot wound to the temple, and is in critical condition at Ben Taub Hospital. The incident took place at around 4:20 p.m. at a home in the 5500 block of Gatewood near South Post Oak Boulevard.

Sgt. Cameron Grysen of the Houston Police Department Homicide Division said that the boys had an argument & the 2-year-old threw a toy at his brother after which the shooting took place. ?The 4-year-old was angry, he went and got the gun, put it to his brother's head and shot the gun," Grysen said.

The mother of the children told authorities that she had the gun to protect her family after a spate of recent neighborhood burglaries, but Saturday was the one-day that she did not secure the weapon.

Discussion is locked

- Collapse -
There is no reason for a 4 year old ...
Mar 13, 2005 1:02PM PST

... to know where to "go get the gun". This woman was negligent in the same manner as one that leaves toxins open around small children. I pray her child doesn't have to pay for her stupidity.

But a perfect example of how this makes the news. If she prevented being burglarized or harm coming to her kids you would never read about it.

- Collapse -
(NT) (NT) Unfortunately, we are reading about it
Mar 13, 2005 1:09PM PST
- Collapse -
It strikes me, Evie...
Mar 13, 2005 1:22PM PST

The story said, "?The 4-year-old was angry, he went and got the gun, put it to his brother's head and shot the gun,". The problem is that the child's reaction when angry was to kill the other child.
It strikes me that if there were not a gun present in his rage he probabally might have done something like grab a butcher knife from the kitchen and stab the other child. I doubt that a 2 year old would have lived thru that either. The problem in not a gun, knife, or any other physical object, it is that kid's kill reaction when angered.
Of course, had the kid grabbed a butcher knife as in the senario I mentioned, I doubt that JP Bill would have bothered to post the story.

- Collapse -
I was watching the story
Mar 13, 2005 1:31PM PST

on tv and seen the little boy being led away, with a paper bag on each hand, in order to preserve any gunpowder residue, for evidence.

- Collapse -
(NT) (NT) so thats the way its done to preserv e evidence
Mar 13, 2005 10:26PM PST
- Collapse -
i did
Mar 14, 2005 12:10AM PST

and why does the paper bags bother you?

do they bring back memories that desturb you did you get scared by a bag?Grin

- Collapse -
and why does the paper bags bother you?
Mar 14, 2005 2:51AM PST

They don't

do they bring back memories that desturb you did you get scared by a bag?

No

Paper Bags

- Collapse -
well
Mar 13, 2005 10:25PM PST

when my children were tots i used a slideing gun safe attached to bed frame certain combo. would release it.
guns with kids need security.

some people need to say something bad when they dont know squat.

more people die in auto accidents, supprised hes not on his soap box demanding stop cars

- Collapse -
This woman is an idiot ...
Mar 13, 2005 10:28PM PST

... probably the same sort that wouldn't put her children properly in the car-seats for a short run to the market.

Evie Happy

- Collapse -
(NT) (NT) thats true guns with kids need be locked up
Mar 13, 2005 10:34PM PST
- Collapse -
Re: 'no reason for 4yo to know' -- That's naive, Evie.
Mar 14, 2005 12:16PM PST

In discussing this very case tonight, an expert (from the Harris County sheriff's department) said "kids always know where the gun is kept. And they want to hold it and play with it." There's a fundamental disconnect -- if you are going to have a gun in the house "for protection," it doesn't really do you much good if it's "properly secured" (gun safe, or the gun lock they showed on TV tonight). If there really were a sudden home invasion, by the time you got the gun unlocked from either or both, you'd probably be dead.

I remain firmly convinced that responsible parents should not have a standard firearm in the house "for protection." There are two alternatives -- mace, which doesn't always work and requires you to be way too close for comfort to the bad guy, or soon the new home taser. We probably will buy one of those once they're available (we do have mace now, but see above!)

-- Dave K, Speakeasy Moderator
click here to email semods4@yahoo.com

The opinions expressed above are my own,
and do not necessarily reflect those of CNET!

- Collapse -
and i used a slideing safe
Mar 14, 2005 12:45PM PST

with my kids were in the house.
your fine with the taser dave your choice.but and this is saying if more than 2 perps your tasers useles unless its long enough to use as a club.

mace works some times but get a person on pcp your gonna get him mad at you.

ill stick with a knock down load in my 44, if he/she stays on my feet ill just hope i get 2nd shot off, this time be a head shot.

and tasers do kill

- Collapse -
Did you know where ...
Mar 14, 2005 1:12PM PST

... Daddy kept his rubbers at age 4??

NO reason for this kid to even know there was a gun in the house PERIOD!!

Evie Happy

- Collapse -
I wasn't interested in that Evie (and he was VERY Catholic!)
Mar 15, 2005 2:41AM PST

But I sure knew where to find other things of interest at a young age. But I guess you know more about the topic than the Harris County Sheriff's Department...

-- Dave K, Speakeasy Moderator
click here to email semods4@yahoo.com

The opinions expressed above are my own,
and do not necessarily reflect those of CNET!

- Collapse -
I didn't say anything about the facts of the case ...
Mar 15, 2005 2:46AM PST

... I said that there was no reason why the kid should know about a gun in the purse. That is a negligent parent. Your weapon du jour would likely be just as lethal on a two year old.

Evie Happy

- Collapse -
dave i had a safe
Mar 15, 2005 4:22AM PST

simular to this alot of us gun keepers had them
i never had to worry bout some one getting it.

plus my boys from the time they were 5 yrs old were tought never to play with daddys toys which were locked in safe.

why a guns not locked up beats me


http://www.deansafe.com/pistol_safes_index.html#HideAway

- Collapse -
How long would it take you to get the gun out of the safe?
Mar 15, 2005 12:18PM PST

That's why many people who keep guns "for protection" don't secure them properly -- because they feel it takes too long to get at them in case of emergency. of course, that also sets up tragedies such as this one.

-- Dave K, Speakeasy Moderator
click here to email semods4@yahoo.com

The opinions expressed above are my own,
and do not necessarily reflect those of CNET!

- Collapse -
all i had to do is click 1 button and gun
Mar 15, 2005 12:34PM PST

slide out so when my door opens into home my alarm goes off 3 seconds.

that was when i was married.

now guns on table in hands lenght

- Collapse -
I don't like guns in the house, BUT......
Mar 15, 2005 4:39AM PST

I have had them. My Son & DIL have guns in the house with their four children and those kids have been trained in what a gun will do! And they know better than to pick them up! My oldest daughter has guns also and her kids know how to use them and in a safe manner! I do believe it is in the training of your kids.

- Collapse -
What is the appropriate
Mar 15, 2005 4:42AM PST

level of gun training for a four year old?

Dan

- Collapse -
dan
Mar 15, 2005 4:46AM PST

1st is gun saftey, never point a gun at any body, its not a toy.

i tought my boys on a 22 single shot rifle how to shoot.

have you ever gone target shooting?

my boys now adults can shoot very well and continue to enjoy same

- Collapse -
You taught them at 4?
Mar 15, 2005 4:59AM PST

I'm not a bad shot.

Dan

- Collapse -
yes i started them on a single shot 22
Mar 15, 2005 5:36AM PST

maybe if more people tought kids that guns arent toys less would die.

- Collapse -
So true!
Mar 15, 2005 7:08AM PST

And my kids also never got into my purse,as they knew it didn't belong to them! If you start teaching children when they are young they understand what is right!

- Collapse -
what you mean to Discipline your kids???
Mar 15, 2005 8:18AM PST

how un pc of youGrin its absurd that parents should do that oh the shameHappy

- Collapse -
Yep! I am definetly NOT PC:)
Mar 15, 2005 11:01AM PST

And I have great kids that also discipline teir own children! That's why when their daddy told the kids his guns are of limits they believed him! Happy
Sue

- Collapse -
Teach them the word NO!
Mar 15, 2005 4:54AM PST

And it is simple to put a padlock behind the trigger! That woman should NEVER have had her purse accessable to any child with a gun in it! My kids put their guns out of reach! The son has children ranging in age from 16 down to 12! And they have NEVER touched his guns because they know their Father means what he says!

- Collapse -
O.K. Dan...
Mar 15, 2005 5:14AM PST

O.K. Dan, something I have used. After showing the kid that a gun (pistol in this case) was empty it was placed on a table next to a toy gun. The child was told to keep the muzzle pointed at the wall (as it already was) and lift the toy gun about a foot and put it back on the table just like it was. The same was done with the actual pistol. It was lifted for 6 inches for about 5 seconds. Then I pointed out the weight difference and told him if he ever found a gun, don't touch it, get an adult to deal with it. The lift/notice the weight/ senario was because then I told him that if somehow (even though forbidden) he ended up touching one (like a "look what I found" senario in a friend's house) even if the friend said it was a toy heavy meant Real not toy.
On demonstrating the potential for damage to a kid, somebody else recommended "drilling" a penny with a scoped .22 rifle. The penny with the hole was given to the kid as a "pocket piece" and not only reminded the kid of the potential for damage with a gun but gave the same message to any kid to whom he showed that "cool" pocket piece. Even small kids understand the hardness of a penny and that something that could go thru it could cause them great damage and pain.
BTW, one day I demonstrated the potential in another way also,living on a farm. I shot a can. A spray can full of paint, red of course. The message got thru instantly.

- Collapse -
You sit them down in the yard. Put ear protectors on them,
Mar 15, 2005 6:44AM PST

and show them what a gun does. The lesson? It's dangerous! Don't touch it, and come tell me or mom if you see one.

You think it would be better if they didn't know what guns are?

- Collapse -
(NT) (NT) www.nrahq.org/safety/eddie
Mar 15, 2005 9:45AM PST