Exactly. If the father bought the laptop, he can do whatever he darn wells pleases. I may not have shot it, but I totally agree that the incident needed to be handled in a way that truly makes the girl remember to not "F" with Dad. There is a clear lack of fear to do wrong that has become norm in recent decades. Punishment of all sorts, from punishing kids to punishing convicted criminals, needs to be more severe and less "oh thats just not right, let rehabilitate them". These days you might possibly have your kids taken away if you give them a smack on the butt because they crossed the line. We also are just so darn quick to diagnose kids with "problems that need special help" because they are misbehaved. I have a 21 year old that was just as whiney if not worse than the average teen, but she knew better than to disrespect us. And we never had to spank her. But she always knew the possibility was there if she crossed the line. We also have a 6 year old who has never been spanked, but also knows not to cross the line. If he ever tries to "stand up defiantly" my wife threatens to "count to three". He has no idea what happens when she gets to three. She has never made it past two. But, maybe, just maybe, she will make it to three someday. If that happens, then he will get punished severly enough that he will never again want to make it to three. I am basically a parent the second time around. My son has six misbehaved kids in his class that are deemed "autistic". I truly feel for parents that have kids that really are autistic, and I also feel for parents of kids that are "a handful", however, at least four of these kids are not autistic, they are simply a handful. But, this autistic title gives them a free pass to misbehave. I have personnaly spent hours and hours in the class as a concerned parent and it is clear which kids have a problem and which ones simply misbehave. When I was a kid growing up, there were kids obvious problems from birth, kids with learning dissabilities, and kids that simply mis-behaved. Those kids went to the pricipals office nearly every day and were punished. I knew a few of them and they have grown to be responsible law abiding hard working citizens. Now we simply coddle these brats and try to convince everyone it's okay, they just have a problem. Think its a problem now? Wait until they get a bit older! Quite simply, we need have more "in your face" punishment to get kids to learn respect. I am a hand gun owner and agree that blasting away at it might be a bit extreme, and at my home it would be because mine are locked away at all times, but if that is the fathers hobby and the way the father wanted to handle it, so be it. I am into dirt bikes and race cars. I would have either set it up as a dirt bike landing or I would have done burnouts on it at the local drag strip. Lastly, I totally agree with Zolar. If you truly have need for a $350 laptop, you can find a way to pay for it. It is not a need. You can donate cloths and food, maybe a toy here and there, but donating things like laptops and phones is just another example of enabling. Man, this went on much longer than I expected.