LA - Marie Smothers, 87, shot to death by 8yo boy, Slaughter, 22 Aug 2013

[teedie2]

Hope they tell us why a young boy who had a "normal, loving, relationship" with his grandmother would intentionally shoot her in the back of the head.

 

[teedie2]

there's no way to reconcile this for me

it's the gun culture that's to blame IMO

she would've likely survived any other attack

Maybe people should protest the video games too, not just the firearm, and just as frequently.

 

[LJKaust]

Get rid of the damn guns! Honestly, gun violence/accidents involving children happen far too often over there, so obviously there are lots of irresponsible idiots with guns. If people can't be trusted to lock their guns up, they shouldn't have them.

This makes me so mad!

RIP Marie. What a sad end to a long life

 

[LJKaust]

Oh and I do realise that you can't necessarily tell who is going to be be irresponsible with their weapon, so imo don't make them so accessible full stop.

:banghead:

 

[Kimberlyd125]

I really hope the thread doesn't turn into a gun debate thread. We all have our opinions on that topic.
But the laws are the laws.

We don't know any information about the gun at this time. We don't know how he got it. We don't know who it's registered to.

So many questions.
Guess we have to be patient for the answers.

Tragic case.

JMO

 

[ArianeEmory]

Maybe people should protest the video games too, not just the firearm, and just as frequently.

Well, it's hard to kill anyone with a video game disc. I don't think the kid should have been playing a rated M video game, but without the gun there wouldn't be a dead body involved.

 

[Sonya610]

Oh and I do realise that you can't necessarily tell who is going to be be irresponsible with their weapon, so imo don't make them so accessible full stop.

:banghead:

Let's ban steak knives and baseball bats and lighters and gasoline while we are at it.

 

[Kimberlyd125]

I think we can all agree an 8 year should never ever have access to a gun.

Simple.

Someone was irresponsible. We know that.

Please don't turn this thread into a gun debate thread.

 

[animlzrule]

They need to start throwing the book at these gun owners. A kid kills him/herself or someone else with a gun, lock up the owner, melt the gun, and huge monetary compensation to the victim's family. Apparently guns in the hands of children is not enough to make the country take action. Maybe if these people felt real consequences, we'd start to see some changes in gun culture. This country ought to be ashamed.

 

[oceanblueeyes]

there's no way to reconcile this for me

it's the gun culture that's to blame IMO

she would've likely survived any other attack

I'm not so sure that is true. A 90 year old woman is frail to begin with and very fragile.

A 89 year old man was beaten to death this week. The elderly cant protect themselves from those who are younger.

8 year olds can be quite deadly. A few years back we had a case here where an 8 year old premeditated and carried out two murders when he lay in wait.

imo

 

[oceanblueeyes]

They need to start throwing the book at these gun owners. A kid kills him/herself or someone else with a gun, lock up the owner, melt the gun, and huge monetary compensation to the victim's family. Apparently guns in the hands of children is not enough to make the country take action. Maybe if these people felt real consequences, we'd start to see some changes in gun culture. This country ought to be ashamed.

I haven't read all of the articles because I have been on vaca for a week but since he lived with his elderly grandmother did the gun belong to her?

It depends on the circumstances but some parents are being held responsible if their child gets a gun and shoots someone with it. Of course it wouldn't apply if the minor broke into a gun safe and took the gun without their knowledge.

IMO

 

[LJKaust]

The child shot his Great Grandmother in the back of the head, but yep, let's not talk about guns.

 

[oceanblueeyes]

Let's ban steak knives and baseball bats and lighters and gasoline while we are at it.

Didn't the two teens that murdered the 89 year old WWII vet this week beat him to death?

 

[LJKaust]

Didn't the two teens that murdered the 89 year old WWII vet this week beat him to death?

They weren't 8 years old.

 

[oceanblueeyes]

They need to start throwing the book at these gun owners. A kid kills him/herself or someone else with a gun, lock up the owner, melt the gun, and huge monetary compensation to the victim's family. Apparently guns in the hands of children is not enough to make the country take action. Maybe if these people felt real consequences, we'd start to see some changes in gun culture. This country ought to be ashamed.

There are more and more legal gun owners in this country every year but yet homicides have dropped 40 percent since the 90s.

Guns in the hands of children is a rarity though not the norm.

 

[Kimberlyd125]

I haven't read all of the articles because I have been on vaca for a week but since he lived with his elderly grandmother did the gun belong to her?

It depends on the circumstances but some parents are being held responsible if their child gets a gun and shoots someone with it. Of course it wouldn't apply if the minor broke into a gun safe and took the gun without their knowledge.

IMO

That's what I've been thinking. If the gun belonged to her and he's not old enough to be charged with a crime, I'm assuming there would he no charges.

I'm sure we will find out more in the coming days.

I want to know who that gun belonged to and how he got it.
I'd also like to know how he was able to have Grand Theft Auto. Who did that belong to? Did someone buy it FOR him ? She may not have even known he had it or that it was so violent. She was 90 years old.

So many questions.

 

[Sonya610]

Didn't the two teens that murdered the 89 year old WWII vet this week beat him to death?

Yes, with a flashlight? Guess we need to ban those too!

 

[oceanblueeyes]

They weren't 8 years old.

That's true but this 8 year old could have easily hit his very elderly fragile grandmother in the back of the head with a baseball bat and killed her too.

imo

 

[Kimberlyd125]

The child shot his Great Grandmother in the back of the head, but yep, let's not talk about guns.

That's not what I said at all. Of course we will discuss the fact he shot her with a gun. It's a fact.

But turning the thread into a heated gun debate will just derail it.

Like I said, I think we can all agree he should have never had access to that gun.

JMO

 

[Kimberlyd125]

Didn't the two teens that murdered the 89 year old WWII vet this week beat him to death?

Yes. With heavy flash lights.