For at least the third time this month, a young child has shot and killed someone. On Tuesday afternoon, a five-year-old boy fatally shot his two-year-old sister in Cumberland County, Kentucky with .22 rifle the five-year-old was given as a gift.
“It’s a Crickett,” Cumberland County Coroner Gary White told the Lexington Herald-Leader. “It’s a little rifle for a kid.”
The rifle, which was usually stored in one of the home’s corners, was inadvertently left loaded, according to White. The boy’s mother was home at the time of the shooting.
“The little boy’s used to shooting the little gun,” White said, before saying the shooting will be ruled accidental. “Just one of those crazy accidents.”
Just one of those crazy accidents. You know, the completely unpredictable kind of accident that occurs when you give a five-year-old a rifle and leave it lying around the house, unattended.
If this sounds familiar, it’s because, sadly, it is. Earlier this month, a four-year-old shot and killed a deputy’s wife with a handgun. The next day a two-year-old reportedly shot his mother in the stomach with a 9mm Glock. Two days later, another four-year-old shot a six-year-old in the head, killing him.
Uh, guns are not good gifts. I’m pretty sure I wasn’t even allowed play guns at age 5. From now on, let’s just give kids soccer balls. Everyone loves soccer balls, especially those small mini ones.
Here’s the thing. Responsible gun owners can give their 5-year-olds guns as gifts, because they will make sure the guns are properly stored, not loaded when not in use, and will supervise any time the child is using a gun.
The problem is obvious. There are a lot of irresponsible gun owners out there.