In case you missed this

[alpha]

She didn’t miss . . .

http://www.14news.com/story/19875472...wounds-burglar

One shot and done!


Bob

[cabinetman]

She didn’t miss . . .

http://www.14news.com/story/19875472...wounds-burglar

One shot and done!


Bob

Good for her. I'll bet that was a big surprise for Stacey.

.

[chopnhack]

Good job!! Gun control is so important, I am glad to see this mother instructed the fairly young girl already in firearms handling. Its a tool, folks

[LCHIEN]

I find several things alarming abour this article.

The article was not clear in expressing the child's training with guns nor of the intention of the intruder. I suppose some children can be and are well trained in the use of firearms. However, in general, a child even of the age of 12 should not have unsupervised access to a gun, in my belief. I would find it hard to believe that a home is in such danger that a child should need to have access to a gun while the parents are not home. And it it illegal to leave a 12-YO child at home unsupervised? And in Houston, parents can be held liable if children under 18 access firearms left unsecured by the parents. Children (and many adults apparently) often do not have the maturity not to play with and show off guns to impress others. To this aspect I note an alarming number of incidents reported in the local news of children and adults shooting themselves and their friends, siblings, and relatives accidentally.

I suppose its a good thing she was able to ward off an intruder - although we're not really sure of his intentions. Still, it seems that the likelihood of a child being hurt by an intruder is less than the likelihood of child in the same home being hurt by an accessible loaded gun.

Finally a bit of levity... in Texas (which is close to Oklahoma), gun control means hitting what you are aiming at.

[JimD]

I don't own any pistols. I have several shotguns and rifles. My tradition was to have my wife and kids go to the gun range with me and shoot a gun on fathers day. My point was that the guns were in the house and they were safer if they knew how to handle them. I didn't want the kids "experimenting" on their own unsupervised. While the kids lived with me, my guns were typically locked up. Not so much because of my kids but more because they had friends over frequently. The guns were always kept unloaded but you wouldn't have to look too far to find the ammunition. I still keep the guns and ammo in a gun safe but it is usually unlocked. I live by myself and when kids are around they are supervised. If I know kids are coming over I lock the gun safe, however.

I provided the details above to say I think we need to be practical and responsive about gun safety. Loaded guns shouldn't be laying around for kids to experiement with. But I also feel strongly that honest law abiding people should not have difficulty having guns (or knives). There is a mindset that seems to be emphasized by the popular media that our society would be better if there were no guns. (I was at the SC state fair last week and was unpleasantly surprised to have to go back to my truck to take my less than 2 inch long pocket knives to the truck so I could enter.) If we could truly get to "no guns" they might have a point but we can't. Letting only criminals have guns makes no sense to me at all. That is the practical effect of most gun legislation - we disarm law abiding people and do nothing to disarm criminals.

I would have tried to help my kid get a way to defend themself if I was in the position of the mother in this story. My "babies" are 27 and 30 and the 30 year old has more guns than I do (in a safe). When they were younger, if the safe was locked I would have talked them through finding the key and loading a weapon. Because of their practice, they would have been able to fire it at least in the direction they intended.

Jim

[sweensdv]

I find several things alarming abour this article.

The article was not clear in expressing the child's training with guns nor of the intention of the intruder. I suppose some children can be and are well trained in the use of firearms. However, in general, a child even of the age of 12 should not have unsupervised access to a gun, in my belief. I would find it hard to believe that a home is in such danger that a child should need to have access to a gun while the parents are not home. And it it illegal to leave a 12-YO child at home unsupervised? And in Houston, parents can be held liable if children under 18 access firearms left unsecured by the parents. Children (and many adults apparently) often do not have the maturity not to play with and show off guns to impress others. To this aspect I note an alarming number of incidents reported in the local news of children and adults shooting themselves and their friends, siblings, and relatives accidentally.

I suppose its a good thing she was able to ward off an intruder - although we're not really sure of his intentions. Still, it seems that the likelihood of a child being hurt by an intruder is less than the likelihood of child in the same home being hurt by an accessible loaded gun.

Finally a bit of levity... in Texas (which is close to Oklahoma), gun control means hitting what you are aiming at.

What his intentions were??? For Gods sakes man, he was inside the home of a total stranger where a child was hiding from him in her mothers closet. No benefit of the doubt here........shoot first and ask questions later!

[LCHIEN]

What his intentions were??? For Gods sakes man, he was inside the home of a total stranger where a child was hiding from him in her mothers closet. No benefit of the doubt here........shoot first and ask questions later!

OK I reread the article, it says his intention was burglary. She did the right things - she called her mom, got the gun on instruction of her mom, called 911 and retreated to the closet. He was stupid, committing criminal acts and certainly deserved to get shot. Had she killed him she had every right to do so (if it were in TX, I imagine OK is similar).

still, kids, home alone, loaded guns in the house, burglars prowling the neighborhood... tough mix.

[cabinetman]

There's a lot of scenarios, either way, all of them not good for someone.

It wasn't good for Stacey. It wasn't up to a 12 yr old to figure out what his problem was.


.

[Dal300]

I find it interesting that in the 1960's our school bus driver kept a 30.06 behind her seat in case a moose or an elk got too friendly.
The kids on the bus over the age of 12 were allowed to bring rifles and shotguns to school. We kept them in our lockers with the weapon on the lower and the ammo on the upper.

Our bus ride was nearly two hours, and many times we would go hunting with friends after school.
Our shop teacher carried a M-1911a1 on his hip every day of the week.

Part of gun control is teaching children what to do and when to do it and how to do it, not hide the weapons from them as if they were a taboo sex toy.

I grew up with guns, knew how to break down and clean a BAR, Marlin 39A Mountie, Springfield M1-A2, Continental Arms 12 gauge side by side, and a Colt Army .45. I also learned to shoot all of them and hit a possible with a few of them before I was 10 years old.

[chopnhack]

OK I reread the article, it says his intention was burglary.

still, kids, home alone, loaded guns in the house, burglars prowling the neighborhood... tough mix.

Forget his intentions, when someone breaks into your home "intentions" are not needed....

Your right about a tough mix, its fortunate that this girl was quick enough to react, from the looks of the door that the man burst through, it doesnt look like it would have offered much time to react...

[Pappy]

Whether his intentions were burglary, kidnapping, molestation of a child who was home alone, or murder is irrelevant. The fact is he broke into a home with some ill intentions.

The young lady, at the direction of her mother, did what she needed to protect herself. Absolutely no sympathy for the intruder here.

[cabinetman]

Absolutely no sympathy for the intruder here.

Absolutely. Criminals should be aware of the assumed risk for their deeds.

.

[LinuxRandal]

I find Lorings comments a bit naive. There is a lot I wouldn't expect the paper to go into. For one, the police would be investigating and shouldn't be releasing their results to a newspaper (finding out his intentions). For another, I would expect a lawyer, or a friendly cop would tell her not to answer access questions. (whether she told the daughter where key or combination access was, etc), let alone training. She could also be under, required investigation for child endangerment/neglect, for leaving the child at home, even if some single parent families, have no real choice when having a sick kid.

This is just off the top of my head and doesn't bring up how my fathers generation, there was more access to things (dad was blowing up rock and stumps with dynamite at 5, at parental orders), or other reasons a firearm may have been in homes.

[chopnhack]

This is just off the top of my head and doesn't bring up how my fathers generation, there was more access to things

That is a great point.... personal responsibility! I am proud of people who do what they have to do and take responsibility for themselves and their family. I wish more folks today had that attitude instead of relying on:
<insert agency here>

[Ozzie]

The State of Wisconsin recently passed a law allowing "concealed carry" to its citizens who pass a training course and pass a background check. Just this week, an estranged husband shot and killed his wife, (who had just gotten a restraining order against him), two other women and wounded four others at a hair salon. He killed himself before the Police arrived. The weapon he used was obtained legally(?) in a private sale between two parties even though the man was ordered by the court to surrender his firearms. Could this unfortunate event have been prevented by one of the customers having a weapon in her purse? Sadly, we'll never know. As a 74 year old male, do I now have to "pack heat" when I go for a haircut or out to get a malt?