Elementary School kid Shoots Classmate

[Junk Parts]

The 9-year-old boy who took a handgun to school that accidentally discharged,
seriously injuring a third grade classmate, told a Washington court, "I'm
sorry," after pleading guilty to three criminal charges, the Seattle Times
reports.

The third-grader, who attended the Armin Jahr Elementary School in Bremerton,
pleaded guilty to possession of a gun, bringing a dangerous weapon to school,
and reckless endangerment.

The paper reports that under a plea agreement, the boy will be required to
complete 48 hours of community service, before serving 12 months of probation.

On Feb. 22, the child carried a .45 caliber handgun to school in his backpack,
according to police, the Associated Press reports.

The gun accidentally fired after the boy slammed the backpack down. Amina
Kocer-Bowman, an 8-year-old classmate, was shot. She remains in serious
condition after five surgeries, and is now on a ventilator to help her breathe,
according to HeraldNet.

The boy is now expected to testify against his mother, Jamie Lee Passmore, and
her boyfriend, Douglas Bauer, who are accused of allowing him access to the gun,
according to King5.com.

The boy and his siblings live with an uncle along with their father.

John Bowman, the girl's father, disagreed with the plea deal, telling the news
station that the boy should have known bringing a gun to school was wrong.

"It's unfortunate but we can't make excuses for this circumstances, for his
actions," Bowman told King5. "That's totally unacceptable."

JP Says: BULLSHIT, BULLSHIT, BULLSHIT! I was 5 when I started shooting pistols with my Dad. I never took one of them to school with me. Why would I ever do that anyway? Leave the Mon, and Boyfriend out of it. The kid is the one who needs his chops busted! He is the one who did the crime. And before anyone goes there, back in my day all guns were loaded and were not kept locked up in a gun safe.

[PeteS in CA]

I can''t remember how young I was when I learned where my Dad kept his .22, his 12 gauge and the rifle he used for deer hunting. I knew better that to touch them, though!

[Junk Parts]

I think the kids have grown stupid these days. When I was still small enough to play inside the little cabinet under the sink I knew mom had a loaded gun in the side board. It was no big deal back then.

[KeriJane]

JP!

Fer cryin out loud!

The kid is 9!

Kids often have terrible judgement. It's not an insult, it's just that their brains aren't fully formed or developed and they lack experience. That's why RESPONSIBLE Parents or Guardians need to raise them.

You, personally, apparently were taught to respect and properly handle guns at a very early age AND to not do things like bring guns to school.

Leaving guns in a place where children can get to them has ALWAYS been a deadly crapshoot. Lots of times it's a deadly crapshoot with "ADULTS"!

Your parents were very careless there, even though you personally "got away with it".

This kid wasn't so lucky. Apparently the adults weren't responsible enough to keep guns AND the bullets away from 9-year old children and also failed to make the point that guns should never be brought to school.

It's just horrible for all involved and the adults involved are to blame. I feel the girls father is wrong for blaming the boy's judgement.... but his daughter was horribly wounded so he's bound to be extremely upset.

The boy, his unintended victim and their friends now have a bitter experience to remember and recover from. IF possible.

All preventable.
By the adults in the house.
The boy's terrible judgement is at least partly a product of their upbringing and it was their unfortunate choice to leave a gun AND the bullets for it where he could get to them.

[ratdude747]

Originally Posted by KeriJane

JP!

Fer cryin out loud!

The kid is 9!

Kids often have terrible judgement. It's not an insult, it's just that their brains aren't fully formed or developed and they lack experience. That's why RESPONSIBLE Parents or Guardians need to raise them.

You, personally, apparently were taught to respect and properly handle guns at a very early age AND to not do things like bring guns to school.

Leaving guns in a place where children can get to them has ALWAYS been a deadly crapshoot. Lots of times it's a deadly crapshoot with "ADULTS"!

Your parents were very careless there, even though you personally "got away with it".

This kid wasn't so lucky. Apparently the adults weren't responsible enough to keep guns AND the bullets away from 9-year old children and also failed to make the point that guns should never be brought to school.

It's just horrible for all involved and the adults involved are to blame. I feel the girls father is wrong for blaming the boy's judgement.... but his daughter was horribly wounded so he's bound to be extremely upset.

The boy, his unintended victim and their friends now have a bitter experience to remember and recover from. IF possible.

All preventable.
By the adults in the house.
The boy's terrible judgement is at least partly a product of their upbringing and it was their unfortunate choice to leave a gun AND the bullets for it where he could get to them.

agreed. this is why they sell/ give away handgun magazene locks... but then again people leave the gun loaded and easy to grab because they want it for quick self defense...

[Topcat]

I was raised around loaded weapons....I didn't bring one to school and kill or maim anyone......... pathetic. I'd be more afraid of what my parents would have done to me if I got caught bringing a gun to school....if I shot someone, I'd have rather been in jail than faced pop....

[toastygoodness]

The kid isn't stupid. The mom is. Poor uncle is caught in all this. The mom gave the kid the gun, even though she was under parole or something, I believe. The Seattle Times has been reporting on this for a while:

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/htm...ooting07m.html

I'm not sure what the boy was thinking, but at 9 I did some pretty stupid stuff, but I honestly hadn't developed real sense of consequences at the time, mostly just fear of my parents. Who are in his case, absent and stupid, and gave him the frickin gun. Thus, I don't think it's possible to blame the kid.

[KeriJane]

Originally Posted by ratdude747

agreed. this is why they sell/ give away handgun magazene locks... but then again people leave the gun loaded and easy to grab because they want it for quick self defense...

And the sad part...

Guns aren't that great at defense.
They're really good at OFFENSE

For Defense, a gun does nothing to stop the initial assault except possibly to scare off the attacker. Once you start shooting, it's really easy to miss your intended target (who doesn't want to be shot and is likely to move suddenly) and really, really easy to hit someone or something else by accident. This happens frequently in Chicago. Plenty of little girls and grandmothers die in the crossfire.

Now if you intend to shoot FIRST, a gun makes a really great offensive weapon. Especially if your victim doesn't realize they're about to be shot.

But that's not DEFENSE. That's (an) OFFENSE.

[PeteS in CA]

You, personally, apparently were taught to respect and properly handle guns at a very early age AND to not do things like bring guns to school.

The key word is "TAUGHT". I wonder what, if anything, this kid was taught. I knew better from before I can remember not to touch my Dad's guns without his permission. And I regarded them as possibly loaded, whether or not they were (ammo was in the same closet or a nearby cabinet). I grew up in a rural area, where lots of families hunted. Never saw a gun at school, let alone have a classmate shot at school. Responsive to no one, [sarcasm]I guess redneck-farmer types are just too stupid to know what kind of fun guns can be. [/sarcasm]

[toastygoodness]

Originally Posted by KeriJane

And the sad part...

Guns aren't that great at defense.
They're really good at OFFENSE

For Defense, a gun does nothing to stop the initial assault except possibly to scare off the attacker. Once you start shooting, it's really easy to miss your intended target (who doesn't want to be shot and is likely to move suddenly) and really, really easy to hit someone or something else by accident. This happens frequently in Chicago. Plenty of little girls and grandmothers die in the crossfire.

Now if you intend to shoot FIRST, a gun makes a really great offensive weapon. Especially if your victim doesn't realize they're about to be shot.

But that's not DEFENSE. That's (an) OFFENSE.

guns are illegal here... (essentially), aren't they? at least I remember rahm doing something pretty interesting with the gun control laws.

but i think the weapons you're talking about were not handled correctly, were illegal, and the owners had no training. if you want a gun and are a responsible person, you'd get the training to be able to shoot well.

but since guns are banned (essentially), it's pretty hard to get that training.

[Topcat]

^
Since when are guns banned in Illinois?

[KeriJane]

Hi Toasty

No, in the post you quoted, I was referring to all guns, not just those inexpertly handled.

Guns can be excellent offensive weapons but only mediocre defensive weapons. Even with good training, knowledge and skill.


I know a little about guns. My father had guns in Chicago before they were banned and he was grandfathered in for quite a long time before he had to get his handguns out of the city.

He insisted on bringing me, my sister and brother to the shooting range occasionally. None of us really see the point.

They can be extremely useful tools for hunting animals or killing people on purpose, like during a war. People like my father derive great enjoyment from target shooting, trick shooting and reloading.

But when push comes to shove, a good old kitchen knife is a better defensive weapon. Hard to miss, won't run out of bullets or jam and it's most unlikely to injure or kill innocent bystanders.

Strangely, the best "defensive" gun is illegal! Short range, wide path of destruction and just plain terrifying.... the humble sawed-off shotgun.

Yes, I read all of the books in the house including Dad's gun books....
No (functional) TV set, you see.

Let's move on to a happier topic!
Sox or Cubs?

Topcat:
Not all of Illinois.... just Chicago

[stretch0069]

Originally Posted by KeriJane

Guns can be excellent offensive weapons but only mediocre defensive weapons. Even with good training, knowledge and skill.

I respectfully disagree.

Originally Posted by KeriJane

But when push comes to shove, a good old kitchen knife is a better defensive weapon. Hard to miss, won't run out of bullets or jam and it's most unlikely to injure or kill innocent bystanders.

that is called hand to hand combat......and you think training is required for firearms....just as much training is required to properly wield a knife.

[Junk Parts]

In hand to hand combat its not like in the movies. If you don't know your stuff the other guy will take your knife from you. Next your guts are on the floor.
Boom beats stab, cut, stab everytime. I would think that a knife is a good stealth weapon up to a point. Having never killed anyone I'm not sure about my next statment but I have a feeling. Real people just don't die as easy as they do in the movies in most cases. I would think that while the real cutting and stabbing is going on there is going to be some "Death Noises" happening. Pain makes people make noises.

[Topcat]

Originally Posted by KeriJane

Topcat:
Not all of Illinois.... just Chicago

Ohh thats lovely....all the criminals can have guns....but the legit citizen who wants one to protect their family can't. Leave it to chitown...

[Rulycat]

Guns are banned here, but stand on a dodgy street corner in Liverpool or Manchester for long enough and some guy will probably sell you one that's gotten here all the way from China.

Guns aren't the problem where I'm from though. Knife Crime is the problem.

[severach]

Training video:

WKUK: Kindergarten Cons

[shovenose]

I've never touched a gun and I'm glad about it

[Junk Parts]

Great Vid! I had to go to a birthday party for a 2 year old yeasterday. There were about 10 or so other 2 year olds at this "party!"