gun safety

[danceyogamom]

The right to bear arms is a highly debated topic in the US ... and not necessiarly one I want to get into. But why is it that gun safety (like if you are going to have them in the house with children, keeping them safely out of reach) can't be better promoted?

GERMANTOWN, Maryland (AP) -- A gun brought to a day care center by an 8-year-old boy accidentally went off Tuesday, wounding a 7-year-old girl in the arm, police said.

The boy had the gun in the backpack and was playing with it when it accidentally went off at the For Kids We Care center, Montgomery County police spokesman Derek Baliles said.

The girl was taken to Children's Hospital in Washington, he said. Her injury was not considered life-threatening.

There were six children in the center at the time of the shooting, which happened around 7 a.m. No one else was hurt.

Police said they do not know where the child got the gun. Names of the children, both from Germantown, a suburb of Washington, were not released.

[somebigguy]

I believe we all have the right to bare arms, but only in the Summer. In the winter I prefer long sleaves.

[danceyogamom]

Father charged after boy shoots girl at daycare

Police: Father has extensive criminal record


GERMANTOWN, Maryland (AP) -- A 7-year-old girl was shot in the arm at a day-care center Tuesday after an 8-year-old classmate brought in one of his father's guns and it accidentally went off, authorities said.

The father was arrested for gun offenses, and court documents outlined an extensive criminal record. The boy also was charged, but authorities said that was done only so he could be helped by juvenile authorities.

The boy had the weapon in a backpack and was playing with it when it went off, said Montgomery County police spokesman Derek Baliles. (Watch police activity at the daycare -- 1:26 (javascript:cnnVideo('play','/video/us/2006/01/24/fox.md.day.care.shooting.wusa','2006/01/31');))

The girl was taken to a Washington hospital with a wound that was not considered life-threatening.

There were six children at the For Kids We Care Inc. day-care center at the time of the shooting, authorities said. Police said the boy had found the gun, a .38-caliber Taurus revolver, in a container in his father's closet.

Police charged the 56-year-old father with leaving a firearm in a location accessible by an unsupervised minor, contributing to the delinquency of a minor, and possession of a firearm by a felon.

Montgomery County State's Attorney Douglas Gansler declined to give any details of the charges against the boy because of his age. The boy was to have his case reviewed by the Department of Juvenile Services, according to a police news release.

Neither youngster's name was released.

The father has an extensive criminal record dating to the 1960s, according to court documents. It includes several convictions of assault with intent to maim and gun charges. He could be sentenced to five years in prison if convicted of being a felon in possession of a handgun and three years on the delinquency of a minor charge, authorities said.

The documents said there were "numerous" other weapons in the father's apartment that his son had access to. The man was in custody and could not immediately be reached for comment.

Gansler said the boy knowingly brought the gun to the day-care center and that the charges filed against him were in the "best interest of the 8-year-old to make sure he gets the help he needs" from the state.

[Simply_sexy]

Oh my goodness!!