7 year old arrested with pellet gun

[Deleted]

www.wtnh.com/dpp/news/new_haven_cty/7-year-old-arrested-for-bb-gun-on-bus

[billisonboard]

Seems foolish on the surface to actually place him under arrest.  However, we have a case where a 7 year old is able to pack a gun out of his house.  This particular gun is not the most dangerous of weapons but what other guns are available for him to pack out tomorrow?  It seems like the arrest would give the police the supporting reason to search the house for that answer.  Without the arrest, not sure what future legal steps are possible.

[EVT1]

No shit- people have been shot by police holding those things.  I am all for sending a strong message- and just what the hell is a 7yo doing with it in the first place?  They probably need to take a look around the house

[Tennesseer]

"Police say the gun belonged to an uncle, and the gun was taken from a drawer without the uncle's knowledge."

[EVT1]

And how many real guns are in other drawers?  Scary.

[Deleted]

Apr 25, 2013 12:51:01 GMT -5 EVT1 said:

And how many real guns are in other drawers?  Scary.

Oh please! I'm all for gun control and even I appreciate the difference between a pellet gun and a real one. I would not be concerned with a pellet gun stored in a drawer.

[billisonboard]

Apr 25, 2013 13:05:30 GMT -5 @justaposter said:

Apr 25, 2013 12:51:01 GMT -5 EVT1 said:

And how many real guns are in other drawers?  Scary.

Oh please! I'm all for gun control and even I appreciate the difference between a pellet gun and a real one. I would not be concerned with a pellet gun stored in a drawer.

How about being concerned that a 7 year old takes it without your knowledge and displays it in public?

[Green Eyed Lady]

Search the house for what?  It isn't illegal to own firearms.    If you want to search the house trying to find a responsible adult - have at it.   But it isn't against the law to own a pellet gun or other firearms, for that matter, as long as you have the proper permits, etc. for those that require it.  This is no cause to "search the house".  I wouldn't argue with it being a cause for a call to child protective services, tho. 

[thyme4change]

It is good to arrest the kid and give him a little scare.  Just in case he doesn't know right from wrong.  He should at least know legal vs. illegal.  

[Deleted]

How about being concerned that a 7 year old takes it without your knowledge and displays it in public?

It's a pellet gun. I wouldn't be thrilled but I would not have the same concern as if it is a real gun.

[Deleted]

At 10 or 11 years old I was shooting a 22. Here we are talking about a pellet gun.

As far as using the fact that a kid had a legal pellet gun to illgally seach someone's house in case they had a legal gun, well what can anyone say? Peoples perception of what is right is really screwed up.

[billisonboard]

Apr 27, 2013 9:06:54 GMT -5 @oldtex said:

At 10 or 11 years old I was shooting a 22. Here we are talking about a pellet gun.

As far as using the fact that a kid had a legal pellet gun ...

on the school bus at the age of seven in 2013 (just to make sure we are including all the facts of the case).

[Tennesseer]

Unless the seven year old is his own uncle...

"Police say the gun belonged to an uncle, and the gun was taken from a drawer without the uncle's knowledge."

[Deleted]

Apr 27, 2013 9:14:17 GMT -5 billisonboard said:

[mmhmm]

See below:

Pellet guns can kill ya

[Deleted]

I don't know, I really don't. Have we come so far in this country that a dumb 7 year old kid has to be arrested for having a pellet gun? Have we even gone past that so that someone suggests that our rights should be suspended & our houses should or could be searched for no other reason that that same 7 year old has a pellet gun (unloaded even). The answer here is yes we have come that far.

By that reasoning every single person who picks up a prescription should have their house searched because they "could" be using drugs.

But even that's beside the main point as I see it. The main point here that I see is posters saying that if you don't agree with my way of looking at it you should have no rights. I don't agree with guns & your 7 year old having a pellet gun is enough to justify illegal search of your house.

[Deleted]

Apr 27, 2013 13:08:40 GMT -5 mmhmm said:

See below:

Pellet guns can kill ya

So can electricity. Please be safe & turn your computer off.

[mmhmm]

Apples to oranges, oldtex.  A pellet gun on a school bus is unsafe.

[moon/Laura]

yes, it was "only" a pellet gun. yes, it was legal. what was his intent? to shoot someone at school? just show it off? the story doesn't say. but what if shooting someone is what he'd planned? and what if it were a real gun instead? legal still, but as pointed out, where was the supervision and why wasn't it locked up? even though only a pellet gun, that's really no excuse not to practice safety measures. Most 7 yr olds probably don't have enough common sense to know what could happen if the gun goes off. Not *truly* know.

[mmhmm]

The other question that comes to my mind is:  What if the bus hits a bump, or debris in the road, or has to stop suddenly?  Under those conditions, the gun could be accidentally discharged.  If an adult can be killed by a pellet gun, I'd be willing to bet a child can be, as well.  Or, an eye can be lost, or any one of several other severe injuries.  Whether the gun was loaded, or not, isn't the question.  The bus driver had no way of knowing. All he knew was one of the kids had a gun on the bus.  That's just not acceptable, in my eyes. Whether the kids should have been arrested, or not, is another question.  Getting a talking-to by the police about bringing firearms to school was probably a good thing, though.  It's something the boy will remember.

[moon/Laura]

The article also stated that the pellet gun looked just like a regular gun. so how do you handle that?! you have to treat it like it could be a real gun, that's how!

the argument that it was just a pellet gun is rather lame, actually. when an unsupervised child has access to ANY gun, there's a problem. arresting him may have gone a bit far but i'm sure it will leave an impression.

[Deleted]

Apr 27, 2013 14:02:53 GMT -5 mmhmm said:

The other question that comes to my mind is:  What if the bus hits a bump, or debris in the road, or has to stop suddenly?  Under those conditions, the gun could be accidentally discharged.  If an adult can be killed by a pellet gun, I'd be willing to bet a child can be, as well.  Or, an eye can be lost, or any one of several other severe injuries.  Whether the gun was loaded, or not, isn't the question.  The bus driver had no way of knowing. All he knew was one of the kids had a gun on the bus.  That's just not acceptable, in my eyes. Whether the kids should have been arrested, or not, is another question.  Getting a talking-to by the police about bringing firearms to school was probably a good thing, though.  It's something the boy will remember.

First off the 7 year old was arrested. It was a pellet gun. And it was a pellet gun that was UNLOADED.

What if the bus hits

Your totally right there. We have to start making laws & enforcing laws & protecting people from all the "What if's" that people can think up. For instance (from you) What if the bus has to stop suddenly....Well they don't have seat belts, we need them. Also what if they are in a wreck, where are the air bags for each kid. What if they break down on a rail road crossing? The what if's never end. I think that what if's are a sign of a mental disorder.

[moon/Laura]

"And it was a pellet gun that was UNLOADED."

but how would anyone have KNOWN that at first glance? Did the boy even know it? did he care?

the point isn't that we need more laws to protect against the what ifs. the point is that there was an unlocked gun, which could have easily been loaded as well as real, within reach of a child. or at least that's MY point.

[billisonboard]

Apr 27, 2013 13:13:53 GMT -5 @oldtex said:

...

But even that's beside the main point as I see it. The main point here that I see is posters saying that if you don't agree with my way of looking at it you should have no rights. I don't agree with guns & your 7 year old having a pellet gun is enough to justify illegal search of your house.

Who is advocating "illegal" searches? You have a seven year old with a gun on a school bus. Take it to court and use that as probable cause for a need to search the house to see if there are other weapons that are more dangerous stored. If the judge agrees, there is nothing illegal about it.

[mmhmm]

Apr 27, 2013 16:00:33 GMT -5 @oldtex said:

Apr 27, 2013 14:02:53 GMT -5 mmhmm said:

The other question that comes to my mind is:  What if the bus hits a bump, or debris in the road, or has to stop suddenly?  Under those conditions, the gun could be accidentally discharged.  If an adult can be killed by a pellet gun, I'd be willing to bet a child can be, as well.  Or, an eye can be lost, or any one of several other severe injuries.  Whether the gun was loaded, or not, isn't the question.  The bus driver had no way of knowing. All he knew was one of the kids had a gun on the bus.  That's just not acceptable, in my eyes. Whether the kids should have been arrested, or not, is another question.  Getting a talking-to by the police about bringing firearms to school was probably a good thing, though.  It's something the boy will remember.

First off the 7 year old was arrested. It was a pellet gun. And it was a pellet gun that was UNLOADED.

What if the bus hits

Your totally right there. We have to start making laws & enforcing laws & protecting people from all the "What if's" that people can think up. For instance (from you) What if the bus has to stop suddenly....Well they don't have seat belts, we need them. Also what if they are in a wreck, where are the air bags for each kid. What if they break down on a rail road crossing? The what if's never end. I think that what if's are a sign of a mental disorder.

If I have a "mental disorder", oldtex, it's called "thinkaheadosis".  In fact, I believe those that don't consider what COULD happen under all conditions aren't really thinking, at all.  They've got their heads set and forgot all about their minds.  No kid should EVER bring any sort of gun on a school bus.  Every parent should realize this and that parent should make sure their child(ren) realizes this.  A child carrying a gun of any sort, loaded or not, on a school bus is NOT a right any more than yelling FIRE! in a crowded theater is a right.

[frankq]

Uh....Before we send in the National Guard and the FBI, lets remember ......we're talking about a 7 year old. Obviously this is not an acceptable situation, yes, a mistake was made in the home. Yes, it needs to be addressed. Firmly. Maybe the uncle had the thing stashed under some stuff and never thought anyone would rummage through his drawers. Who knows. But to run a kid a couple of years out of being a toddler, a kid that probably doesn't ride a two wheeler yet, through the judicial system? Are you kidding me?

Who is advocating "illegal" searches? You have a seven year old with a gun on a school bus. Take it to court and use that as probable cause for a need to search the house to see if there are other weapons that are more dangerous stored. If the judge agrees, there is nothing illegal about it.

You guys are really scary. "You have a seven year old with a gun on a school bus" ? Really? You're just calling this a "gun" now? Not a BB gun, just a "gun"? You're really going to go there?. And what if there are real guns, locked away. Are you going to want to take them? ....And you wonder why there is so much distrust when it comes to looking out for our rights.
WTF.

[mmhmm]

Why would anyone want to take away guns that were properly secured, frankq?  Nobody has said anything even close to that.  Most of us think arresting the kid might have been a step too far, but it will probably resonate with that kid for awhile and make him more aware of what's okay and what isn't when it comes to guns of any kind.  This wasn't the fault of the child, however. This was indicative of slipshod parenting, IMO.

[Deleted]

No kid should EVER bring any sort of gun on a school bus. Every parent should realize this and that parent should make sure their child(ren) realizes this. A child carrying a gun of any sort, loaded or not, on a school bus is NOT a right any more than yelling FIRE! in a crowded theater is a right.

mmhmm your funny. You compare an unloaded pellet gun held by a 7 year old kid to yelling fire in a theater full of people & you believe that it's good to arrest that 7 year old. Yet you don't mind an illegal search in someone's home & the search would be for something that isn't illegal.

A 7 year old with an unloaded pellet gun is something very minor & shouldn't & couldn't have been blown out of proportion except by some who's reality "off". You believe that people that don't meet your strange standards shouldn't have any rights, even though they are spelled out in the constitution of the country that you live in. Yes, you are funny.

[moon/Laura]

But Tex.. until that bus driver took it, who knew that it was A) unloaded or B) a pellet gun? none of that was known until after the fact..

so yes, arresting him may have been a bit too much but as has been stated before, you still have to address it somehow. and no one ever said the police should barge in then and there and do a search, either.

[billisonboard]

Apr 27, 2013 18:53:06 GMT -5 @oldtex said:

....

A 7 year old with an unloaded pellet gun is something very minor & shouldn't & couldn't have been blown out of proportion except by some who's reality "off". You believe that people that don't meet your strange standards shouldn't have any rights, even though they are spelled out in the constitution of the country that you live in. Yes, you are funny.

Not sure exactly where The Constitution indicates that seven year olds have the right to keep and bear unloaded pellet guns on school buses. Now if you are indicating that The Constitution gives a 7 year old the right to keep and bear arms, then they have the right to have a loaded .44 Magnum revolver on a school bus.