6-Year-Old Shoots Teacher at Virginia Elementary School,

[Tennesseer]

I hope the parent(s) are held responsible. The shooting was intentional.

6-Year-Old Shoots Teacher at Virginia Elementary School, Police Say

A teacher at Richneck Elementary School in Newport News has “life-threatening injuries” after being shot by one of her students, the authorities said.

A 6-year-old student at an elementary school in Newport News, Va., shot a teacher on Friday afternoon during an altercation in a classroom, the authorities said, leaving her with “life-threatening” injuries and renewing calls for greater gun restrictions.

As of Friday evening, the student was in police custody, while the authorities figured out the best next steps, Steve Drew, the chief of the Newport News Police Department, said at a news conference.

The superintendent of Newport News Public Schools, Dr. George Parker, said at the news conference that “we need to keep guns out of the hands of our young people.”

“I cannot control access to weapons,” Dr. Parker said. “My teachers cannot control access to weapons.”

The shooting in Newport News, a city of more than 180,000 people, about 70 miles southeast of Richmond. Va., stunned officials on Friday as they began to investigate what had gone wrong inside the school.

“I’m in shock, and I’m in awe, and I’m disheartened,” Dr. Parker said.

6-Year-Old Shoots Teacher at Virginia Elementary School, Police Say

[busymom]

How on earth does a kid THAT young get ahold of a loaded gun?  Either his parents are lousy at locking up their guns, or I don't know what to think...


(And people wonder why no one wants to go into teaching anymore.)  I'm afraid I couldn't read the article, as the paywall is keeping me out.

[skeeter]

Jan 6, 2023 19:02:02 GMT -5 busymom said:

How on earth does a kid THAT young get ahold of a loaded gun?  Either his parents are lousy at locking up their guns, or I don't know what to think...


(And people wonder why no one wants to go into teaching anymore.)  I'm afraid I couldn't read the article, as the paywall is keeping me out.

Go to the MSN Home Page. Being covered by several sources there that don't have pay walls.

[Tennesseer]

Jan 6, 2023 19:02:02 GMT -5 busymom said:

How on earth does a kid THAT young get ahold of a loaded gun?  Either his parents are lousy at locking up their guns, or I don't know what to think...


(And people wonder why no one wants to go into teaching anymore.)  I'm afraid I couldn't read the article, as the paywall is keeping me out.

At this time the article I posted was pretty short. I posted it in its entirety. More to come I'm sure.

[pulmonarymd]

Just another day in America. Not like there is anything we can do to prevent this from happening again.

[Pink Cashmere]

TERRIBLE!

I have used my right to own firearms, but I have also always taken responsibility for keeping them out of children’s hands. Yes, it would’ve been a problem if there was a situation and I had to waste time getting to my gun because it was locked away, but to me, that was better than taking the chance a child might get ahold of it. I don’t *think* my children would’ve taken a gun and done whatever if they found it, but you never know, and that was not a chance I was willing to take.

I support the right to own firearms. But I am also adamant about being responsible if you choose to own one or some. That includes knowing how to handle it and use it safely, knowing and following laws regarding carrying and using it, taking measures to keep it away from children and not having it easily accessible to thieves, and whatever else I’m not thinking of at the moment. To me, owning guns means taking on a HUGE amount of responsibility. When I bought one years ago, it was because one of my children, a teenager, tried to break up a fight at school and there were threats made to shoot up my house.

So I bought a gun. I learned how to use it, immediately started going to a range to learn to shoot what I was aiming for, and educated myself on safety and the laws regarding using it. I never carried it, I bought it to defend myself and my child at home. And it was locked away when I wasn’t at home, and after some time passed with nothing happening, it mostly stayed locked away. I didn’t *think* my teenage child would mess with it, but I still preferred to err on the side of caution.

I feel for the teacher and I’m really sad that this happened to her. I couldn’t be a teacher even if they didn’t have to deal with the possibility of being in physical danger. I just don’t do well with unruly kids, so I know I wouldn’t be a good teacher. I also actually feel bad for the child too, because I’m not sure that at 6yo, this child really understands what they did. 

[I Am Caine]

In the end, they will blame it either on gun control laws or the lack thereof, or violence on television and/or in video games.

[billisonboard]

Jan 7, 2023 12:43:26 GMT -5 I Am Caine said:

In the end, they will blame it either on gun control laws or the lack thereof, or violence on television and/or in video games.

I have no doubt that you will be able to find a "they" which will blame it on each of those and a few hundred other reasons. I find it interesting to look at the support offered for reasons.

[Pink Cashmere]

Jan 7, 2023 12:43:26 GMT -5 I Am Caine said:

In the end, they will blame it either on gun control laws or the lack thereof, or violence on television and/or in video games.

When my son got old enough for me to start teaching him how to drive a car, he thought he already knew how, from playing video games. It was my job as a parent to get him to understand that driving in real life is very different from playing a video game and that messing up IRL can have deadly consequences that nobody jumps right back up from, to go on about their business. I refused to even let him in the driver’s seat until it seemed like he understood what I was saying, which took a while.

I do think that some things that are considered entertainment can influence young people in negative ways. I also think that it was my job as a parent to counter those influences and teach my children better.

My daughter does not allow my Grandson to have fake guns as toys. He can have brightly colored water guns, that’s it. He is also not allowed to play violent video games, regardless of what his peers are allowed to do. This is my same daughter that got teased for not having seen some very popular movies that were rated R and I wouldn’t let her watch. 

I was raised in a family that believed in protecting children’s eyes and ears. It’s true that they will still be exposed to some things you’d prefer they aren’t, because they will not be under your watchful eye 24/7, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try.

Even with all that, this child got the gun from somewhere. And whoever owned it is responsible for allowing a 6yo child to get it. Unless this child was able to crack open a locked safe or go to some other extreme measure to get it, there are no excuses, no ifs and or buts.

[Spellbound454]

My daughter does not allow my Grandson to have fake guns as toys. He can have brightly colored water guns, that’s it.

I was the same with my kids.

Children running about shouting ..."Bang, bang, you're dead" ..... doesn't seem like a game they should be playing.

[djAdvocate]

Jan 8, 2023 3:29:38 GMT -5 Spellbound454 said:

My daughter does not allow my Grandson to have fake guns as toys. He can have brightly colored water guns, that’s it.

I was the same with my kids.

Children running about shouting ..."Bang, bang, you're dead" ..... doesn't seem like a game they should be playing.

ditto here.
there is plenty of time to learn to kill one another.
why waste our youth on it?

[daisylu]

Jan 7, 2023 12:43:26 GMT -5 I Am Caine said:

In the end, they will blame it either on gun control laws or the lack thereof, or violence on television and/or in video games.

As "they" should. Any idiot can have a child, but does the child of an idiot not deserve to be better protected?

We do not have a good local news source in the last area that I lived in, but the 13YO in the link below killed himself with a gun owned by his parents. IMO, something needs to be done to prevent irresponsible people from owning firearms. 

I no linger live in that area. The state that I live in now actually does extensive background checks, WITHOUT needing the federal government to make them.

link

[Pink Cashmere]

Jan 11, 2023 13:04:28 GMT -5 daisylu said:

Jan 7, 2023 12:43:26 GMT -5 I Am Caine said:

In the end, they will blame it either on gun control laws or the lack thereof, or violence on television and/or in video games.

As "they" should. Any idiot can have a child, but does the child of an idiot not deserve to be better protected?

We do not have a good local news source in the last area that I lived in, but the 13YO in the link below killed himself with a gun owned by his parents. IMO, something needs to be done to prevent irresponsible people from owning firearms. 

I no linger live in that area. The state that I live in now actually does extensive background checks, WITHOUT needing the federal government to make them.

link

When I was a senior in high school, a popular 10th grader committed suicide with a gun. She and I didn’t know each other, but I knew who she was because she was popular. She’d planned it, because after school that day she was hugging all her friends and saying they wouldn’t see her any more after that day. They thought she was just being weird, and had no idea she was planning to do what she did. This was before the Internet and all the awareness about suicide. We were all children in high school, and even though we were teenagers, we still weren’t adults that might have recognized what she was saying might have meant.

She went home and cut up all the pictures of herself she could find, and shot herself in the head.

I was upset about how she was so young and felt like that was her only way to escape whatever pain she was in, but until now, I never thought about what her friends that she was hugging and saying that to, might have felt and gone through after she killed herself that evening. I hope that if they ever did feel like they could’ve tried to stop it, they have forgiven themselves for not knowing or understanding what she meant. 

And now, I understand that she had to get the gun from somewhere. There were rumors after her death that her Mom used to leave her alone for days while she kicked it or went out of town with her male friends, and she felt like her Mom didn’t love her, and there were rumors that she was pregnant and afraid to tell her Mom. It was all rumors and idk if any of that was true. But even if none of that was true, and it was still her Mom’s gun she used, I can’t imagine how incredibly painful that must be for a parent. Your 15yo child committing suicide is painful enough, but if they used a gun you owned and didn’t take measures to keep out of their hands, must be even worse.

[NomoreDramaQ1015]

The thing is the technology to prevent this exists.  There is fingerprint technology that registers the gun to your fingerprint.  If someone else tries to use the gun it won't fire.  If they tamper with it the gun is rendered inoperable.

The NRA was able to rally the troops against it by beating "They are coming to take your guns!" drum.   You would think they would be all for technology that would show gun owners being responsible and safe as they claim everyone who owns one is. 

[daisylu]

Jan 11, 2023 16:37:40 GMT -5 Pink Cashmere said:

Jan 11, 2023 13:04:28 GMT -5 daisylu said:

As "they" should. Any idiot can have a child, but does the child of an idiot not deserve to be better protected?

We do not have a good local news source in the last area that I lived in, but the 13YO in the link below killed himself with a gun owned by his parents. IMO, something needs to be done to prevent irresponsible people from owning firearms. 

I no linger live in that area. The state that I live in now actually does extensive background checks, WITHOUT needing the federal government to make them.

link

When I was a senior in high school, a popular 10th grader committed suicide with a gun. She and I didn’t know each other, but I knew who she was because she was popular. She’d planned it, because after school that day she was hugging all her friends and saying they wouldn’t see her any more after that day. They thought she was just being weird, and had no idea she was planning to do what she did. This was before the Internet and all the awareness about suicide. We were all children in high school, and even though we were teenagers, we still weren’t adults that might have recognized what she was saying might have meant.

She went home and cut up all the pictures of herself she could find, and shot herself in the head.

I was upset about how she was so young and felt like that was her only way to escape whatever pain she was in, but until now, I never thought about what her friends that she was hugging and saying that to, might have felt and gone through after she killed herself that evening. I hope that if they ever did feel like they could’ve tried to stop it, they have forgiven themselves for not knowing or understanding what she meant. 

And now, I understand that she had to get the gun from somewhere. There were rumors after her death that her Mom used to leave her alone for days while she kicked it or went out of town with her male friends, and she felt like her Mom didn’t love her, and there were rumors that she was pregnant and afraid to tell her Mom. It was all rumors and idk if any of that was true. But even if none of that was true, and it was still her Mom’s gun she used, I can’t imagine how incredibly painful that must be for a parent. Your 15yo child committing suicide is painful enough, but if they used a gun you owned and didn’t take measures to keep out of their hands, must be even worse.

So heartbreaking.

[djAdvocate]

we have been going down the stupid hole for decades.

i am almost at the point of saying, fine- if the 2nd amendment means killing thousands of kids per year, let's repeal it.

alternatively, we can work for meaningful gun control.

those are the options.

what is it going to be?

[Opti]

Jan 12, 2023 4:26:59 GMT -5 djAdvocate said:

we have been going down the stupid hole for decades.

i am almost at the point of saying, fine- if the 2nd amendment means killing thousands of kids per year, let's repeal it.

alternatively, we can work for meaningful gun control.

those are the options.

what is it going to be?

We need to go with meaningful gun control because the gun obsessed would not allow the second amendment to be repealed.

[Cheesy FL-Vol]

Jan 12, 2023 7:37:31 GMT -5 Opti said:

Jan 12, 2023 4:26:59 GMT -5 djAdvocate said:

we have been going down the stupid hole for decades.

i am almost at the point of saying, fine- if the 2nd amendment means killing thousands of kids per year, let's repeal it.

alternatively, we can work for meaningful gun control.

those are the options.

what is it going to be?

We need to go with meaningful gun control because the gun obsessed would not allow the second amendment to be repealed.

Not to mention the powerful gun lobbyists.

[scgal]

Jan 11, 2023 17:15:24 GMT -5 NomoreDramaQ1015 said:

The thing is the technology to prevent this exists.  There is fingerprint technology that registers the gun to your fingerprint.  If someone else tries to use the gun it won't fire.  If they tamper with it the gun is rendered inoperable.

The NRA was able to rally the troops against it by beating "They are coming to take your guns!" drum.   You would think they would be all for technology that would show gun owners being responsible and safe as they claim everyone who owns one is. 

I love this unfortunately the tech is still new. There are rfid versions out there for a while. As a responsible gun owner no one should have access your weapon. We have a gun vault as well as personal gun storage that does use keypad or fingerprint as desired. No one including my adult kids have the combination to any of our gun safes. 

[djAdvocate]

Jan 12, 2023 7:37:31 GMT -5 Opti said:

Jan 12, 2023 4:26:59 GMT -5 djAdvocate said:

we have been going down the stupid hole for decades.

i am almost at the point of saying, fine- if the 2nd amendment means killing thousands of kids per year, let's repeal it.

alternatively, we can work for meaningful gun control.

those are the options.

what is it going to be?

We need to go with meaningful gun control because the gun obsessed would not allow the second amendment to be repealed.

i am kinda over that.  i think we should stop lying about what is at stake for both sides, here.

[Tennesseer]

The kicker is the parents state the gun was secured.

Lawyer: 6-year-old who shot teacher has 'acute disability'

NORFOLK, Va. (AP) — The family of a 6-year-old boy who shot and wounded his teacher in Virginia said Thursday that the child suffered from “an acute disability” and that one of his parents usually accompanied him in class but did not the week the shooting occurred.

Also on Thursday, the hospital that had been treating the teacher said that she was released earlier this week and is continuing outpatient care.

The statement from the boy's family was released through the office of attorney James S. Ellenson. It is the first public communication from the child’s family since the shooting occurred on Jan. 6 in the city of Newport News.

“Our family has always been committed to responsible gun ownership and keeping firearms out of the reach of children," said the family, which was not identified. “The firearm our son accessed was secured.”

The statement did not elaborate further on where the 9mm handgun was kept or what they meant by “secured.”

Regarding the disability, the family said the boy "was under a care plan at the school that included his mother or father attending school with him and accompanying him to class every day.”

The family said the week of the shooting “was the first week when we were not in class with him. We will regret our absence on this day for the rest of our lives.”

It was unclear what the family meant by accompanying him to class everyday and whether that included staying with him during instruction.

The statement did not define the boy's disability. And it did not explain what his “care plan” was and whether it was similar to other plans that serve children with disabilities.

Federal law requires public schools to make accommodations for students with disabilities and to modify curriculums, if necessary, to serve a student’s educational needs and goals, said Michael J. Kennedy, a professor of special education at the University of Virginia.

About 12% of students in U.S. public schools have what’s known as an "individualized education program," Kennedy said. They require input from parents, teachers and other staff, such as a school psychologist.

Lawyer: 6-year-old who shot teacher has 'acute disability'

[busymom]

I forget what it's called, but there's a rage problem with some kids.  A woman at my church worked for years at a special school for children with rage issues.  It was exhausting, with teachers often getting assaulted.  She was relieved when she finally retired.  I wonder if that's the problem with this particular child?     If he does something like this at age 6, I don't wanna think what trouble he'll be into at age 16.

[Tennesseer]

Jan 20, 2023 11:46:26 GMT -5 busymom said:

I forget what it's called, but there's a rage problem with some kids.  A woman at my church worked for years at a special school for children with rage issues.  It was exhausting, with teachers often getting assaulted.  She was relieved when she finally retired.  I wonder if that's the problem with this particular child?     If he does something like this at age 6, I don't wanna think what trouble he'll be into at age 16.

Law and Order SVU did a couple of episodes which aired in 2013 and 2021 about one particularly troubled youth. The 2013 episode was titled Born Psychopath and the 2021 episode was titled Post-Graduate Psychopath.

In the 2013 episode, the 10-year-old boy is sent to juvenile detention because of his psychopathic behavior. In the 2021 episode, the boy, now 18-years-old, is released from juvenie detention and the psychopathic behavior begins again.

Two memorable episodes.

[grumpyhermit]

Jan 19, 2023 20:04:42 GMT -5 Tennesseer said:

The kicker is the parents state the gun was secured.

Lawyer: 6-year-old who shot teacher has 'acute disability'

NORFOLK, Va. (AP) — The family of a 6-year-old boy who shot and wounded his teacher in Virginia said Thursday that the child suffered from “an acute disability” and that one of his parents usually accompanied him in class but did not the week the shooting occurred.

Also on Thursday, the hospital that had been treating the teacher said that she was released earlier this week and is continuing outpatient care.

The statement from the boy's family was released through the office of attorney James S. Ellenson. It is the first public communication from the child’s family since the shooting occurred on Jan. 6 in the city of Newport News.

“Our family has always been committed to responsible gun ownership and keeping firearms out of the reach of children," said the family, which was not identified. “The firearm our son accessed was secured.”

The statement did not elaborate further on where the 9mm handgun was kept or what they meant by “secured.”

Regarding the disability, the family said the boy "was under a care plan at the school that included his mother or father attending school with him and accompanying him to class every day.”

The family said the week of the shooting “was the first week when we were not in class with him. We will regret our absence on this day for the rest of our lives.”

It was unclear what the family meant by accompanying him to class everyday and whether that included staying with him during instruction.

The statement did not define the boy's disability. And it did not explain what his “care plan” was and whether it was similar to other plans that serve children with disabilities.

Federal law requires public schools to make accommodations for students with disabilities and to modify curriculums, if necessary, to serve a student’s educational needs and goals, said Michael J. Kennedy, a professor of special education at the University of Virginia.

About 12% of students in U.S. public schools have what’s known as an "individualized education program," Kennedy said. They require input from parents, teachers and other staff, such as a school psychologist.

Lawyer: 6-year-old who shot teacher has 'acute disability'

Re: the text in bold. 

Ummm, clearly it was NOT. Unless your 6 year old is a lock picking, safe cracking savant your "security" method is laughable. 

I really hope they charge the parents with something. This is FULLY on them. 

[billisonboard]

Jan 20, 2023 15:39:03 GMT -5 grumpyhermit said:

Jan 19, 2023 20:04:42 GMT -5 Tennesseer said:

The kicker is the parents state the gun was secured.

Lawyer: 6-year-old who shot teacher has 'acute disability'

NORFOLK, Va. (AP) — The family of a 6-year-old boy who shot and wounded his teacher in Virginia said Thursday that the child suffered from “an acute disability” and that one of his parents usually accompanied him in class but did not the week the shooting occurred.

Also on Thursday, the hospital that had been treating the teacher said that she was released earlier this week and is continuing outpatient care.

The statement from the boy's family was released through the office of attorney James S. Ellenson. It is the first public communication from the child’s family since the shooting occurred on Jan. 6 in the city of Newport News.

“Our family has always been committed to responsible gun ownership and keeping firearms out of the reach of children," said the family, which was not identified. “The firearm our son accessed was secured.”

The statement did not elaborate further on where the 9mm handgun was kept or what they meant by “secured.”

Regarding the disability, the family said the boy "was under a care plan at the school that included his mother or father attending school with him and accompanying him to class every day.”

The family said the week of the shooting “was the first week when we were not in class with him. We will regret our absence on this day for the rest of our lives.”

It was unclear what the family meant by accompanying him to class everyday and whether that included staying with him during instruction.

The statement did not define the boy's disability. And it did not explain what his “care plan” was and whether it was similar to other plans that serve children with disabilities.

Federal law requires public schools to make accommodations for students with disabilities and to modify curriculums, if necessary, to serve a student’s educational needs and goals, said Michael J. Kennedy, a professor of special education at the University of Virginia.

About 12% of students in U.S. public schools have what’s known as an "individualized education program," Kennedy said. They require input from parents, teachers and other staff, such as a school psychologist.

Lawyer: 6-year-old who shot teacher has 'acute disability'

Re: the text in bold. 

Ummm, clearly it was NOT. Unless your 6 year old is a lock picking, safe cracking savant your "security" method is laughable. 

I really hope they charge the parents with something. This is FULLY on them. 

I agree that having 12 of their peers listen to how they secured the gun and deciding whether it was adequate or negligent would be a good thing.

[ken a.k.a OMK]

 Also this. "Regarding the disability, the family said the boy "was under a care plan at the school that included his mother or father attending school with him and accompanying him to class every day.”

So he stole the gun and snuck off to school without their knowledge? They have some explaining to do.