"A Victim of the Gun Lobby"

[pax]

Found at http://www.latimes.com/news/state/20010314/t000022239.html

Boy, 9, Denies Carrying Loaded Gun to School
Courts: Fourth-grader is arraigned on a felony count. The incident occurred shortly after Santana High shootings.

By ROBERT J. LOPEZ, Times Staff Writer

At his Juvenile Court arraignment Tuesday, a 9-year-old boy denied a felony charge of possessing a loaded semiautomatic handgun at his Norwalk school.

The boy, a fourth-grader at Lampton Elementary School, also pleaded not guilty to a misdemeanor count of possessing ammunition. The arraignment was held behind closed doors at Los Padrinos Juvenile Court in Downey. Only family members and attorneys were allowed to attend.

As the charges were being read, the boy "looked like he was scared," Deputy Dist. Atty Nicholas Rini said.

The boy has been in juvenile hall since he was taken into custody March 8, three days after a deadly campus shooting at Santana High School in San Diego County. A 15-year-old Santana High freshman has been charged with killing two classmates and wounding 13 other people.
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(Big snip from the middle of article; get the whole story here.)

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After the hearing Tuesday, the boy's attorney portrayed his client as a victim of the gun lobby, which he says has pushed for the proliferation of firearms.

"This kid is a victim of the system," said Charles E. Frisco.

He said the boy should be released to his mother and counseled, rather than charged with a felony that carries a maximum sentence of five years in the California Youth Authority or county camp. "Prosecuting a 9-year-old is not the way to handle this," Frisco said.

Rini disagreed, contending that the charge fits the crime.

 

[RobW]

Great! Let's make criminals out of all "our children". It's successful because, they are easy targets (better you get some 6 or 7 year olds, the 9 year old might be too smart). This way we can hit the gun-industry that make such evil criminals out of "our children".

Our society goes totally insane! Instead of dealing with the real problems i.e. lack of responsibility, lack of self-control, lack of values, there are powers out there that look for easy victims to cover their own failure.

Looking at "decisions" of "authorities" I just don't know if I schould laugh or cry!

 

[Apple a Day]

Gee, here's a stupid question for you...

It was the evil gun lobby, huh? And those evil gun makers?
Let's trace the immediate origins of the gun, shall we?
Did the kid get the gun
A) by walking into a gun store and saying "'Scuze me mister. Could I buy one of those big guns over there?" and dumping a double-handful of loose change on the counter before asking "Is that enough?"
B) one of those evil gun lobbyists approached the kid at the school bus stop, opened his trench coat to reveal a dangling assortment of firearms and said "Psst! Hey, kid, how about some candy and a 9mm?"
C) his crack-whore mother left her boyfriend/pimp's pistol laying around where the kid could pick it up and walk away with it, uneducated and unsafe, because she was either too high, too involved in her own pathetic soap-opera-self-generated problems, or simply too stupid to make sure it was safe.

My money is on option "C".

 

[Hal]

Grrrrrr,

ROBERT J. LOPEZ, Times Staff Writer

'nuther media sphincter opens up.

 

[Jeff OTMG]

"the boy's attorney portrayed his client as a victim of the gun lobby"

Sounds to me like a 9 year old who is able to take a loaded gun to school is the victim of inattentive parents. BTW, great suggestion releasing him to his mother, who obviously didn't do a very good job before the incident, so let's just let him go back to her, that should solve the problem.

 

[Oleg Volk]

So long as the kid has not threatened anyone, he's merely carrying for protection. We already know that the schools don't do an adequate job of protecting kids like him, so he's a good kid for being prepared.

I am being only slightly facetious...

 

[Paul K]

I agree with Oleg.
But there is one thing. What if it got stolen or lost. If it got stolen or lost, it could been used in a murder or robbery. Thats not good.
I think that no child should ever feal the need/or do bring a firearm to school. The schools should be safe enough so there is no need for them, regardless for protection. The kid is like 9 years old, I doubt verry much that he is going to use it for self defence or use it muturley. I bet that he is going to show it off to his friends to show how cool it is. But lets not jump to conclutions...