What do you take from this? 14-year old shoots intruder

[Anonymous]

From freerangekids - Hi Readers — This story is just so wild, I had to put it here and ask YOU to parse it. Long and short of it: Someone knocked on the door of a Phoenix, AZ home during the afternoon, when a 14-year-old boy was babysitting his three younger siblings. He didn’t recognize the woman so he didn’t answer the door.

Soon after, the teen heard a bang on the door, rushed his siblings upstairs and got a handgun from his parent’s bedroom. When he got to the top of the stairs, he saw a man breaking through the front door and point a gun at him.

The boy shot the 37-year-old man, who is in critical condition but expected to survive and be booked into jail.

So — on the one hand, this shows just how competent a young person can be, even under unbelievable pressure. On the other hand, I worry that this will make even more parents AFRAID to let even their teenage children babysit because “look what can happen when they’re home without an adult!” I also wonder, somewhat perversely, what would have happened if the kids HAD answered the door when the strangers knocked. Maybe if the intruders knew there was someone at home, they would have skipped that house and looked for an empty one. Certainly most burglars prefer an unoccupied house.

And then I also wonder what this says about guns in the home. http://www.foxnews.com/us/2012/06/23/phoenix-boy-14-shoots-armed-intruder-while-watching-three-younger-siblings/

So DCUM what do you take from this story?

[Anonymous]

I think the boy was smart and quick thinking beyond his years. Kudos to him.

It does not scare me away from teenage babysitters one bit.

[Anonymous]

From the story, "Holmes said that the gun the teen grabbed was his father's, but did not know whether the boy had been trained to use it."

So I take that to mean the gun wasn't in a lock box that they boy had been told the code, rather just sitting on the dresser.

[Anonymous]

Every once in a while a gun in useful in preventing crime. Does this offset the number of kids killed or injured accidentally by firearms in their home? Not for me. I'd rather have my kid know how to use a cell phone to dial 911 fast.

[Anonymous]

My husband is in law enforcement. All my children have shot guns, we hunt (we eat meat). I think this child did an awesome job. He sounds like he would make a good Secret Service Agent!

[Anonymous]

I'm with you, PP. Why didn't he call 911 instead? That's what I would have wanted my DC to do in that case. Then again, I live in a good neighborhood where the police are very responsive (N Arlington), and maybe this boy does not.

[Anonymous]

11:26 and 11:33 are clueless.

[Anonymous]

Sounds fine to me. And I'm not a gun person. There are parts of AZ that are high crime and far away from law enforcement. Unlike where I live here in the DC area.

[Anonymous]

Call 911? A man broke in and pointed a gun at this kid. Luckily for him, he had his own gun and knew how to use it. And I doubt 911 would have been responsive if he had called when the woman initially knocked...it's not illegal to knock on someone's door after all. Kudos to that teen.

[Anonymous]

There is so much wrong with this story, it's hard to know where to begin.

1. The boy had access to the gun.
2. The boy did not know how to use it.
3. The intruders came into the home.
4. The intruders pointed a gun at a kid.
5. The boy did not know whom to call for help (neighbor? police?) and so took matters into his own hands.
6. People think this might be a heartwarming story that demonstrates how important it is for families (or is it kids? I get confused) to have guns for self protection.

[Anonymous]

11:55 - your #2 is clearly way off. The boy knew how to use it and did so adeptly.

[Anonymous]

God. So sad.
The fact that the first thing this kid thought was to go shoot the intruder just shows how messed up the society is.

Also, why did a 14 Y.O have easy access to the gun in the first place? So much wrong in this story, but of course gun nuts will use it to justify not having to have guns locked up/properly secured.

[Anonymous]

Someone bangs on your door whom you do not recognize and will not go away. Then a intruder breaks into the home with a gun. Yes I would like to think I'd have enough time to call 911 but this poor kid is there alone with 3 siblings whom he must protect. I'd rather there be a shot intruder than 4 dead kids because they called 911 and police didnt get there fast enough.
There is a difference between somebody knocking on your door and being in the house when someone bangs on your door. It happened to me once and it was SO scary cause that type of banging you just know that person is coming in and will harm you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Sounds fine to me. And I'm not a gun person. There are parts of AZ that are high crime and far away from law enforcement. Unlike where I live here in the DC area.

This is how I feel. I am definitely not a 'gun person' and don't have guns in the house, but kudos to this kid for his quick thinking and doing the right thing to save his siblings. Yes, he could have also called 911, but are you sure they would have gotten there in time? Sounds like the intruder is still alive, and I'd rather have one injured intruder than 4 dead kids.

[Anonymous]

IMO:

1. A 14 yo should not have access to a gun in the house without direct adult supervision. For any reason. The gun should've been locked up, out of reach, and the child shouldn't have been able to access it at all.

But, of course, the charges levied against the teen's parents for this should be considered with the mitigating circumstances: the child was in danger and used the gun in self-defense and in defense of his siblings.

God forbid anyone things that this 14 yo really and truly should have had access to the gun. For pete's sake.