Guns N' Kids in US as boy, 5, kills 2-year-old sister
Source: Agencies |
May 3, 2013, Friday
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IN southern Kentucky, United States, where some children get their first guns even before they start first grade, Stephanie Sparks was cleaning the kitchen as her five-year-old son played with the small rifle he was given last year. Then, as she stepped onto the front porch, "she heard the gun go off."
In a horrific accident last Tuesday that shocked a rural area far removed from the US debate over gun control, her son, Kristian, had fatally shot his two-year-old sister Caroline in the chest, authorities said.
Kristian's rifle was kept in a corner of the mobile home, and the family didn't realize a bullet had been left in it, Cumberland County Coroner Gary White said.
"Down in Kentucky where we're from, you know, guns are passed down from generation to generation," White said. "You start at a young age with guns for hunting and everything."
What is more unusual than a child having a gun, the coroner said, is "that a kid would get shot with it."
In this case, the rifle was made by a company that sells guns specifically for children - "My first rifle" is the slogan - in colors ranging from plain brown to hot pink to orange to royal blue to multi-color swirls.
"It's a normal way of life, and it's not just rural Kentucky, it's rural America - hunting and shooting and sport fishing. It starts at an early age," said Cumberland County Judge Executive John Phelps. "There's probably not a household in this county that doesn't have a gun."
Phelps said it had been four or five years since there had been a shooting death in the county.
Phelps said he knew the family well. He said the father, Chris Sparks, works as a logger at a mill and also shoes horses.
White said the shooting had been ruled accidental, though a police spokesman said it was unclear whether any charges will be filed.
White said the boy received the .22-caliber rifle as a gift, but it wasn't clear who gave him the gun, which is known as a Crickett.
The company that makes the rifle, Pennsylvania-based Keystone Sporting Arms, has a "Kids Corner" on its website with pictures of young boys and girls at shooting ranges and on bird and deer hunts.
Keystone also makes guns for adults, but most of its products are geared toward children.
Sharon Rengers, a longtime child advocate at Kosair Children's Hospital in Louisville, said making and marketing weapons specifically for children was "mind-boggling."
"It's like, oh, my God," she said, "we're having a big national debate whether we want to check somebody's background, but we're going to offer a four-year-old a gun and expect something good from that?"
In a horrific accident last Tuesday that shocked a rural area far removed from the US debate over gun control, her son, Kristian, had fatally shot his two-year-old sister Caroline in the chest, authorities said.
Kristian's rifle was kept in a corner of the mobile home, and the family didn't realize a bullet had been left in it, Cumberland County Coroner Gary White said.
"Down in Kentucky where we're from, you know, guns are passed down from generation to generation," White said. "You start at a young age with guns for hunting and everything."
What is more unusual than a child having a gun, the coroner said, is "that a kid would get shot with it."
In this case, the rifle was made by a company that sells guns specifically for children - "My first rifle" is the slogan - in colors ranging from plain brown to hot pink to orange to royal blue to multi-color swirls.
"It's a normal way of life, and it's not just rural Kentucky, it's rural America - hunting and shooting and sport fishing. It starts at an early age," said Cumberland County Judge Executive John Phelps. "There's probably not a household in this county that doesn't have a gun."
Phelps said it had been four or five years since there had been a shooting death in the county.
Phelps said he knew the family well. He said the father, Chris Sparks, works as a logger at a mill and also shoes horses.
White said the shooting had been ruled accidental, though a police spokesman said it was unclear whether any charges will be filed.
White said the boy received the .22-caliber rifle as a gift, but it wasn't clear who gave him the gun, which is known as a Crickett.
The company that makes the rifle, Pennsylvania-based Keystone Sporting Arms, has a "Kids Corner" on its website with pictures of young boys and girls at shooting ranges and on bird and deer hunts.
Keystone also makes guns for adults, but most of its products are geared toward children.
Sharon Rengers, a longtime child advocate at Kosair Children's Hospital in Louisville, said making and marketing weapons specifically for children was "mind-boggling."
"It's like, oh, my God," she said, "we're having a big national debate whether we want to check somebody's background, but we're going to offer a four-year-old a gun and expect something good from that?"
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