I read this story about a 14-year old that shot an intruder while he was babysitting his younger siblings. I do not like guns and do not own one but in this instance he knew where to retrieve the weapon and potentially kept his family alive.
I cannot imagine what was going through his head and I agree with the police officer who said, ““I’m not sure he gave full thought about what he had to do. He just acted.” This could have been a much worse scenario than what happened. I’m not a gun enthusiast and do not want one in my home. I have read too many stories about children finding the gun and accidently killing themselves or a loved one, so this type of story is rare. I applaud the teen for being able to safely get his siblings out of harm’s way and using the gun to wound the intruder. If he had not, he and his siblings may not be alive now.
I hope that I can find more information in the next few days about this shooting. I cannot fathom that the teen was trying to kill the intruder. Scare him, yes, hurt him, yes, kill him, no. There is a part of me that wonders what would have happened to the teen if he had killed the intruder? There are crazy laws in place in some states about using a firearm in your house. Not to mention what could happen to the parents for having a loaded gun in the home.
My personal opinion is that the teen acted appropriately to save his family. His parents should not incur any charges for having a loaded weapon either. After some counseling I believe that they will be okay and will be able to resume their normal lives. Just a little piece of advice. Change the locks and invest in more secure doors, windows, and an alarm system. (Assuming they don’t have these things.)
As far as the intruder – I hope he survives. He is after all someone’s son, possibly a husband, brother, uncle, etc… No matter what reason he gives for breaking in, he needs a long jail sentence and he should tell the police who the woman is too. If the woman remains free there is not telling what she could be up to now. She is a threat to the greater Phoenix area and no one should be afraid to leave home or be home and worry about an intrusion.
This post will be updated if I see additional news.
Thank you for the interesting post. There is a heated discussion about owning a gun in the States. When I saw a movie about columbine by Michael Moore, I understood an issue of gun use in the States, which was new to me as a Japanese citizen. I agree with you that I am not crazy about an idea of having a weapon in my house, but at the same time protecting myself and my family is my right. There is a lot of think about on this issue, I guess. Thanks for the post again!
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