7-year-old faces 2 felony charges for shooting BB gun

7-year-old faces 2 felony charges for shooting BB gun

www.wsoctv.com

He looks like a typical 7-year-old boy, but on Tuesday night, Sam Grant is facing many charges that many adults never will.

He is charged with two felonies for something that happened when his mother turned her back for just a second.

Sam's parents said this scenario began in February when Sam was playing outside with his BB gun. They said he began shooting at an abandoned house right across the street, but instead, Sam shot two cars as they were passing by.

Sam is charged with two felony counts of discharging a firearm

(visit the link for the full news article)

It is absolutely UNBELEIVABLE that children can be just as Irresponsible as adults when it comes to 'FireArms'.

Really I don't mean to laugh Hysterically, but, this one really takes the cake.

This is a HUGE FAIL all the way around.

That the boy is 7 years old and has a BB Gun is No Big Deal.
Hell, I remember when I was 9 and got my first Daisy Red Ryder BB Gun. It was wonderful that my mother trusted my brothers and I enough to Not Shoot Our Eyes Out. It was one of the Best Christmas Presents I ever received.

But with that came an Assumed responsibility. We never had to be told what we could not shoot. It was just something that we knew. We even took safety courses to help eliminate the possibility that we might go-off half cocked and shoot each others eyes out.

Where the Failure for this boy comes in is when his parents were allowing him to shoot at an abandoned house. It might have been abandoned but it is still someone’s property and maybe they didn't want their windows shot out.

So, the parents are to blame for Not giving the boy a controlled environment to shoot his BB Gun. eg. .. Paper Targets. I mean The mother gave the boy a loaded BB Gun and allowed him to go hellin' 'round the yard just shooting stuff. That sets for a Very Bad Example. Especially at 7 years old.

And that the mother called the police but didn't want her son charged speaks mountains as well. After-all he was shooting at occupied vehicles. Well,. . occupied or not it is still an act of vandalism at a minimum.

As for the charges the local authorities are to blame for that. I mean WHAT ARE THEY THINKING? .. It is a BB Gun for crying out loud definitely NOT Felony material. It should have been a Minor Misdemeanor at the most.

Now what do you think the boy is going to turn out like. .. . ? .. IMO he has been sent the wrong signal. From now on I suspect that when he handles a real Live Firearm that the only thing he is going to think is that he can shoot whatever he wants. .. . Just don't let anyone see him.

This is what OUR society is coming to .. NEGLEGENCE on the part of the People as well as Law Enforcement.

Careful Or You'll Shoot Your Eye Out.

www.wsoctv.com
(visit the link for the full news article)

Good. Teach the little puke and his awful parents a lesson.

reply to post by ShadellacZumbrum


I would kinda understand if they charged the mom, but the kid?? Wow!

reply to post by ShadellacZumbrum
That is so crazy!!!

When I was a kid we used to play war with BB guns and pump pellet guns. We shot at each other and hit each other on a regular basis. Man, how the times have changed!!!

reply to post by ShadellacZumbrum

It is dangerous ("you'll put your eye out kid") and a destruction of private property ("vandalism") but a BB gun (hand pumped air) is not a "firearm"....there is no firing pin or gunpowder involved to "fire" a projectile.

reply to post by Casualboy100


Well,.. Maybe they let the mom go because she was good enough to RAT the boy out.
But seriously. You are right. They should have charge the mother with something.

reply to post by CosmicCitizen


I agree 100%. How the hell does it constitute a FireArm.
I can only imagine the mothers Suprise when the citations came.
I'll bet that didn't go like she was expecting.

Oh these are pathetic people we have in power now. EVERYTHING must be made an example of to the most extrreme level possible. Everyone must be run through the system and booked, printed, photographed, recorded and generally processed into the computers for ANYTHING which is remotely possible to do it with.

.....................Hold the phone! I just found something after a little nag in my mind told me there had to be more here.

North Carolina DNA Collection Laws for Felons/Convictions

Unless a DNA sample has previously been obtained by lawful process and a record stored in the State DNA Database, and that record and sample have not been expunged pursuant to any provision of law, a person:

(1) Who is convicted of any of the crimes listed in subsection (b) of this section or who is found not guilty of any of these crimes by reason of insanity and committed to a mental health facility in accordance with G.S. 15A‑1321, shall provide a DNA sample upon intake to jail, prison, or the mental health facility. In addition, every person convicted of any of these crimes, but who is not sentenced to a term of confinement, shall provide a DNA sample as a condition of the sentence.

What crimes, you may wonder? Oh... THIS might explain why this kid is getting jacked up on a BS charge.

(b) Crimes covered by this Article include all of the following:
(1) All felonies.
(2) G.S. 14‑32.1 – Assaults on handicapped persons.
(3) Former G.S. 14‑277.3 – Stalking.
(4) Repealed by Session Laws 2010‑94, s. 5, effective February 1, 2011.
(5) All offenses described in G.S. 15A‑266.3A. (1993, c. 401, s. 1; 2001‑487, s. 46; 2003‑376, s. 2; 2005‑130, s. 2; 2009‑58, s. 2; 2010‑94, s. 5.)

Source

I'm assuming age is no factor and Junior needed his DNA added to the Super-Database. Well....anything less than a felony just wouldn't do for getting him properly numbered and indexed like livestock.

Originally posted by ShadellacZumbrum
reply to post by Casualboy100

 

Well,.. Maybe they let the mom go because she was good enough to RAT the boy out.
But seriously. You are right. They should have charge the mother with something.

Why? That is the most pointless course of action that could EVER be taken.

Kids are irresponsible ALL THE TIME. You might as well charge all parents with a future crime because their child is going to do something stupid. It is part of being a child. Make the kid work off the damages, or have the parents fork over cash--but charging anyone with a felony? Retarded.

Discharging a "fire" arm?

A BB gun is not a firearm.

He's a little brat to be sure - but 2 felony charges?

This country has absolutely no sense of justice at all.

What the kid did? Meh. So he shot a bb gun and it hit a couple of cars. Did the cars file a complaint? Or just the mom? If it was the mom, then the cops had a MAJOR fail for not supporting her attempt at parenting. They also have a major fail for teaching both the mom and child that "don't snitch" is the only way to go.

I have shot all manner of stupid things as a child with a BB gun. I grew up in the country, and terrorized the local pet population intermittently (not to mention the birds on the power lines overhead). We, too, used to have BB gun wars. I have been shot by Daisy's so many times.....

....I swear. Stupidity strikes every 5 seconds around here.

reply to post by Wrabbit2000


That's a Damn Good Eye on you.
But I can see them 'Looking for Targets' to add to their index. or should I say 'Making Targets'.

I wish I could be the attorney that defended him. By ATF regulations, airguns are not firearms.

Put him over your knee, beat his lil butt, then put him to work cutting grass to pay for the damage to the cars. Problem solved, no cops needed.

This is a result of the "zero tolerance" policy that began in schools.
No guns means no bb guns or pictures of guns or making a gun figure with your fingers.
No knives means no fingernail clippers or nail files.
No drugs means no aspirin or midol, etc.

reply to post by bigfatfurrytexan


I must admit I also shared some stupidity with a BB Gun. Have you ever been shot by an Ohio BlueTip Match. It hurts like hell 'cause when it hits the impact causes the match to lite and burns the meat.

At 7 the child should at least know its wrong to be firing a gun at anything other than the targets in his back garden. Shooting at moving cars is pretty serious. What if he had distracted the driver enough that it caused a fatal accident? You don't go shooting things at people for no reason!!

I think the parents should be charged as well.

Lets say the kid grows up and then shoots up a cinema full of innocent people , after investigations we find out he was shooting moving cars with BB guns when he was 7 but nothing was really done about it. Everyone would wonder where the system went wrong..

Him being marked for life as a fellon might be a bit strong though.

Wow, 2 felony counts. Are they planning on locking this little boy up with the hardened criminals?
He should have known better and mom should have been watching, period.
But what ever happened to the punishment fitting the crime? A BB could cause what $50 - $ 100 dent on someone's car, maybe a broken window. Why not make them pay damages and not damage this little boys future for life.
A 7 year old boy can be mischievous and sometimes just straight naughty, but they are not felons.
To those who agree with this punishment, tell me you have never made a dumb mistake before thinking about it, especially as a young child. We should all be in prison for something right? I kicked my dog when I was three, and remember thinking " I wonder what will happen", well he bit me. Thank God that was decades ago, I would have been jailed for animal cruelty and my dog would have been destroyed. As it stood we both got spanked.

I don't believe a BB gun fits the description of a firearm. Websters :: a weapon from which a shot is discharged by gunpowder —usually used of small arms

reply to post by woodsmom


Excellent Point. . . But, if you noticed he is ONLY facing probation and community service. For A FELONY.
Since when did they change the rules?

I think this is more about setting an example.