Six-Year Old Shoots Teacher in Class

Via The New York Times: 

A teacher at Richneck Elementary School in Newport News has “life-threatening injuries” after being shot by one of her students, the authorities said. 

The shooting in Newport News, a city of more than 180,000 people, about 70 miles southeast of Richmond. Va., stunned officials on Friday as they began to investigate what had gone wrong inside the school. 

The superintendent of Newport News Public Schools, Dr. George Parker, said at the news conference that “we need to keep guns out of the hands of our young people.

So because this child has access to guns because of careless, shitty adults, this teacher may die? The rest of the class is forever traumatized? 

The Second Amendment is NOT about this kind of ridiculousness. It's just not.

Meanwhile in San Jose, California:

To reduce gun harm in the City of San José, the Gun Harm Reduction Ordinance requires firearm owners to obtain and maintain liability insurance and pay an annual gun harm reduction fee. The insurance requirement takes effect on January 1, 2023. The gun harm reduction fee is not yet in effect.

What is the Gun Harm Reduction Ordinance?

The full ordinance can be found online here. There are two parts to this ordinance:
  • Liability insurance: This requires San José residents that own or possess a firearm in the City to obtain and continuously maintain a homeowner’s, renter’s or gun liability insurance policy that specifically covers losses or damages resulting from accidental use of the firearm, including but not limited to death, injury, or property damage.
  • Annual gun harm reduction fee: If you live in San José and own or possess a firearm in the City, you must pay an annual gun harm reduction fee to the designated nonprofit organization each year.
  • Who is required to obtain liability insurance?All San José residents that own or possess a firearm in the City.

Comments

Anonymous said…

Liability insurance is an interesting idea. Curious to see its impact over the next year or two.

On another note, curious what folks think about Seattle Schools suing tech giants for social media harm.

https://www.npr.org/2023/01/08/1147735477/seattles-schools-are-suing-tech-giants-for-harming-young-peoples-mental-health

BLUE SKY
1/8/23, 7:27 AM
Patrick said…
So what can they do with the 6-year-old? This seems like new legal ground. Too young to really understand the consequences of their actions, too young to participate in their own defense. And what if they are convicted? Too young for even juvenile prison. Back in the house where they obtained the firearm would be a terrible idea too. And what foster home would volunteer to take them?
1/9/23, 11:32 AM
Melissa Westbrook said…
Patrick, clearly the child cannot be prosecuted. But that child needs to go into foster care, stat. I think there are foster families that actually do know how to help kids like this.

No, it's the parents/guardians who should be severely punished. That he brought bullets to school the week before should have gotten more attention.

To note, apparently the teacher is doing better and is expected to live. Now whether she ever teaches again is another issue.
1/9/23, 11:56 AM
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