Several kindergarten students were injured by a handgun that accidentally discharged when it fell out of the pocket of the six-year-old who brought it to school.
I note this passage in particular, from the article about this incident in the Houston Chronicle:
Investigators were trying to determine how the boy obtained a gun and brought it into the northeast Houston campus without anyone stopping him — sending fear through students and parents who trust that school is a safe place.
The boy’s parents could not be reached for comment. Officials with Texas Child Protective Services plan to question the family within 24 hours, said agency spokeswoman Gwen Carter.
“It would be a concern about supervision, how a child gained access to a gun and was able to transport it,” she said. “In cases like this, we look to the parents to try to understand what has happened.”
I don’t know the exact logistical details about the order of events in this six-year-old’s home that morning that ended up with the boy carrying a gun to school in his pocket, but it’s easy enough to explain how a six-year-old in Texas could walk into a school with a loaded gun in his pocket. Here is the explanation:
Texas Gun Laws (As of January, 2008)
State Requirements
Rifles and Shotguns
- Permit to purchase rifles and shotguns? No.
- Registration of rifles and shotguns? No.
- Licensing of owners of rifles and shotguns? No.
- Permit to carry rifles and shotguns? No.
Handguns
- Permit to purchase handgun? No.
- Registration of handguns? No.
- Licensing of owners of handguns? No.
- Permit to carry handguns? Yes.
Caution: This summary is meant for general purposes only. Firearm laws frequently change.
Purchase
A Texas resident, if not otherwise precluded by law, may purchase rifles and shotguns, ammunition, reloading components, or firearms accessories in contiguous states.
It is unlawful to sell, rent, loan or give a handgun to any person if it is known that the person intends to use it unlawfully.
It is unlawful to knowingly sell, rent, give or offer to sell, rent or give any firearm to a person under 18 years of age, without the written consent of his parent or guardian.
It is unlawful to knowingly or recklessly sell any firearm or ammunition to any person who is intoxicated.
Possession
No state license is required to possess a rifle, shotgun or handgun.
So, that’s how a six-year-old in Texas can end up carrying a loaded handgun to school in his pocket. There’s no point in asking how his parents could possibly allow their child to take a handgun to school, or how it could have been out in the open in his home or within reach. How his parents could allow this to happen is because they are irresponsible and have no interest in taking the obvious precautions to prevent the handgun they purchased from ending up in their son’s pocket, complete with bullets in the chamber. I mean, that much is obvious, right? Of course this boy’s parents were and are irresponsible, or this would not have happened. But why get all worked up about the fact that this boy’s parents were irresponsible? In Texas, irresponsible parents can purchase a handgun. In Texas, a convicted criminal can purchase a handgun. In Texas, anyone can purchase a handgun without having to apply for a permit, without having to register the handgun, without having to go through a background check. [Note from KK: I was mistaken about the background check. The Texas law is silent on background checks. If federal law requires background checks for gun purchases, then of course that would apply to all the states, including Texas. Reiterating, however: Texas law does not require a permit to purchase a gun; it does not require a license, it does not require registration, and it does not require demonstrated competency in the appropriate use or safety management of a gun.] So if anyone can walk into any place that sells guns and purchase a gun, then that would include irresponsible parents, wouldn’t it? Why would it surprise, shock, or outrage anyone that this could happen? What do the authorities in Texas expect will happen if literally any adult can buy a rifle, or a shotgun, or an assault weapon, or a handgun, without having to meet any requirements for so doing?
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