Where would you store a child's bb gun?

[PeterPan]

We just haven't had enough controversy on the boards.   No seriously, this come across my FB feed and it's just sorta BLOWING MY MIND. Am I skewed because we have to be so so careful because of ds' ASD and behaviors? We have ZERO weapons accessible. Zero. Not sling shots, not bb guns, not air soft, not bows, nothing. All behind locks and keys, commercial grade locks, serious locks. Super pro NRA, also sorta liking life. 

But this woman leaves them out (ok, I know people who do that, like in a garage or the basement) and IN HER SON'S ROOM!!!  https://pjmedia.com/news-and-politics/paula-bolyard/2020/06/11/teacher-spying-on-student-during-virtual-class-sends-cops-to-search-11-year-olds-home-after-spotting-a-bb-gun-n518679

What says the Hive? And I don't mean it as a criticism either. I'm just legit surprised and trying to figure out how widespread this is. Is this NORMAL, common, typical? And when you look at the picture in that article, can you tell what those weapons are? Honestly, I don't stay versed. To me, not having asked my dh, that looks like more than "just a BB gun". Obviously the police officer was satisfied. I'm just still sorta flabbergasted.

So what says the Hive? Was the teacher out of line, as a mandatory reporter, calling the police? If the weapons aren't easily distinguishable, didn't she have a *responsibility*? Aren't the parents IDIOTS for not thinking about what was showing? And would/do you let your dc have weapons in their rooms? I guess people won't say, lol. 

I will say, just to throw out another side, we stayed in the teen room of some of our friends once and he had some kind of swords, knives type things in his room. Maybe this is more common than I realize?

Edited August 30, 2020 by PeterPan

[fairfarmhand]

I would look at those guns and figure they were BB guns. I wouldn’t want them visible in a zoom cal because of the situation that happened to t his parent. Guns of any kind freak some people out and I respect that. I get freaked out by inner city stuff like subways and busses. 

personally, we’re in a very rural area so a kid having their own BB gun in their room is pretty typical.

my kids have all been typical kids with no special needs. This was likely Different when my oldest had much younger siblings. I can’t remember. Currently my youngest is 12.

[TechWife]

No, the teacher was not out of line. It is alarming, and as teachers aren't equipped to evaluate situations like this, making a report to those who could was the responsible and right thing to do. IMO a BB gun should be locked in a gun safe and children should not have access. The parents are idiots, but I'm glad that they didn't clean up the background because now the authorities know there is  reckless behavior at that home and they can be alert for the safety of the family, neighbors and themselves. Stupidity isn't a right. The mom consented to a police search and then complained about the search as if it was somehow unfair. Well, lady, you didn't have to consent. They would have stayed outside and waited for someone to obtain and bring a warrant. If that's what you wanted, you should have said so. The only thing that surprises me is that social services doesn't appear to be part of the  picture.

I don't really care if anyone thinks I am out of line, or if I don't understand guns or "gun culture." The fact is that guns have attained a god-like status in this country and it is alarming and dangerous, as evidenced by the nightly news. Everyone has a right to self defense. No one has a right to terrorize other people. Yes, displaying a gun in a school setting is terrifying to a lot of people. Yes, a video call from the home to the school is a school setting. If you don't like that, then don't participate in video calls with your kids' schools.

I am not going to get into any gun debates. I am done with those. I am voicing my opinion. Responsible gun ownership is not this and it has no place in our children's homes.

 

Edited August 30, 2020 by TechWife

[hippiemamato3]

In the trash...

[EKS]

My son has an airsoft gun in his room.  No younger siblings, no one ever comes over, and he is required to keep it unloaded.  It never occurred to me that it could be a problem during a school zoom session, though I can see how it might make someone edgy.

I don't understand why the article claimed that the teacher was "spying" on the student.  If something is in the background for everyone to see, how is that spying?  Of course, people call looking at someone's public Facebook page "stalking," so I guess maybe hyperbole is the new thing.

Edited August 30, 2020 by EKS

[Carrie12345]

Ours aren’t behind lock and key, but they do require a ladder, so it’d be hard to access them without anyone noticing.
Standard bow and arrows (no fancy high-powered stuff) are just sitting in the shed.
Our BB guns do look real, imo, but I don’t have much first hand experience with real guns, so I could be wrong!

Now, for CPS home study stuff, we did lock the bow separate from arrows and BBs went into a storage unit off the premises. But that is never going to be our method outside of CPS oversight.

[MercyA]

8 minutes ago, hippiemamato3 said:

In the trash...

Yes, this.

I grew up in a family that read the Armed Citizen column of the NRA magazine out loud at the lunch table. We didn't hunt (thank God) but were very, very pro-gun for personal and home protection. And I'm still not entirely anti-gun. I think they have their place. BUT--not as toys. Full stop. I don't think it's right for children to play at killing things. And I live in an area where too many kids use them to shoot squirrels and rabbits and birds. It's sickening.

Off soapbox and back to the topic at hand...I think the teacher did the right thing, absolutely. I don't think it matters if the child's room is considered an extension of the classroom or not. She saw that the child might have been in danger and reported it.

[Carrie12345]

Overall, teachers are being asked to be extra perceptive while schools are on distance learning.  COVID has brought down reports while kids have had less access to mandated reporters, and that is a scary concept. I won’t get into my personal feelings about that because I really ride the fence and even my biases reside on opposite sides, but it is a statistical fact.

[MEmama]

25 minutes ago, hippiemamato3 said:

In the trash...

I was going to say in the incinerator.

[JustEm]

We are not a gun family.  I have never held a gun other than a bb gun when I was a kid.  And my children will never have a bb gun or airsoft gun.  But I don't think there is anything wrong with where the guns were being stored, assuming there are no younger kids in the house who could access them.  I also don't think the teacher did anything wrong reporting it to the principal.  I think it is wrong they won't show the parent the screen shot merely because it shows a lack of trust on the schools part.  I would wonder why else they were taking screen shots during a Zoom class. I also think having the vice principal call the ex is strange.  If they were really that concerned they should have reported both addresses to the police so the police could determine both homes were safe.

[Tap]

I grew up with loaded guns in the closet and my parents night stand. I grew up in a culture that respected guns and the power they harness. The destruction they bring and their intended purpose.  A BB gun, was treated with similar (but not the same) respect. They would have not been secured and would have been in the owners bedroom.

 

Now.....I would absolutely never have a gun or weapon unsecured. Not necessarily due to the owners respect of the weapon, but because of friends and/or visitors not being raised with the same respect and understanding of the destructive power it holds. 

[happi duck]

(I am anti toy guns and anti gun)

The picture seems to clearly be toys and a teacher screenshotting kids seems really bad.

If we were a gun family I'd probably store toys securely as good practice for real guns.  I'd want proper storage etc to be ingrained habits.

[Wheres Toto]

Other than the one with the orange tip, I wouldn't have known those weren't "real" guns.  Aren't bb guns and air soft all supposed to have the orange tip?

I don't blame the teacher for feeling the need to follow up.   Whether it was truly the wrong place to have them depends on other factors of the household, although 11 seems young to me to have them hanging on his bedroom wall. 

[PeterPan]

1 hour ago, TechWife said:

Yes, displaying a gun in a school setting is terrifying to a lot of people.

See that is such an important point. What an astonishing distraction, disruption, or bit of inappropriateness to have guns in the background of your school zoom call. What are the other kids thinking? So then is something else that would have been inappropriate in the classroom (nudity, profanity, whatever) also ok because it's your home? 

Seems like that's partly the complexity of jumping to so much virtual schooling, but they also had time to think through those issues. 

[PeterPan]

1 hour ago, fairfarmhand said:

personally, we’re in a very rural area so a kid having their own BB gun in their room is pretty typical.

Ok, thanks, because that's outside my realm of experience. 

[Guest]

As a mandated reporter, I probably would have done the same thing-called my principal and asked what to do in this situation. And I know that when my daughter teaches online, and in the classes she has taken (which do not have video typically) it is required to run a recording the entire time there are students in the room, so I wouldn't assume the teacher necessarily even took a screen shot right then, as opposed to one from a required video.  The procedures for what to do if a child brings a weapon, or mentions having a weapon, at school are clear. But what do you do when your classroom IS also the child's bedroom? That's why this teacher kicked it up to the administrator, and let them make the call. And, in this case, the police pretty quickly decided there was no case here.

 

FWIW, one of the things I ask parents to do in virtual piano lessons is to check the background. Because, honestly, there are parts of my house I'd just as soon not have on public view or video, too! (And while virtual backgrounds probably would work for school settings, and I encourage them for my teen club, so we have kids zooming in from the bridge of the Enterprise, the TARDIS, a Rainforest, a shark tank, etc. they don't work so well for piano because they tend to block out the piano).

[PeterPan]

1 hour ago, happysmileylady said:

And I dislike that there aren't even rules in place against teachers taking screen shots of the kids homes.  

But didn't the teacher need to do that for informational purposes? There is so much cover your butt and liability. 

[Farrar]

I'm anti-gun overall, though I did grow up with guns so I have some sense of culture around them.

I would not have immediately known that some of those were not "real" guns - the two without the orange tips. I would have wondered if they were BB/Airsoft guns though. I think the right response would have been to contact and ask the parents. It's legitimate concern. Dear Mr and Mrs. Parent, I'm Kid's teacher. In Kid's background, I noted a rack of guns. One is clearly a toy, but I'm not sure about the others. Are they toys, replicas, BB guns, or another such item? As a mandated reporter, I have to report if a student has open access to weapons or if firearms in a home are not secured around children. However, I wanted to check in with you first to make sure about what I'm seeing. Thank you. And then proper parent response would be to clarify and not be nasty or contact the media. A lot of these issues are going to arise this year. Everyone being open to communications is the best approach.

Because the imagery is not great, I would ask a student not to have those as his background. Just like having a virtual background that was violent or suggested violence wouldn't be okay. It's school. Teachers need to show grace about messes and limitations, but also students need to present a background that is not intimidating or blatantly stuff that would not be okay in school.

If it's a teen who has proven themselves responsible and there are zero younger kids in the house or regular visitors and they do put them away if there are... then I guess it's not the worst thing ever. I'm certainly aware that it's not uncommon. My father always locked up the guns, but never the BB gun (it needed to be at hand to shoot squirrels off the birdfeeder, I guess). He kept it up high and out of sight when my own kids came to visit and that was enough for me. I'd file it in the category of parenting decisions I think are a no personally but which are also not the end of the world or anything I need to raise a stink about.

[PeterPan]

59 minutes ago, Carrie12345 said:

Overall, teachers are being asked to be extra perceptive while schools are on distance learning.  COVID has brought down reports while kids have had less access to mandated reporters, and that is a scary concept. I won’t get into my personal feelings about that because I really ride the fence and even my biases reside on opposite sides, but it is a statistical fact.

That's an interesting point. 

 

43 minutes ago, Where's Toto? said:

Other than the one with the orange tip, I wouldn't have known those weren't "real" guns.  Aren't bb guns and air soft all supposed to have the orange tip?

Exactly. I'm planning to show the pic to my dh to see what he says. 

[maize]

1 hour ago, PeterPan said:

. 

I will say, just to throw out another side, we stayed in the teen room of some of our friends once and he had some kind of swords, knives type things in his room. Maybe this is more common than I realize?

 

No guns of any sort here, even airsoft, but my kids do have scads of martial arts weapons including sharp swords in their rooms. The swords belong to my teenagers.

[hippiemamato3]

14 minutes ago, kdsuomi said:

Everyone I've known who has had an air soft gun or BB gun has had it stored in his room, and no one ever questioned if it were a bad idea (I'm not from a gun culture area, either). Schools should not be taking screenshots of children's homes during class, and this whole virtual school in the home thing is just asking for a huge overreach of teachers and schools.

Or, it's allowing mandated reporters (and caring adults) to still keep an eye on at-risk students who otherwise have no oversight while they are at home. 

[Susan in TX]

When my son was a teen he had an arsenal of air soft guns that he kept in his room. He was very responsible with them and they would have been taken away if he hadn't been. His room was totally off-limits to younger siblings.

When I was a kid our BB gun was kept in the garage. It was accessible but it was probably kept unloaded. I knew better than to mess with it.

My brother shot a rattlesnake with his BB gun in the field by our house when he was 12. He also carried a pocket knife to school. This was Texas in 1968. The world has changed for sure.

Susan in TX 

Edited August 30, 2020 by Susan in TX

[Frances]

1 hour ago, EKS said:

My son has an airsoft gun in his room.  No younger siblings, no one ever comes over, and he is required to keep it unloaded.  It never occurred to me that it could be a problem during a school zoom session, though I can see how it might make someone edgy.

I don't understand why the article claimed that the teacher was "spying" on the student.  If something is in the background for everyone to see, how is that spying?  Of course, people call looking at someone's public Facebook page "stalking," so I guess maybe hyperbole is the new thing.

I think the “spying” thing can be explained by the source of the article. It’s hard to take the article seriously when teacher is crossed off and spy is substituted.

That said, even though I despise the gun culture in this country, I do think the principal should have talked to the parents about the issue first. But I completely understand why the teacher was concerned, and I think did the right thing by talking to the principal.

Edited August 30, 2020 by Frances

[fairfarmhand]

I’m kinda surprised that the mom of the student was upset. I can totally picture someone getting upset. It’s naive for mom to have her feathers ruffled that a teacher would ask the question. She should have been notified by the teacher or principal though.

Edited August 30, 2020 by fairfarmhand

[Corraleno]

2 hours ago, EKS said:

My son has an airsoft gun in his room.  No younger siblings, no one ever comes over, and he is required to keep it unloaded.  It never occurred to me that it could be a problem during a school zoom session, though I can see how it might make someone edgy.

I don't understand why the article claimed that the teacher was "spying" on the student.  If something is in the background for everyone to see, how is that spying?  Of course, people call looking at someone's public Facebook page "stalking," so I guess maybe hyperbole is the new thing.

The article is from a far-right website that is very anti-teachers, accusing teachers unions of being part of the "radical left" that wants to close schools for no reason since "99.8%" of people with Covid survive and teachers aren't in the age group that dies anyway, and it's all part of a Democratic plot to "shove all children into a state-run education monopoly." If you look at the "News & Politics" section of the website, it is nothing but gushing praise for Trump, claims that Democrats have always encouraged political violence, praise for Kyle Rittenhouse for shooting "looters," etc.

[rebcoola]

Ours in a case with the other guns that have cases and are all on a tether lock thing.   I wouldn't have problem with it being out in the garage with the archery stuff if we had a place to use it at home.  We don't so it's just easier to put it with the others.  I don't know where exactly my niece and nephews kept theirs but they definitely had access.  They lived rurally and used them a lot around their ranch.

[EKS]

2 minutes ago, Corraleno said:

The article is from a far-right website that is very anti-teachers, accusing teachers unions of being part of the "radical left" that wants to close schools for no reason since "99.8%" of people with Covid survive and teachers aren't in the age group that dies anyway, and it's all part of a Democratic plot to "shove all children into a state-run education monopoly." If you look at the "News & Politics" section of the website, it is nothing but gushing praise for Trump, claims that Democrats have always encouraged political violence, praise for Kyle Rittenhouse for shooting "looters," etc.

Nice.

[Guest]

28 minutes ago, fairfarmhand said:

I’m kinda surprised that the mom of the student was upset. I can totally picture someone getting upset. It’s naive for mom to have her feathers ruffled that a teacher would ask the question. She should have been notified by the teacher or principal though.

Again, this is a new situation, but I can tell you that in the training I have had to do, it has been made clear that in a mandatory reporting situation, anything other than reporting it to the principal is not an option for the teacher. The same would happen if the boy included a photo of the same gun rack in a photo essay about his life. The principal possibly could have called the parents vs the authorities, but I'm guessing the response was, again, pretty automatic. Until there are policies that specifically address online instruction, schools have to operate as best they can within what is available. And, in this case, they worked as intended. The police checked it out, decided it wasn't a threat, and reported back to the school that it wasn't a threat. The child was not ripped away from a loving family by social workers, the parents were not arrested, and based on the article, the child was not suspended or expelled from school. 

[katilac]

3 hours ago, PeterPan said:

Am I skewed because we have to be so so careful because of ds' ASD and behaviors? We have ZERO weapons accessible. Zero. Not sling shots, not bb guns, not air soft, not bows, nothing. All behind locks and keys, commercial grade locks, serious locks. Super pro NRA, also sorta liking life. 

I'm just legit surprised and trying to figure out how widespread this is. Is this NORMAL, common, typical? And when you look at the picture in that article, can you tell what those weapons are? Honestly, I don't stay versed. To me, not having asked my dh, that looks like more than "just a BB gun". Obviously the police officer was satisfied. I'm just still sorta flabbergasted.

So what says the Hive? Was the teacher out of line, as a mandatory reporter, calling the police? If the weapons aren't easily distinguishable, didn't she have a *responsibility*? Aren't the parents IDIOTS for not thinking about what was showing? And would/do you let your dc have weapons in their rooms? I guess people won't say, lol. 

I will say, just to throw out another side, we stayed in the teen room of some of our friends once and he had some kind of swords, knives type things in his room. Maybe this is more common than I realize?

I didn't vote because my kids didn't have BB guns, but I don't have a problem with them. I wouldn't store them anywhere easily accessible because of other kids, even if mine didn't concern me, but I wouldn't have gone to commercial grade locks, either. BB guns in one place, pellets in another. 

The teacher wasn't out of line and the parents weren't idiots - well, not for having the BB guns in the background anyway. They probably just didn't think of it. 

Swords and such are pretty common, although they're usually more on the decorative side. Yes, I allowed my dc to have such weapons in their rooms, and they were also allowed to have pocket knives from a young age (certainly from 5th-grade, like the student in the story). 

1 hour ago, happi duck said:

The picture seems to clearly be toys  

BB guns are not toys, that's why they don't have the orange tip. 

1 hour ago, Farrar said:

I think the right response would have been to contact and ask the parents. 

 

18 minutes ago, Bagels McGruffikin said:

I just feel like contacting mom and dad and asking some questions should precede reporting 

As a mandated reporter, talking to the parents first is not really an option for this type of thing. You have to report and then others ask the questions. 

[MEmama]

22 minutes ago, Corraleno said:

The article is from a far-right website that is very anti-teachers, accusing teachers unions of being part of the "radical left" that wants to close schools for no reason since "99.8%" of people with Covid survive and teachers aren't in the age group that dies anyway, and it's all part of a Democratic plot to "shove all children into a state-run education monopoly." If you look at the "News & Politics" section of the website, it is nothing but gushing praise for Trump, claims that Democrats have always encouraged political violence, praise for Kyle Rittenhouse for shooting "looters," etc.

Wow.

It is hard for me to wrap my head around people choosing to read such...stuff. And choosing to pretend it’s factual. 

[katilac]

8 minutes ago, happysmileylady said:

 Mandated reporting isn't about gathering evidence or investigating yourself.  Like you said....report and then others ask the questions.  

Yes, I agree they should not have been tricky about it.

[mom2scouts]

My son has an airsoft gun in his room. It never would have occured to me that it would be a problem. 

[PeterPan]

2 hours ago, kdsuomi said:

Everyone I've known who has had an air soft gun or BB gun has had it stored in his room

Thanks, I never realized this was the case. 

[PeterPan]

2 hours ago, Susan in TX said:

He also carried a pocket knife to school.

Yes! That was my first surprise when I moved here, that this was common. Not at school, but just in general. We had a bday party for my dd one year and a boy whips out a knife, lol. Would have been fine, but he was popping the balloons! 

1 hour ago, Corraleno said:

The article is from a far-right website that is very anti-teachers

Ironically, the article was posted on FB by a retired teacher friend. But yes, that's what got me, that it didn't seem reasonable, common, or generally accepted or like something that wouldn't raise eyebrows, even if you agreed (in general) with their politics. I clearly have not snooped enough, because I don't know anybody who's kids have guns in their bedrooms, even with very pro NRA, pro hunting, avidly hunting people. 

1 hour ago, dmmetler said:

I can tell you that in the training I have had to do, it has been made clear that in a mandatory reporting situation, anything other than reporting it to the principal is not an option for the teacher.

Good, that seems like the best way to handle things. 

 

[Frances]

1 hour ago, MEmama said:

Wow.

It is hard for me to wrap my head around people choosing to read such...stuff. And choosing to pretend it’s factual. 

Well it certainly explains quite a bit about the current state of our country.

[TheReader]

so, in our house, any gun other than a nerf dart gun is in our lockable (but not actually locked) closet, including the pellet rifle/bb gun. None of our boys have ever had air soft or paint ball, but if they did, those would be similarly in our closet. 

All guns are kept unloaded. 

All ammo is kept locked in a safe. 

The kids do not know the combination to the safe. (only DH & I have that info)

Was it a royal pain when I needed to go into the closet to grab the pellet rifle, unlock the safe, grab the pellets for it, load the dumb thing, and go kill the mouse/rat/whatever that my cat was attacking but not totally killing (to put the rodent out of its misery and to keep the rodent from getting into our house)? Yes.  Is people safety more important than that annoyance? YES, a thousand times yes. 

Now, we do *also* have a display board of decorative (not functionally sharp or anything) movie-memorabilia swords in the TV room. And one DS has a display board of similarly not functionally sharp video-game memorabilia sword(s) in his room (thus far he has only the one, but with space for more). But those are not sharpened blades, at all. 

The 19 yr old also has a knife he forged himself out of a (used) horseshoe; it's good for opening boxes, not much else. He keeps it in a leather sheath in his room. But again, this is not a sharp weapon that could actually hurt a person (I mean, perhaps when he first forged it, but.....)

DH has some pocket knives, and those are kept in the kitchen, but as none are any more or less lethal than a regular kitchen knife anyway, that doesn't bother me much. 

[TechWife]

2 hours ago, Bagels McGruffikin said:

I just feel like contacting mom and dad and asking some questions should precede reporting, when it’s the child’s home environment and not at school, unless it’s a situation of child abuse or such where the parent is a flight risk if notified. Seems like a common courtesy when you have a window into their lives and there is no indication in the child’s behavior or words that indicates anything is threatening or wrong...?

Teachers and school administrators are not trained to determine risk level. That is the job of social service and law enforcement. Likewise, they have no idea if there is abuse in the home or if someone is a “flight risk.” The presence of a weapon in a school setting is threatening to many people, and for good reason. Giving someone a heads up when worried about safety & you don’t actually know the people involved doesn’t fall under the realm of common courtesy. Every year when school starts hospital ED visits & admissions for abuse related reasons go up. Why?  Because there are more eyes on the situation.  Before I volunteered at a children’s hospital I didn’t realize how often school is the safe place for a lot of kids and teachers and others that report aren’t engaging in over reach - they are looking out for the kids. Mandatory reporter laws are there to prevent cover ups of abuse and to relieve the responsibility of the teacher who is not trained equipped and does not have the legal authority to to investigate or to act in a child’s behalf. They shouldn’t be expected to do so, either. 

[Lanny]

This thread brought back memories for me. Someone gave my Mother (for me) a used BB gun. it was like an automatic pistol. A handgun. I remember shooting it.  I had it in my room.  I was probably 10 or 11 when I got that and I was at that time shooting hand guns (a 22 S&W Revolver and a  Long Gun, a 20 gauge Remington Shotgun) but those were not kept in my room.

If a child is old enough to be handling something like a BB gun, s/he should be mature enough to keep it in their room.

There is some danger to a BB gun and one could injure another person (especially an eye injury) if not careful.

[MercyA]

10 minutes ago, Lanny said:

There is some danger to a BB gun and one could injure another person (especially an eye injury) if not careful.

Okay, how many people immediately thought of a movie quote when they read this? 😁

[MercyA]

1 hour ago, WendyAndMilo said:

DS's BB gun is laying on his floor in his room along with two real swords (like a viking sword and a scimitar)... we haven't found a good place for them yet.  If we had smaller kids around, more visitors and/or if DS was any less responsible, we would be more careful.

For some reason swords are in a different category to me. It seems so rare that someone uses them to actually injure another person or an animal. I mean, I know it happens occasionally--but swords seem much more like a display item now. 

[PeterPan]

1 minute ago, WendyAndMilo said:

Yeah, they are in a different category for me too, although I don't know where to put them.  They don't need to be loaded or anything before using, but...yeah

So is this a bad time to mention the time my brother and I were *jumping on the bed* in my grandparents basements while *holding* these real metal dagger short sword things my uncle had kept in that bedroom? LOL 

I have no idea how I survived my childhood. 

[Ausmumof3]

From the CDC

Each year in the United States, approximately 30,000 persons with BB and pellet gun * -related injuries are treated in hospital emergency departments (EDs) (1). Most (95%) injuries are BB or pellet gunshot wounds (GSWs); 5% are other types of injuries (e.g., lacerations sustained inadvertently while cleaning or shooting a gun or contusions resulting from being struck with the butt of a gun) (1). Most (81%) persons treated for BB and pellet GSWs are children and teenagers (aged less than or equal to 19 years). To assist in developing strategies for preventing these injuries, CDC analyzed data from an ongoing special study of nonfatal gun-related injuries conducted using the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System (NEISS) of the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission; this study has characterized the epidemiology of BB and pellet GSWs among children and teenagers in the United States during June 1992-May 1994 (2). This report summarizes the circumstances of six cases of BB and pellet gun-related injuries identified through NEISS and presents the findings of the analysis of NEISS data. 

NEISS includes a probability sample of 91 hospitals selected from all hospitals with at least six beds and that provide 24-hour emergency service (2). Data were weighted to provide national estimates of injuries treated in hospital EDs in the United States and its territories (1). 

Case Reports 

• A 9-year-old boy was struck by a BB beneath his lower left eyelid after he stepped from behind a board at which other children were shooting. The children had been left unsupervised following a youth club target practice session. 

• A 16-year-old boy sustained a severe midbrain injury from a self-inflicted combination BB/pellet gun GSW through the roof of his mouth. 

• A 9-year-old girl incurred a pellet injury to the back of her right ankle after four boys fired a pellet gun at her from a passing car while she was walking on a sidewalk. 

• A 10-year-old boy sustained injuries to his neck and trachea after being struck by a BB from a gun that had been fired unintentionally by an unspecified person. 

• A 13-year-old boy was shot in the neck with a BB gun while he and a friend were playing in a house. The friend, who believed the gun was unloaded, had aimed the gun at the 13-year-old and pulled the trigger. 

• A 16-year-old boy sustained a penetrating injury to his right eye after being struck by a BB that ricocheted from a gun fired by a friend.

we did know one person who lost a sibling to a BB gun apparently.  It was literally years ago.  If we had one it would be a gun safe thing used with adult supervision.  My kid does have a bow and arrow which is probably equally dangerous though so I guess I have a bit of a double standard.  It would be hard for a random kid not trained in archery to accidentally point and fire it at someone because it’s really hard to load and draw if you don’t know what you’re doing.

[Ausmumof3]

More from CDC

Analysis of the NEISS data indicate that BB and pellet GSWs treated in hospital EDs typically result from an unintentional shooting of a young or adolescent male who either shot himself or was shot by a friend, acquaintance, or relative. Many of these shootings occur when using or playing with a gun in or around the home. These findings suggest that ready access to a BB or pellet gun and ammunition stored in the home and/or the lack of supervision during use of the gun may contribute substantially to the risk for injury among children and adolescents, especially for boys aged 10-14 years. Although most BB and pellet gun injuries are unintentional, the findings from this analysis and from a statewide ED-based surveillance system in Massachusetts (9) also indicate that BB and pellet guns sometimes have been used to purposefully inflict harm. 

Unintentional BB and pellet gun-related injuries that occur during unsupervised activities are preventable. Parents considering the purchase of a BB or pellet gun for their children should be aware of the potential hazards of these guns, and should help to ensure the safety of their children in the presence of a BB or pellet gun. Children and teenaged users should recognize that these guns are not toys but are designed and intended specifically for recreational and competitive sport use. Parents or other adults should provide direct supervision at all times for each child who is using or observing the use of these guns. Each user should be educated about the potential danger of these guns, the importance of gun-safety practices, and how to safely handle and fire the gun. The use of protective eyewear should be enforced during shooting activities. When not in use, all guns in the home should be kept locked up and unloaded. Subsequent efforts to reduce the severity and frequency of injuries associated with BB and pellet guns should include determination of the effectiveness of a variety of interventions (e.g., technological, regulatory, environmental, and behavioral).

[Ausmumof3]

Just now, WendyAndMilo said:

And that right there is the problem.  No gun or weapon or frying pan should ever be "played" with and certainly not in a house or other enclosed space.  They are for specific circumstances which every participant should be trained in.

Yes I agree!  Also that is why storing it in a safe is a good idea.  If it’s a training weapons for learning gun safety learning that weapons are kept in a safe is a kind of part of that.  

[Ausmumof3]

Also for reference in Aus BB guns have to be registered and stored just like any other firearm.  Failing to do so can result in a weapons offence going on your criminal history record.  Maybe that’s a bit over the top but that’s how it is.

[JustEm]

Wait, I thought mandated reporters were required to report incidents to local authorities whether it be the police, cps, etc.  Why would they report to principals? That seems dangerous because it leaves the decision to act upon something mandatory report worthy up to someone not in a position to actually investigate it

 

Edited to add:  Never mind, I read up on state law and a teacher is to inform the principal but is also still obligated to report the incident to local law enforcement.

Edited August 30, 2020 by hjffkj

[kiwik]

I told the school we didn't have a webcam.  I thought it was true when I said it and I didn't bother to correct it when I found out it was wrong.  If we had used one I would have covered stuff with a sheet.  There is nothing in my house that needs hiding (unless you count the mess) and I am not greatly concerned about government intrusion.  It just seems sensible to limit access to relevant stuff.

[Shoeless]

Well, I would never give a child a gun, for starters. So, there's that...

We have a BB gun for killing rattle snakes.  It's not locked away because a gun safe would cost more than the stupid BB gun; it's kept on a high shelf in a closet, separate from the pellets.   If we had a "real" gun, we would have a gun safe.  The gun isn't DS12's; he knows it belongs to daddy, and would never in a thousand years touch it without permission and that it isn't a "toy".  If DS12 was the kind of kid that really wanted to hunt or shoot targets, I'd still take the stance that the guns belonged to daddy and permission/supervision needed to be sought to use them. I know a lot of families around here are very casual about guns and it's never sat right with me. My dad had a few hunting rifles when I was growing up, as did my uncles, but it was drilled into our heads that we never, EVER touched the guns and if we saw a gun out without an adult nearby, we were to get an adult immediately.  

[Ausmumof3]

If the kids are on zoom you can just set a virtual background anyway?  My kids had some virtual stuff and we just tidied a space and they had to stay in that place.  Not because of any unsecured weapons but I didn’t want anyone judging if I was walking around in PJs or something.

[katilac]

1 hour ago, Plum said:

Glad my son doesn’t have zoom classes!

I love how this is set up in front of his desk, like a unique motivational poster 😂

14 minutes ago, Ausmumof3 said:

If the kids are on zoom you can just set a virtual background anyway?  

Yes, which is one of the reasons I assume the parents just didn't think about the BB guns being in the background.