Two-year old kills his mother in Idaho

No, it won't make them tighten up their gun laws, TriciaF, most US citizens would be appalled at any attempt to curtail their 'right to keep and bear arms' despite tragedies such as this which occur so often.

If that tragic shooting at a primary school just over 2 years ago didn't change anything then nothing will.

Crossed posts

I agree that it is now a circle they can't escape. They feel they need a gun because everyone else has one! Poor little boy - to grow up knowing you shot your own mother! What a world!

Don't know about "funny faces" but I use the "confused" icon when I can't follow what a poster is trying to say.

Hideous situation for the poor little chap and his family and friends. Children and guns? I think most children will play at having guns/ gunfights.
I am totally anti violence but living on a farm when the children were younger, DH had guns (licensed and very securely locked away) used to shoot vermin and rabbits as well as run clay pigeon competitions. He taught me to shoot targets and when the children were old enough they were taught target shooting too, both becoming proficient and winning air rifle/pistol and clay shoot competitions. Despite this, I was never comfortable with having guns in the house, however well concealed and secured.

When we left farming 18 years ago the guns were handed to the police for disposal.
I cannot imagine what life must be like living in a gun-happy culture where the number of guns held outnumbers the population and it is the 'norm' to carry a gun or have guns in the house.......

What can one say? - just a heartfelt sigh.

When I was at primary school I love cowboys and guns. I had several different guns although I think I was the only girl who did. I think I've grown up to be a reasonably non violent person (although I did once win a pistol shooting competition)

It will be interesting to find out what happened in this case (if we ever do) even without a safety catch I would have thought that it would be difficult for a two year old to fire a hand gun. I wonder if the mother had realised what he'd found and was trying to get it away from him? I know GS2 would put up a hell of a fight if he'd found something as interesting as a real gun!

As to why she was carrying a concealed weapon on a shopping trip with children ............... God only knows!

DH agrees with Tegan that the Australian siege would probably have ended with him being shot by one of the customers if it was in the US. Still wouldn't justify everyone carry guns though.

Obviously we shall never know what might have been in the case of the Australian siege had it happened in the US. While it is eminently possible that a gun-carrying customer might have fired his/her weapon, that wouldn't necessarily guarantee that the hostage-taker would even be hit, let alone incapacitated or killed. What it would almost certainly have guaranteed is an exchange of fire and injury or death for at least some of the hostages, probably including the one who fired first. The idea of carrying guns for self-defence is self-deluding.

I don't mean give up guns altogether - the right to bear arms is too ingrained for that.
But to keep them in a more secure place, rather than rattling around in a handbag. eg some sort of body belt with a holster.

Soutra puts the confused face at my posts quite often, Anya!

My posts aren't always the clearest.

This is a recent article on the story:
www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2014/12/31/the-inside-story-of-how-an-idaho-toddler-shot-his-mom-at-wal-mart/
The mentality and culture that led to it is incredible to me.

They havent got a clue have they?
They seem to see guns in the same way as sweets.

Thanks for that link Tricia

I just don't understand it. What a weird attitude. Quite a few people shoot around here. One of our butchers sells mostly wild meat. But never, ever would anyone consider taking a gun shopping! Why woul they need to. No wonder any idiot can get away with the occasional massacre in a school or store if it's normal and so easy to carry hidden weapons.

The older I get, the more I realise just how different each country is.
What is normal behaviour in one country, is bizarre in another.

I agree with absent, that if the Australian siege had occurred in the USA someone shooting at the hostage taker wouldn't have guaranteed lives could be saved. The belief expressed by those who support the right to bear arms, that the way to stop gun attacks in schools is to arm teachers makes me despair.

The fact that we share a language with America shouldn't encourage us to believe we share a culture

The fact that we share a language with America shouldn't encourage us to believe we share a culture

True. Or any other country for that matter. English speaking or not.

I do think that the USA and Britain are not as alike as they used to be, even from 30 years ago.

I lived in South Africa at the time of the troubles and we lived between two policemen , they recommended that we should get a gun in case of problems. Our son was six and we were so careful where we kept the gun, yes I did sometimes have it in my handbag but was oh so careful of it being there . Sometimes it was best to have the gun with you rather than hidden at home.

When the children were young we had quite a collection of guns at home (locked in a safe) and we probably did quite a few things with them that would be frowned on by the authorities, but it would never have occurred to me to take a loaded gun out shopping

One of our neighbours in Leics kept a loaded gun under the bed. His daughter was about 10 when she killed next door's child whilst playing with it

I can understand Bimba why you needed to carry a gun in SA, especially then, but apparently this was in a 'good' area. No riots, no agro.

DH has always been as besotted with guns as any American, but even he would never have been mad enough to keep a loaded gun in the house.

Deedaa If you have the gun for security purposes it needs to be loaded ready for use , you can't say to a burglar hang on while I load the gun , you could be dead by then.

My husband used it once , we had a prowler during the night and DH took the gun and went outside by this time the prowler was going out the gate but DH said he doesn't think he could have used the gun to shoot at the man.

The child must have seen the gun being handled by his mother to know where it was and how to use it, wouldn't it have had a safety catch on it , or shouldn't it have had one ?