5-Year Old Fatally Shoots Sister With His Shiny New Rifle; Grandma Says It Was ‘God’s Will’

[doxydad]

Mom stepped out for a moment, leaving her 5-year-0ld to play with his birthday present–a .22 cal. rifle. While Mom was out, the child shot his 2-year-old sister, Caroline Sparks.

“It was God’s will. It was her time to go, I guess,” grandmother Linda Riddle told WLEX. “I just know she’s in heaven right now and I know she’s in good hands with the Lord.”

http://www.alan.com/2014/06/27/5-year-old-fatally-shoots-sister-with-his-shiny-new-rifle-grandma-says-it-was-gods-will/

[Agschmid]

1. FFS.

[WorseBeforeBetter]

2. Sounds like an easy way to coast through life.

Something horrific happens, "la di da, God's will!"

[Scuba]

6. Yeah, that "mysterious ways" clause covers a lot of ground.

[Erich Bloodaxe BSN]

3. Facepalm.

So if someone came along and shot Grandma, that would be God's will too? I thought part of Christianity was a belief in humans having 'Free Will', to choose to do good or evil things? Surely it was a result of the poor choices of parents who handed over a loaded rifle to a 5 year old and leaving him unattended with it.

I certainly hope the parents are charged for child endangerment, neglect, and whatever other charges apply.

(Edit. Following links, I see it was 'ruled an accident' and no charges were filed. sigh.)

[Frustratedlady]

4. 5-year-old gifted a .22 cal. rifle?

My God, has this country gone mad?

With this kind of idiocy in her elders, maybe the 2-year-old victim is better off now. May she RIP.

[Thinkingabout]

13. My first thoughts also, I would also ask if it is in God's will for anyone to give a 5 year old a

gun. There are lots of decisions made by humans and is not God's decision, we have to be accountable for our decisions. Don't blame God for our stupid decisions.

[ManiacJoe]

23. There is nothing wrong with the gift.

The two problems were (1) the gun was treated like a toy, and (2) the gun was not locked up in the safe with the other guns.

[ileus]

24. I didn't get my son his first 22 until he was 6.

Of course it always stays locked up unless we're at the range or in the woods.

[Duckhunter935]

5. This happened over a year ago

http://www.cnn.com/2013/05/01/us/kentucky-accidential-shooting/

Still sad and I would like to here if anyone was charged. Part of owning a gun is responsibility and that would fall on the adults in this case. I had pellet guns at that age and some of them are almost as powerful as a 22 cal. You could really pump them up.

[Erich Bloodaxe BSN]

8. No charges. I followed the links through to read

Kentucky State Police Trooper Billy Gregory says that the shooting has been ruled an accident. “It’s just one of those nightmares,” he said, “a quick thing that happens when you turn your back.”

...

No charges will be filed.

at God's Will

[Duckhunter935]

9. there should have been in

my opinion, but I was not there.

[NYC_SKP]

14. It seems that the fear-machine is running on all cylinders.

Absent any recent news of shock value, they go back into the archives and dredge up an old tragedy and make it seem new.

I guess, to them, exploiting dead children is part of the means that are justified in the end.

Pathetic.

[Duckhunter935]

15. I give the

some leeway if he did not realize this is over a year old but he should now update the OP to reflect that. If on the other hand he knows and is deliberately trying to pass this off as current news.......

Seems another poster we know has done this before

[NYC_SKP]

16. Certainly Alan Colmes should know better.

The quality of fact-checking and other matters in journalism has been falling and falling.

[Duckhunter935]

19. now that is a true statement nt

[SwankyXomb]

28. Shame on you!

Alan Colmes and journalism don't belong anywhere near each other.

[SamKnause]

7. Mother and Grandma are sorely

lacking critical thinking skills.

How sad that such ignorant people are in charge of the fate of children.

[phil89]

10. Awesome God to worship!

Then again, if he removes all responsibility and need for critical thought...I could see the appeal for some people.

[unblock]

11. and the lord asked cain why he smote his brother and cain said

"god's will".

[rurallib]

12. some parents should be charged with murder

jesus fucking christ giving a loaded gun to a 5 year old.

[lunasun]

20. And then going out !

Seems more like a devil made me do it plea
Seriously there should have been charges

[Arkansas Granny]

17. Hey, grandma, is it also gawd's will that this 5 to carry the guilt

of killing his sister for the rest of his life? I can't imagine what effect this would have on his life.

[gejohnston]

18. I got my first rifle when I was eight,

but only after learning the four rules, and watch what bullet will do to a watermelon. Even it certainly never loaded in the house nor without adult supervision.

[shenmue]

21. Sigh

[Duppers]

22. more of the story from CNN, May 2013

http://www.cnn.com/2013/05/01/us/kentucky-accidential-shooting/

Cumberland County, KY

[Tetris_Iguana]

25. Interesting deity...

[El Shaman]

26. Yup,

god 'willed' em to buy that f ing gun!!!

[Lint Head]

27. I hear that all the time as I'm sure most people do. It grates on my common sense every time.

We all try to justify things. Particularly death. I've let fear enter my soul before thinking I was going to die and every time it made me feel that most people are just doing the best they can to get on with life and we really can't do a damn thing about what fate has in store for us. Not that it's "meant to be". It was "God's will" or it was "their time".

I do think that if we as humans would just be honest with each other instead of hiding our fears behind a facade of security, meme or dogma that society would be better for it. I realize that's just unrealistic pie in the sky idealism but I'd rather be positive in the face of fear. I have even found myself in dire circumstances at times simply to discover that letting go of fear disarms that circumstance. That attitude has even saved my life a couple of times.

[Jake Stern]

29. Said it before and will say it again:

If Caroline had gotten hold of drain cleaner under the sink and died from drinking it there's an extremely high probability that the mother would be facing criminal charges and loss of her other kids for neglect.

[Styx]

30. Maybe.

The flip side, though, is that the drain cleaner death wouldn't have made national news, and certainly wouldn't have been recycled news a year later.