Indiana Couple Arrested for Filming Baby Playing With Handgun

[Red Squirrel]

I don't see what's wrong if the gun was not loaded. That's like letting a baby play with an empty Tim Horton's cup or a Kinder Surprise toy (they're legal here!) in Canada.

On serious note though, if the baby had been playing with an extension cord would they get charged too? There is the risk that he plugs it in and puts the other end in his mouth. Don't get me wrong, it's pretty terrible parenting, but they don't deserve to get in trouble with the law either. If they don't do jail time they'll still have a criminal record that makes it hard to ever get a job again if they lose their current job.

 

[mrjminer]

Barnes was charged with child neglect, criminal recklessness with a deadly weapon and allowing a child to possess a firearm.


Right, because those aren't real crimes?

Not in this context. If it was a toy gun, would they be charged? No. Criminal recklessness is a joke. An unloaded real gun is no more a danger than a toy gun, save for maybe breaking a toe if it is dropped. Hardly warranting criminal charges.

This is a 1 year old kid in their home. The only way to neglect a child at the age of 1 is to do it physical harm, or to deprive it of something it physically requires (ie: food) because it is in the sensorimotor stage and can't comprehend anything about the world around it in any meaningful regard. It doesn't know it is holding a gun. It could be strapped to a launched nuclear missile then parachuted out mid-flight and it would be of no consequence. It would giggle, cry, and shit its diaper randomly like it normally would.

The only charges with any legal merit are possession, but that is stretching it inside of their own home under parental supervision of an unloaded weapon at one year old. Unless the baby is going to go out for a stroll toting a gun, this is nothing more than overzealousness to appease anti-gun nuts.

 

[sandorski]

People not finding anything wrong with this are the perfect examples why Gun Ownership Regulation is completely necessary. Proper respect of FireArms clearly does not come naturally, but needs to be taught.

You always treat a gun as if it is loaded
You never point a gun at anyone unless you intend to shoot them
You don't fucking let a kid play with a gun when they have no idea what it is and especially if they have a penchant to suck on the barrel

 

[mrjminer]

Lighten up. The extreme improbability that they are going to leave loaded guns lying around?

The father is a criminal. He was busted for doing a criminal act. He had a warrant out on him. You really think for one minute that he wouldn't leave a loaded weapon laying around?

I am thinking about it.

I don't think you are. You are creating actions that have not occurred and then attempting to penalize him for it.

Let's say you are 10 years old and you steal a candy bar. Ten years later, you are randomly arrested for banging a corpse while robbing a bank because you stole a candy bar when you were 10. Makes absolutely no sense.

 

[TallBill]

Terrible article, terrible discussion here.

 

[herrjimbo]

I don't think you are. You are creating actions that have not occurred and then attempting to penalize him for it.

Let's say you are 10 years old and you steal a candy bar. Ten years later, you are randomly arrested for banging a corpse while robbing a bank because you stole a candy bar when you were 10. Makes absolutely no sense.

What didn't you understand about him being arrested for trying to sell a gun to an undercover cop? Or that he was wanted for armed robbery?

He wasn't arrested for what was on his phone. Those allegations came about after the fact.

Sound like an upstanding father to you?

I am done with this now. Feel free to contradict the facts with others.

 

[mrjminer]

What didn't you understand about him being arrested for trying to sell a gun to an undercover cop? Or that he was wanted for armed robbery?

He wasn't arrested for what was on his phone. Those allegations came about after the fact.

Sound like an upstanding father to you?

I am done with this now. Feel free to contradict the facts with others.

Contradict what facts? I don't argue that he should be allowed to have a gun if he is legally barred for doing so. To penalize him for the child playing with the gun is what I take issue with.

 

[mmntech]

I figure if you're 19 and are already popping out kids, you can't be that smart to begin with. The fact that he's also a crook is the icing on the cake.

I'm not sure about taking the kid way from him. The gun wasn't loaded and he was supervising. That said, this dude definitely needs a stern talking too about firearms safety. Leaving any firearm laying about around children isn't exactly the hallmark of a responsible gun owner. Too many kids have been accidentally shot that way.
As a baby, they're probably not going to get into too much trouble, but that carelessness could pose a serious issue as they get older.

Any sort of weapon, whether it be a gun, bow, or big knife, should be kept out of reach of children. They certainly shouldn't be ever playing with them. Guns need to be kept in a secure, locked cabinet when not in use. It's just common sense.

 

[Captante]

People not finding anything wrong with this are the perfect examples why Gun Ownership Regulation is completely necessary. Proper respect of FireArms clearly does not come naturally, but needs to be taught.

You always treat a gun as if it is loaded
You never point a gun at anyone unless you intend to shoot them
You don't fucking let a kid play with a gun when they have no idea what it is and especially if they have a penchant to suck on the barrel

Thank you! :thumbsup:

 

[Strk]

People not finding anything wrong with this are the perfect examples why Gun Ownership Regulation is completely necessary. Proper respect of FireArms clearly does not come naturally, but needs to be taught.

You always treat a gun as if it is loaded
You never point a gun at anyone unless you intend to shoot them
You don't fucking let a kid play with a gun when they have no idea what it is and especially if they have a penchant to suck on the barrel

Yeah, I wonder if the same people say the kid being taken away is ridiculous would still say the same if there was a bullet in the chamber? Because no one has ever made the mistake of saying the gun was unloaded because it had no clip in it.....

 

[TheVrolok]

People not finding anything wrong with this are the perfect examples why Gun Ownership Regulation is completely necessary. Proper respect of FireArms clearly does not come naturally, but needs to be taught.

You always treat a gun as if it is loaded
You never point a gun at anyone unless you intend to shoot them
You don't fucking let a kid play with a gun when they have no idea what it is and especially if they have a penchant to suck on the barrel

Pretty much this.

Boggles my mind that many people are claiming it's ok for a 1 year old to be playing with a firearm.

 

[bononos]

Both parent should lose the right to own firearms, that should teach them some common sense.

 

[balloonshark]

It's a good thing I wasn't filmed as a child. I probably would have grown up in foster care. At my grandparents I remember them bringing out an old pistol for us to play with. I don't think it would fire and I remember the grips were missing. My aunt used to carry a starter's pistol for protection. I somehow managed to get it and played with it like a toy.

With that said we had common sense back then. I knew where my dad kept his rifles but I knew I would get my ass beat if I ever touched them.

 

[gorcorps]

I'm flabbergasted at how many people are okay with this. I'm just going to assume it's a bunch of trolls.

 

[schmuckley]

Pretty ridiculous. Parent shouldn't get into trouble for this.

Maybe you missed the part "Father was wanted for armed robbery"

 

[Blanky]

People like this are actually more of a threat to 2nd amendment supporters than any gun-grabbing leftist could be, because even a guy who sleeps with his guns and calls them women's names looks at this vid and says those people shouldn't have a gun.

 

[sourceninja]

...

 

[amdhunter]

They should have arrested the baby instead.

 

[Puppies04]

Sick, guns are not toys, loaded or not. They have no place in a home or any where near children.

Keys aren't toys either but babies seem to go mad as soon as they see a bunch of them. IMHO the are more likely to hurt themselves with the bunch of keys than an unloaded handgun.

 

[mizzou]

Disgusting.

...40 is such a terrible caliber.

what!?

 

[master_shake_]

Keys aren't toys either but babies seem to go mad as soon as they see a bunch of them. IMHO the are more likely to hurt themselves with the bunch of keys than an unloaded handgun.

lol

what's really surprising is, you'd have a better chance with key control that gun control.

and that is sooooo sad.

 

[mizzou]

After watching the video, that was completely inappropriate in any setting. You never hand a gun to a child until you know they can follow your instructions and completely understand they own something that can cause death.

 

[kranky]

How is babby unformed?