starange question

[Hawkerdriver]

I have a friend whoose ex tries to upstage her at Xmas time by giving very expensive gifts to try to make himself look better than her in kids eyes..Recently, the two boys,aged 8 and 12 recieved AR-15s for Xmas. Altho no big deal in itself,the dad just handed the weapons to the kids with no instruction,training options,saftey vids,a hired instructor, or anything! Now these are pretty tough rural kids and they have been around guns in the past,but with the Mom not really knowing anything about high power weapons,and the boys THINKING they do...would anybody but me be somewhat alarmed about these youngsters thinking an AR is just a squirrel gun? I am very concerned for the boys as well as thier mother,altho it ain't really none of my biz..Just seeing an unimaginable tragedy unfolding for very unnecssasary reasons.The ex has a class 3 and should know better,but he's a real psycho,so what are the mother's options? Is it even legal to give a minor a weapon like this? And God forbid an accident happens,could the mother go after the ex legally if it were to happen? Also,the boys don't know anything about the effective range of the AR,and I worry about a poorly aimed shot reaching out and touching someone nearby..Who would be liable? Have no idea if weapons were transfered under the table since the dad has a class 3 if you know what I mean...very concerned..Any suggestions,opinions welcome..Thanks!

[DefensiveCarry.com]

[Brad426]

I suggest they send me the ARs for safekeeping.

[gasmitty]

Is there a trusted uncle or grandfather who can step in and provide some good sense?

I saw a couple of 10 year olds at the range recently who were shooting ARs, but doing so under close supervision. Simply handing a kid a powerful gun (even a .30-30 lever action) with no guidance or supervision is a recipe for disaster.

[Darrow75]

I don't care how "tough" and "rural" a kid is...an 8 and 12 year old should not be out shooting these firearms unsupervised. That would just be poor parenting IMO. She is their mother and if he guns are in her household, she has every right and responsibility to keep them properly secured.

[dangerranger]

If the boys live with her Shes the responsible party! Send the guns back to his house, and tell the boys that they can visit them at there dads house. DR

[Hopyard]

If G-d forbid there is an accident or an incident, you can bet the prosecutors will trot out one law or another and
go after whichever parent or both parents they can. The prosecutor won't care that putting the parents in jail
will put the surviving kid or kids into either foster care or the care of a relative who doesn't need the burden. Child Protective Services will grab those kids faster than you can say AR.

The 12 year old could even be tried as a juvenile for anything that might go wrong. Some gift from dad, eh!!!!

I've heard of lots of dumb stuff, but this is near the top of the list, and I don't care if it is an AR, a 30-30, a
single shot bolt action 22 short.

You say it is a friend. Good. Copy what I just posted and hand it to MOM. Tell her the guns need to go into
a safe, or go back to dad, or otherwise be removed from the home and that the boys can't play with them unless the dad
is around supervising or mom learns enough to be an appropriate adult supervisor for the boys.

WOW, just WOW.

P.S. Maybe if you do this you will lose a friend, but that's a small price for maybe saving a life and keeping the family from getting even more messed up than it seems it already is.

[mulle46]

Yeah, not responsible to do that. Especially if the father has a class 3 FFL. He should definitely know better. As far as mom's options, she's responsible for the weapons in her house,so do as hop suggested, or at very least a action/trigger lock that only mom has key to.

[dukalmighty]

In some states allowing a minor to have unrestricted access to a firearm is against the law,unless they are supervised from a responsible adult and taught how to safely fire them with all the safety rules it's a ticking time bomb,shooting at squirrels with an AR is ridiculous,where is the round going if they miss or it's a shoot thru

[OldVet]

And what does the law say in wherever this friend lives about kids and guns? There's your answers.

[pittypat21]

As long as they are properly stored and secured, and the kids are properly supervised while shooting, I see no problem with giving an 8 and 12 year old an AR.

[archer51]

Definitely a stupid move by the Dad. What Mom needs to do is take the gun. If she has a safe, lock it away in there, so the kids can't get it without supervision. If no safe is available, at the very minimum install a trigger lock, and have someone remove the bolt for her.

If she does not feel comfortable having the gun in the house, have Dad keep the gun at his place and he can take the boys shooting with it.

[DocT65]

It's folks like this that give responsible gun owners a black eye.

The responsibility for the guns will fall on the adult parent who has direct supervision of the kids. Regardless of where the guns are, they should be SECURED away from the kids unless they are 100% supervised by an adult knowledgeable in the use and safe handling of the guns. If you witness the guns being handled in a reckless or unsupervised manner, you really have a responsibility to report this to the local authorities.

This is a sad, unfortunate and dangerous situation as you describe it.

[phreddy]

As long as he didn't give them ammunition at the same time, what is the harm? Mom should either take control of the weapons and let the kids use them under supervision or tell her husband that the gifts must stay in hs custody to use with the boys. Sounds like this is getting blown out of proportin due to the animosity between Mom and Dad. Somebody is more interested in making a point instead of solving the problem.

[Gaius]

As long as they are properly stored and secured, and the kids are properly supervised while shooting, I see no problem with giving an 8 and 12 year old an AR.

Here is your answer. The guns must be stored, secured and fired only under supervision. Other posters are quite correct. if the guns are in Mom's house she is going to be legally responsible for them.

To be blunt, only a fool hands an eight year old a gun and says have fun. Hopefully that is not what is happening here.

[68blackbird]

If the boys live with her Shes the responsible party! Send the guns back to his house, and tell the boys that they can visit them at there dads house. DR