4 year-old brings dad's LOADED handgun to DAYCARE.

[Robb]

Dad is "charged."

Maine man charged after son takes gun to day care

HALLOWELL, Maine (AP) — The father of a 4-year-old who brought his dad’s loaded handgun to a Maine day care center has been charged with reckless conduct.

Prosecutors said Wednesday that 31-year-old Adam Keene of Madison will be summoned to court to face the misdemeanor charge.

District Attorney Maeghan Maloney says Keene acted in a manner that could have ended in tragedy, but because she thinks his acts were unintentional, he won’t face a felony charge.

Police say an employee found the .380 caliber semi-automatic handgun in a bag the boy brought to Rollins Family Child Care Center in Hallowell on April 23. The gun’s safety was on, but a round was in the chamber.

Read More: http://www.trentonian.com/article/20130606/NEWS04/130609775/maine-man-charged-after-son-takes-gun-to-day-care

[BainsBane]

1. If they don't start taking this seriously

children will never stop dying. They need to pursue felony charges against these people. At the very least they should have their guns taken away.

[Tumbulu]

9. Absolutely yes! I am with you nt

[Initech]

39. Absolutely! [phone]

If you have kids, don't own weapons. If you own weapons and have kids, keep your guns LOCKED THE FUCK UP AND OUT OF THEIR REACH!!!!

[Kablooie]

45. Problem is that they don't care if kids die.

Owning a gun has become much more important to them than loss of innocent lives.
It has become, along with preventing abortions, a higher value than human life.

[abelenkpe]

2. Parents need to be charged

heavily fined, something Maybe then adults would do more to protect kids from the weapons they own.

[Warpy]

3. That's the key right there, huge fines

and all the guns confiscated until the fines are paid off.

That might give the children of careless slobs time to grow up and realize those things are dangerous and not for kids.

[cherokeeprogressive]

4. Absolutely agree. Time to start making examples of irresponsible parents.

We need minimum sentencing and fines for allowing guns to come into the hands of children.

[Hoyt]

7. Life at hard labor.

[cherokeeprogressive]

11. Realistically...

In instances like the OP, where no one got hurt, I'd be happy with say 90 days mandatory and a $5,000 fine. Jail time starts Friday IMMEDIATELY after work and ends Sunday night at midnight. The only reason I'd allow this is 90 consecutive days would surely result in loss of job and unduly affect the children. Oh, and house arrest during the week.

[Hoyt]

12. And since they have proven to be irresponsible, they lose right to own or use guns.

[cherokeeprogressive]

15. Now you're talking felony, or flirting with unconstitutionality.

Me, I'm trying to skate along the fine line between maximum allowable and acceptable to everyone, and you're going balls to the wall as usual. Is there no happy medium with you?

[marions ghost]

14. You've gotta be kidding...

"unduly affect the children"...

[cherokeeprogressive]

16. Yeah, okay. Fuck the kids. Toss the dad or mom, then the key.

Let the kids fend for themselves. Maybe throw them into foster care. That's always a laugh...

[marions ghost]

19. It's hard to imagine the parents give a

crap about the kids in the first place if they would let this happen. Maybe they'd be better off in foster care for awhile.

What about the other kids at the place who were in danger because this negligent parent can't keep his guns to himself?

This should not happen. BIG penalties is the only way to stop it.

If you were another parent of a kid in that day care, you'd probably have a different perspective.

[cherokeeprogressive]

20. "Maybe they'd be better off in foster care for awhile." Wow, that's hilarious.

No one I've met in my 52 years who's been in foster care thought they were better off there than with one or the other of their parents.

Of course this should NOT happen. I'm all for "BIG" penalties in an attempt to stop it. I guess your idea of BIG and mine don't quite dovetail.

I have children, and I'm basing my opinion on what did happen, not on an irrational fear of what might have happened.

I'm still floored you think that foster care is preferable to being with at least one natural parent.

[marions ghost]

28. A 4-yr-old with a loaded gun is not an irrational fear

--it was a disaster barely averted & a threat to every other person in the place. Just as much of a threat as if some crazed individual brandishes a loaded gun in a crowd. A very real threat to life and limb. If I were one of the other parents I'd consider suing them for endangering my child.

I think this is a negligent parent of the worst kind and there should be intervention in this family situation. Not saying permanently, I don't know about that. But it's an indicator of a bad home environment.

Yes I'm talking BIG penalty. That is the only way these stupid people will get any responsibility.

[cherokeeprogressive]

30. So we're really not THAT far apart... BIG is what I'm thinking as well.

It's just that my BIG is predicated on what actually happened, not what might have happened. I don't think that's how laws are written.

[marions ghost]

32. What "actually happened"

is that innocent people were at grave risk from a child with a loaded gun.

Felony for the parents. Change the laws.

[samsingh]

22. i think the gun could have ended the lives of many children

[cherokeeprogressive]

25. I'll stick with basing my opinion on what DID happen and not an

irrational fear of what might have.

I think the penalties I proposed are moderately stiff in light of the lack of injuries and I'm not making excuses for ANYONE. I'm simply proposing something I think might be palatable enough for majority support. You and Hoyt and marions ghost can go balls to the wall all you like, and get nothing accomplished. Nothing whatsoever.

[marions ghost]

29. "palatable enough"

Real palatable to see kids in day care get shot by their peers. Oh yeah.

[cherokeeprogressive]

37. Breaking News: No kids in day care got shot by their peers.

What's so hard to understand about that?

[malaise]

5. Guess they're lucky the kid didn't open fire

on his classmates.

[ileus]

6. If my 380 isn't on my side or in my pocket I'd know.

How do you carry a firearm and not know when it disappears?

My little LCP is pretty small but when it's there I know it. There's zero chance either of my kids could carry it into their daycare without my knowing it.

If you're going to carry a PPD like a pistol it needs to be on your person and under your control at all times.


Safety First, and carry on.

[Hoyt]

10. Better yet, leave the little f&*ker secured at home until you can sell it.

[ileus]

17. why taake the risk for some profit.

Sure it's worth used almost what I paid new for it but they're pretty hard to find right now. It could take months to replace it and I'd have to carry the 229 or 145 until I could find one in stock. Plus it's been dead solid perfect in the 700 rounds down the pipe. I can and do trust mine and my families life with it.

Safety first and carry on.

[Hoyt]

18. Someday you'll get it. Be really responsible, leave em at home.

Better yet, give some of them up and promote a gun free live.

[bluedigger]

26. I tried to sell my .380 to three different gun dealers last month.

None of them would even make an offer because there's no ammo for it. Fucking worthless piece of junk as an investment. It was a nice Bersa with custom grips, too. Finally sold it to my neighbor, who bought it out of kindness, I think. Guns are lousy investments, unless they have collector value.

[ileus]

36. I finally found a couple of boxes of FMJ's at walturd a few weeks ago.

I still had 4 or 500 FMJ rounds in stock for training, but I don't like to use ammo unless I can replace it easily. I've only shot 100 rounds in the 380 so far this year, so I "invested" in 200.

[Robb]

33. These parents trusted their children's safety to their gun, too.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/10022957395

I bet they felt their gun was just as special as you think yours is. Do you think they'd rather have their child back?

[ileus]

34. That's why safety first....

A firearm can only protect you and the fam if it's on your person when the time comes. If you're not serious about staying safe then keep it locked up. Personal protection devices like pistols could present a danger if not on the person or locked up.

The person that owned this firearm didn't care for personal safety in two different ways.

[Robb]

35. Do you think they believed they were being unsafe?

[ileus]

38. Was it locked up? Was it on the owners person?

If not then yes...

Unsafe by not having his personal firearm on his side, and unsafe because it was improperly stored. A firearm can't do it's job out of reach, and it can become a danger if not locked up when not in use of being carried.

[Robb]

41. So you think they thought they were being unsafe?

Really?

[samsingh]

23. i guess not everyone can be trusted with a gun.

wouldn't this be proof of that.

[spanone]

8. show & tell & kill

[marions ghost]

13. "a misdemeanor"????????????????

See, this is what is WRONG!

Felony.

[KinMd]

21. The NRA will think this a solution to school violence

[samsingh]

24. the nra wants to arm all kids and have the guns loaded i think

[Major Nikon]

27. Preschool is a lot more dangerous than I remember

[Swede Atlanta]

31. America the stupid....

We are probably the most stupid people on the planet....

I have friends from around the world that have commented to me that America seems to become more stupid every second....they comment that 30 years ago there were some stupid people here but now they believe 90% are off their rocker.

This should not be a misdemeanor. Child endangerment should be a felony. This was that type of crime. Further, stupidity to not prevent a 4 year old from having access to a loaded firearm should be 25 years at Gitmo.

[newmember]

43. I agree so should the first DUI conviction

both kill

[mindwalker_i]

40. Just remember, guns don't kill people

Bullets kill people.

[newmember]

42. If you see a gun:

If you see a gun:
STOP!
Don't Touch.
Leave the Area.
Tell an Adult


The Eddie Eagle GunSafe® Program teaches children in pre-K through third grade four important steps to take if they find a gun. These steps are presented by the program's mascot, Eddie Eagle, in an easy-to-remember format consisting of the following simple rules

Anyone may teach The Eddie Eagle GunSafe® Program, and NRA membership is not required. The program may be readily incorporated into existing school curriculum, taught in a one- to five-day format, and used to reach both levels or simply one or two grades. Materials available through this program are: student workbooks, 7-minute animated DVD, instructor guides, brochures, and student reward stickers. Program materials are also available in Spanish.

[kestrel91316]

44. Times like this I am tempted to call for punishment every bit as draconian

as DUI offenses. First offense, go to jail and lose your guns for a year. Second offense, go to jail and lose guns for 2 years. Third offense, 10 years and permanent ban on gun possession. Fourth offense, LWOP.

People might think twice about being careless with their Precious.