While working as a police officer in Fresno, California, I was dispatched to a call of a 10 year old boy with a gun shot wound. It turned out the boy had been accidentally shot in the head by a 12 year old playing with his BB rifle. I rushed to the room where the young victim was still laying on the floor. The child who had accidentally shot the victim, was kneeling next to him and sobbing. The BB rifle was lying nearby and the victim was convulsing and foaming at the mouth, his eyes rolling back in his head. I share the graphic scene with you so that you understand how dangerous a BB gun can be.
The young boy, who had been shot, did survive, but he has brain damage for the rest of his life. The boy who shot him, still lives with the guilt of hurting his friend. It was an accident, the older child picked the gun up thinking it was empty. He aimed and pulled the trigger, and changed many lives that day. Those boys believed what I believed as a kid, a BB gun is just a kid’s toy and it can’t really do much harm. I remember my brother and his friends shooting each other in the arms and stomach with BB pellets as a joke. Fortunately for them, the BB guns they used were not some of the high powered pump action BB rifles that could have done serious damage. The truth is, BB guns are not toys and should not be used by minors without adult supervision. A BB gun is dangerous and it can be deadly.
I was reminded of how harmful the pump action BB rifle can be, when I watched the CBS11 news the other night. They had a story on about a 5 year old Haltom City, Texas boy who was accidentally shot in the back of the head by his 13 year old cousin who was playing with a BB rifle. Almost the exact circumstances of the 911 call I went to over 5 years ago. This 5 year old boy spent days in the hospital in critical condition, until finally losing his fight. Now a young boy is dead and his 13 yr old cousin could potentially face charges from this incident.
If your child owns a BB gun, you need to make sure they understand basic safety with the gun. BB-guns.org has a list of safety tips for BB gun/rifle owners; this is a small part of the list;
BB Gun/Rifle Safety:
*You should never point your BB gun at anyone, even if you think it is unloaded.
*Always check first to make sure your BB gun is unloaded.
*Keep your finger off the trigger until you are ready to fire.
*Remember that BB’s can ricochet off hard objects and strike something you were not aiming at.
*Do not shoot at a target with anyone standing behind it or near it.
Those seem simple enough. However, if you watched your child playing with a BB gun, without them knowing you were watching, you might be shocked to see all these safety rules completely disregarded. Remember, kids tend to believe they are invincible, that no harm will ever come to them. It is your job to try and make sure that no harm ever does come to them. I’m not anti BB gun or anti guns in general, but safety should always be a first priority, especially where children are concerned. If you choose to own a BB gun or buy one for your child, make sure they really understand the potential dangers involved. An adult should always supervise minors using BB guns/rifles. Better to be safe now, than sorry later.
