Craig Daily Press / Punishment befitting the crime

Archive for Friday, October 24, 2003

October 24, 2003

It turned out that the only thing that might have been injured was one man's ego.

But when a five-year-old brought a loaded handgun to school, one can't help think about all the deadly scenarios that could have played out.

The District Attorney's office announced this week that the boy's father was found criminally negligent and charged with a misdemeanor count of child abuse. He was required to write a letter of apology to the school and must perform 50 hours of community service, pay $300 to the Special Offender's Fund and follow a Social Services treatment plan that includes parenting classes and a gun safety class. He also must not commit any criminal offenses in excess of a 4-point traffic violation for a period of one year.

We feel the punishment definitely fits the crime and agree with District Attorney Bonnie Roesink that this should serve as an educational opportunity for all parents who have children and guns.

No matter what sort of "training" five-year-olds get, they aren't going to understand nor appreciate the potential dangers that exist in handling a gun.

This matter that would have been so easy to write off as a "non-incident" could have just as easily gone the other way.