How often does a story about a teenager and a handgun have a happy ending? This one definitely does: A 14-year-old boy in Phoenix saved his younger siblings' lives by shooting and critically wounding an armed intruder with a handgun. Police say the boy was babysitting his 8, 10, and 12-year-old siblings when a woman he didn't recognize started knocking on the door. Because she was unfamiliar, he didn't let her in the house ... but just a little while later, a strange man started pounding on the door. The teen apparently ran upstairs to get the handgun, and when he got back to the top of the stairs, the man broke down the door and pointed a gun at the boy and his siblings.
That's when the 14-year-old pulled the trigger, shooting the suspect in the chest. Then he grabbed his siblings and ran to a neighbor's house, where he called the police. The suspect is now in the hospital but is expected to go straight to jail once he recovers.
This story could have ended very badly if that 14-year-old boy didn't know how to shoot a gun, but he did -- and I'm going to guess he's had a decent amount of target practice, too, since he got the guy in the chest on his first try. Thank god his parents (I'm assuming) taught him the proper way to handle a gun! I'm not saying guns and kids are always a good mix -- indeed, often they're an incredibly dangerous combination. But maybe that's because kids generally aren't educated about guns and how to use them properly. I don't have a gun in my house and my kids can barely use a can opener, but if I did have a gun and they were older, I'd want them to learn how to shoot it.
Do you think it's a good thing for teens to know how to handle guns?
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Comments 33
I cannot begin to tell you how proud I am of this young man....quite frankly, I wish he'd shot more and killed the guy. Everyone in our family is trained...my gun of choice is an AR-15. You might break into our house, but you'll not leave. They've done a great job of trainig their boy...hopefully, they'll keep up the good work with the younger ones.
Gun safety is about teaching your kid all about guns, respecting them and when to use them. Apparantly this family did it right. Good job! Although, shooting someone is never easy no matter how old you are, I feel for this child at the same time.
Both my husband and I (when I was working) require (d) weapons for our jobs. We have both also been around firearms our whole lives. I started shooting a .22 when I was 5. We plan on putting our daughters through the gun safety course when they are 5, and taking them shooting with us. I ABSOLUTELY want my children to be able to defend themselves and each other if need be. Home safety is of paramount importance to us and I applaud this kid and whoever taught him. Quick thinking and good training= safe family. Good job, buddy
Yes, they should be taught the proper way. The 14 year old did the right thing and protected his siblings. He is a hero. He used his head in the correct sense of the word.
@ Jean Simmons Perry - do you know WHY there are so many stories of tragedies and accidents involving teens and guns? Because those teens have not been properly educated about how to handle those guns. Do you ever hear stories about tragedies involving teens and knives? No? Why? Because from day 1, those teens were exposed to knives of all kinds - mostly in the kitchen - and they learned from day 1 that (1) these are not toys, and (2) this is how you use/store/clean them properly. A gun is no different from a knife.
And before you start thinking that it's absolutely ridiculous to teach a child to drive a car... take a trip deep into Farm/Ranch country. You'll see kids driving all kinds of vehicles, from the family truck to huge tractors. You might even find them flying airplanes.
Kids are extremely capable when we teach them properly and allow them to be. The biggest disservice we can do to them is to allow our fears to interfere with their growth.
Your fear of seeing your child holding a weapon could be the fear that causes him to be severely hurt someday.
Hell YES I do!! My parents and grandparents also taught me to never aim a gun without pulling the trigger. If you lift the gun and point it at someone you'd better be prepared to shoot.