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I love the media!

Submitted by Norm on Thu, 10/11/2007 - 1:25pm.

So, I'm going to post a link to a story, and I want you to look at the picture before you read the article. They say a picture is worth 1,000 words....those words can be false as well. Remember, picture, then read the article, and ask yourself if there might be a slight mis-representation going on.

Here's the story

Norm's blog
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Not being a gun owner...

Submitted by Anonymously Larry on Thu, 10/11/2007 - 1:29pm.

I guess I don't get it.

http://thurstonblog.blogspot.com/

Are you referring to the

Submitted by OperaGirl on Thu, 10/11/2007 - 2:04pm.

Are you referring to the picture of all the guns with only one being a "real" gun and the rest air soft guns?

*I am that person who doesn't throw out rotting things because they're scary and who kills wasps by spraying things on them and screaming.*

Good call!

Submitted by Norm on Thu, 10/11/2007 - 2:19pm.

Such a smart woman you are.

If you go to cnn.com it's currently the front page picture. Earlier it said something to the affect of, "Police find arsenal in boy's home." Since then the headline has changed but I took an initial look and thought, "How the heck does a 14 y/o get that many guns!?" and went on to read the story and realized only one of them was an actual firearm. Although that doesn't make him not a danger, it certainly makes him less of one. I do question why a Mom would buy her 14y/o son a 9mm rifle....not exactly a hunting weapon, nor much of a plinking weapon for someone of that age.

Scary stuff, but the media is trying it's best to grab attention. Anyone, beside me, feel like this is a little misleading?

not at all

Submitted by BLUE on Thu, 10/11/2007 - 2:41pm.

I saw the story on CNN, that picture shows the weapons they confiscated from the boy's home. he also had a live hand grenade, and three more in the making. Personally, I think companies should stop making air soft guns look so damn real. that is another story...

Everyone needs to believe in something... I believe I will have another beer.

Not sure what is harmful about the picture

Submitted by Guglielmo on Thu, 10/11/2007 - 3:18pm.

but it should be captioned more accurately. Like, "police find a semi-automatic assault weapon, explosives, knives, and a large collection of air-powered weapons in boy's bedroom." It didn't take me very long to figure it all out.

I think the picture speaks tons about how this boy's parents are not doing their job. I would be very concerned if my adolescent son was so obsessed with weapons...and I grew up in a household where weapons were just considered tools, not tools of evil.

That's the point boys and girls

Submitted by Norm on Thu, 10/11/2007 - 4:26pm.

Air-soft = not a weapon. They look like a weapon, but they do not fit the definition of a weapon. That table (possibly) displayed 1 weapon. They also found grenades and knives but I don't see those on the table. I can clearly identify a few of those as being airsoft (toys, real looking, but still a toy) 1 BB gun (arguably a weapon, but not lethal), and a few I couldn't tell from the picture what they were. It seems to me it's being portrayed as a huge arsenal when it really isn't.

Not doing their job? I will admit they are not doing their job by letting this little whelp make grenades in his room, but I had more cap guns, while growing up, than what is displayed on that table. At 14 I owned a 20 gauge, a .22 and a .243 that all stayed locked in my bedroom. Most of my friends had similar in theirs. You seem to be jumping to some conclusions about inanimate objects and their effects on humans. I own all kinds of weapons, none of them have been used for evil, did I miss the boat?

You can't be serious

Submitted by Guglielmo on Thu, 10/11/2007 - 4:30pm.

You think that collection is nothing for a parent to be concerned about?

Provided he isn't displaying any strange behavior?

Submitted by Norm on Thu, 10/11/2007 - 4:50pm.

No. Did you miss where I said I had more than that growing up? Mine didn't look as real, and they were mostly pistols, but I still didn't go all columbine or anything. In most states you have to be 18 to buy airsoft products, so Mom more than likely bought them for her kid. Considering she bought the real rifle for him that doesn't shock me.

People collect all kinds of things Gug, why does this one bother you? I prefer to spend my money on real ones, but when you can't own a real one, or just like going into battle with them (think paintball'ish) these are fun little toys.

It's not uncommon to collect them:

Click, here , here , here and here

and it's not just a U.S. thing, it's really popular in other countries.

Should the Mom have been concerned? Obviously. Not for collecting toys that look like weapons though. Do you go after guys that collect swords too? ;)

At the very least, she

Submitted by Meta Hogan on Fri, 10/12/2007 - 8:07am.

At the very least, she should have been concerned that he might have been caught in public with one of them in a compromising situation (even if he was not using them against others), and the airsoft mistaken for a real gun. He might have been shot at as an "armed" kid--it's been known to happen. I don't have a problem with her allowing the guns, but I would like to know that she's more on top of the situation. She should have also bought him a "Don't Tase Me, Bro" shirt.

Sounds like the boys problem

Submitted by Norm on Fri, 10/12/2007 - 10:22am.

Sounds like the boys problem may have actually been his mom. There's some interesting parenting going on.

Yes, unfortunately it has happend. I'm not a huge fan of realistic looking toy guns, there does seem to be a rather large following though.

You are correct

Submitted by Guglielmo on Fri, 10/12/2007 - 10:32am.

the mother should have been more critical of her son's "hobbies" and her enabling role.

She should have been more

Submitted by Norm on Fri, 10/12/2007 - 10:36am.

She should have been more critical of everything. You can't just blame it on a hobby gug.

Oh, Normie

Submitted by Guglielmo on Fri, 10/12/2007 - 10:50am.

I'm not blaming it on the hobby, so you needn't be so defensive about your own predilections. The hobby didn't cause anything, but for some kids it could be an indicator of serious anti-social tendencies. Parents are wise to find out if their kid is just enjoying a fun hobby or if he is motivated by something more sinister. That is exactly what did not happen in this case.

Agreed

Submitted by Norm on Fri, 10/12/2007 - 10:57am.

My predilectory feelings are still hurt though. I don't even HAVE a backyard to bury anyone in!

I could do this all day

Submitted by Norm on Fri, 10/12/2007 - 10:45am.

I say not to be critical of the hobby, but we had a thread....long ago....where we talked about toy guns. I'm really not ok, at this point, with my child having any unless they are a space gun.

youtube collection prt 1

Submitted by Norm on Thu, 10/11/2007 - 4:57pm.

lol collection 2, suave lookin guy too!!!

Submitted by Norm on Thu, 10/11/2007 - 4:58pm.

Hmm...

Submitted by Phil Owen on Thu, 10/11/2007 - 3:30pm.

Unless the design has change a WHOLE LOT since I was a kid, those sure don't look like air rifles.

That aside... wtf!? Bad stuff.

The Canaanite's Call

They have, specifically for

Submitted by Norm on Thu, 10/11/2007 - 4:28pm.

They have, specifically for airsoft. It's creepy how real they look and the only regulation they have is to paint part of the firearm (usually the muzzle) bright orange. Apparently in some urban areas the local gangs have been painting the muzzles of their real guns orange as well, nice huh? I'm thinking Mom wasn't paying a whole lot of attention, or maybe she was afraid of him.

"Do you go after guys that collect swords too?"

Submitted by Guglielmo on Thu, 10/11/2007 - 5:00pm.

I think any parent should be concerned about a child's obsession with weapons. Just because you turned out "okay" (but who knows how many bodies are buried in your backyard) does not mean every parent is now off the hook. Not every kid who collects weapons is a future Columbine shooter, but it is up to the parents to understand why their child is so interested in their collection.

Air-softies

Submitted by Guglielmo on Thu, 10/11/2007 - 5:14pm.

Mrs Larry bought me a new tshirt

Submitted by Anonymously Larry on Thu, 10/11/2007 - 6:51pm.

The tshirt sports a cartoon of three guys roasting hot dogs over an open fire, one of the guy's hot dog fell off. The caption says "It's all fun and games until someone loses a weiner".

This should be remembered when talking about weapons - swords in particular.

http://thurstonblog.blogspot.com/

Back in the Fifties my Uncle

Submitted by Merwyn Haskett on Fri, 10/12/2007 - 6:54am.

Back in the Fifties my Uncle brought a twelve-guage onto the school bus for show-n-tell. At school he demonstrated how to take the gun apart and put it back together, he demonstrated how to load it, and he gave a report on gun and hunting safety.

He still has the letter the principal wrote my Grandpa praising him for giving a well-written, thorough and interesting demonstration.

Catholic baiting is the anti-Semitism of the liberals.
Peter Viereck, Yale Professor

Back in the sixties

Submitted by Guglielmo on Fri, 10/12/2007 - 8:07am.

I took a shoulder-fired missle launcher and a claymore mine detonator to school for show and tell. Didn't get a letter, but the crossing cop didn't know what to make of it.

Back in the seventies, in

Submitted by Merwyn Haskett on Fri, 10/12/2007 - 8:10am.

Back in the seventies, in Christian Daycare, we were supposed to tell what we did over the weekend, so I said "we went waterskiing and my Dad fell down and said 'Jesus Christ!'"

Catholic baiting is the anti-Semitism of the liberals.
Peter Viereck, Yale Professor

Back in the 90's

Submitted by Norm on Fri, 10/12/2007 - 10:24am.

I did the same thing with a .22 at school....as did my friend with his dad's 9mm handgun. All with school district permission. We were supposed to give a demonstrative speech. Being my #1 hobby it seemed like the best subject choice for me. I don't see that happening anymore though. I also parked my truck in the school parking lot with my shotgun and rifle hanging in the rack when I was hunting right after school was out.

"my shotgun and rifle hanging in the rack"

Submitted by Rob Richards on Fri, 10/12/2007 - 5:04pm.

just below the confederate flag sticker, right?

I will assume

Submitted by Norm on Fri, 10/12/2007 - 5:34pm.

....that you meant that as a joke.

AL ~ ROFLMAO!

Submitted by JstPlnOnry on Fri, 10/12/2007 - 3:18pm.

GREAT shirt!!!

"Do not mistake for conspiracy and intrigue what can best be explained by stupidity and incompetence." - Unknown

Back in the eighties

Submitted by Guglielmo on Fri, 10/12/2007 - 9:50am.

in Seattle, I took a picture of my microwave to post on a "For Sale" board. Delivered the exposed film to a one-hour shop on the way into the office. When I picked up the photos during break I was surprised to find a rather detailed, close-up self portrait of myself in the highly reflective microwave door. I said, "Jesus Christ" as I looked at the photos of other patrons scooting across the conveyor in the window for all the world to see.

These are the kind of

Submitted by BLUE on Fri, 10/12/2007 - 3:10pm.

These are the kind of attitudes that are perpetuated by many American teens who own guns

http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/10/11/youth.violence/index.html

Everyone needs to believe in something... I believe I will have another beer.

Funny

Submitted by Norm on Fri, 10/12/2007 - 5:38pm.

...as many as there might be, I have yet to meet one.

Interesting

Submitted by DJW on Fri, 10/12/2007 - 5:28pm.

Norm, Thanks for the post. I was watching CNN or NBC or ??? and the it sounded as if the mom bought him a 9mm, a semi-auto rifle and another handgun along with some of the air-rifles. Apparently she did this because he was so 'sad and angry' all the time and it made him feel better. Of course, I wonder what she will end up pleading guilty to. The had her on tv getting out of the police car and she looks 'horrible' as in physical condition.

Yeah, they mentioned

Submitted by Norm on Fri, 10/12/2007 - 5:33pm.

Yeah, they mentioned something about the .22's being at another persons house. I'll be interested to see what actually sticks out of all of those charges. She certainly didn't look like she was doing very well.

.22

Submitted by DJW on Fri, 10/12/2007 - 5:44pm.

Thanks for the clarification. This whole situation is/was sad. I have to ask myself why any parent would buy his/her child weapons of any kind. Come on, this kind has been getting in trouble since he was 12. The 'guns' were purchased after his 14th bday. I'm with you. Going to be interesting to see how this all turns out.

The thing I have to keep reminding myself....

Submitted by Norm on Fri, 10/12/2007 - 6:19pm.

is that myself, and my friends, were all fairly normal growing up. We ran around shooting things VERY often, but our parents also trusted us immensely. We all had really good attitudes, and didn't get into any major trouble growing up. This child had probably been crying out for help for a long time.

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