Better gun laws? Who needs them?

There has been a battle for gun reform in this country for some time now. I've never been one to understand the fascination with them, and I must admit that I'm honestly afraid of them. I've never brought my son even a toy gun to play with because I believe that in allowing a child to think that a gun was a toy, you are creating the thought that real guns are toys, and that if someone is shot, they are just pretending and will be alive again in a few minutes. Call me crazy, but that's my thought process, and I've thought this way before I had kids.

The reason why this is heavily on my mind today is that a disturbing report came across the news that an 11 year old boy shot and killed his dad's fiance, who was 8 months pregnant. The baby also died. The report says that the gun was brought by the kids father, and it was made for children. He and his father practiced shooting and apparently were gun enthusiast. I'm not blaming the father for what his son did, but I'm just wondering, if the kid was not taught that guns were OK would he had thought to use the gun to kill someone? The reports are that he was jealous of the fiance and the impending birth of his sibling.

A few months ago, a 9 year old boy killed his father and his father's roommate. That story is still kind of foggy, but all evidence is pointing to him as the killer. What would make a child so young want to kill his dad? The reports are speculating that some type of abuse was going on, but there is no concrete evidence of it.

I am so disturbed by these reports. I know there is nothing new under the sun, but I wonder if I was to do research, would reports like these be something that was very prevalent in the past? These storires break my heart every time I think about them. I get so sad that I literally have to think of something else to get my mind off of it.

The reports are saying that the 11 year old may be charged as an adult, and he is facing life in prison. Right now they have him in a prison for adults, and the warden is supposed to ask a judge if he can be transferred to a juvenile facility because he cannot accommodate a child. Can you imagine a child being locked away for the rest of his life? He's only 11, life has not even begun for him.

I'm really at a loss for words right now. I believe that we should take a deeper look into gun laws. Should guns be made to fit a child's hand? Should children be allowed to use guns, even if hunting? We have to teach our children better.

I pray that the best outcome for both of these boys comes to pass. I don't know what that is right now, but I do know that kids this young should not have to stand trial for something like what they are accused of. Let's do better for our kids.

Sweet T