Don’t give kids BB guns

Tue, 12/05/2006 - 5:22pm
By: Letters to the ...

In the movie, “A Christmas Story,” Ralphie wants a Red Ryder BB gun from Santa. Even the Santa at the department store tells him that he could “shoot his eye out.” His teacher at school and his mother join in the mantra of the movie with “you’ll shoot your eye out.”

This is sage advice. Guns can injure and kill, even BB guns. This Thanksgiving, while I was visiting my aunt in Atlanta, her grandson asked me to look at a little tabby cat which he and his friends found injured in the Whispering Pines Mobile Home Community. He thought that I might know what to do as I lobby for animal welfare legislation in Tennessee and have many rescued animals.

I knew immediately that she had a spinal injury. She had no control of her bladder, but her back legs did respond to stimulus. She purred and ate and tried to get around. She must have been in this condition for a week or more before she was rescued by these kind young people.

Calls were made and the Flat Creek Animal Clinic took her in for evaluation. X-rays showed a BB lodged in her spine.

There are numerous other kittens at the trailer park. They too could become victims of cruelty.

I told these young humane citizens to report this cruelty to authorities. Experience has shown those of us in working with cruelty and animal abuse cases that often the perpetrators brag about what they have done.

Several high profile cases in Franklin, Tenn., where I live, were solved by young people coming forward with information from the people who committed the crime.

And yes, shooting an animal causing death or physical harm by rendering a part of such animal’s body useless or by seriously disfiguring such animal is a crime in Georgia. (Georgia law 16-12-4c).

Her rescuers have named her Sally. Sadly, Sally will probably not make it to Christmas. Unless she regains her bladder control, a happy ending for this kitten who came into our lives at Thanksgiving is not likely.

She has endeared herself to everyone who has met her. Sally’s story is painful to those who care. But her short life will not be in vain if people learn the lesson that BB guns are dangerous. BB guns can maim children and animals.

Sally’s Christmas story would have some joy if authorities would be able to stop whoever is breaking the law by shooting cats with a BB gun and getting the rest of the kittens living at Whispering Pines spayed and neutered and placed into responsible loving homes.

Remember, if you see or hear about someone doing something to an animal that makes you feel uncomfortable, tell someone. People who harm animals may continue in that cruel behavior and escalate to targeting children, the elderly or the disabled as their next victims.

Our gift to our communities should be to be good caretakers of all creatures great and small.

Laura Turner
Franklin, Tenn.

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Git Real's picture
Submitted by Git Real on Mon, 12/11/2006 - 9:29am.

If your cat becomes a nuisance around my household I can assure you that I have and will deal with it in a deadly manner. Stray cats and dogs are the equivalent nuisance the same as rats are.

I do fault the person who used a BB gun to eliminate this nuisance. That was stupid when a high powered pellet gun or shotgun can do the job better without causing as much suffering.

If this were an issue of kids randomly shooting cats then there are two solutions here.

1. Keep your cats locked up or on leash.

2. Kick the kids butt cheeks up around his neck for being such a cruel idiot.

Now Laura...get a freaking life. Why don't you take the same concerns you have for some stupid cat and invest them in a molested or abused child. Amazing how people value the life of some critter over the life of a child.


TruthinessUberAlles's picture
Submitted by TruthinessUberAlles on Mon, 12/11/2006 - 1:12am.

I have a better solution. Last year more than 10,000 people were murdered by guns, real guns, not bb guns, people not cats. My solution is to make guns illegal, its probably the best solution to stopping gun violence, against people and cats.


TruthinessUberAlles's picture
Submitted by TruthinessUberAlles on Mon, 12/11/2006 - 4:25pm.

1. I’m not against any more constitutional rights than George Bush is against.

2. I don’t see the connection between me not reproducing and there being 10,000 people murdered by guns each year. (10,000 people is a rough statistic and does not include the nearly 15,000 people who kill themselves with firearms each year).

3. I also don’t understand the relationship between banning cars, whose indented purpose is to drive from two points and has dozens of safety features that save tens of thousands of lives a year and my point about banning firearms, whose intended purpose is to kill and murder.

4. I wonder if NYC and DC have any other structural factors that lead to violence, like underachieving schools or high concentrations of poverty.
The media pays plenty of attention to how good guns are. Like before thanksgiving when a 92 year old woman defended herself against an armed house invasion.

5. Git Real, do you really expect me to believe that you are too stupid not to be able to recognize basic sarcasm? But what can you expect from someone who apparently shaved a cat?

6. “While we're at it, we should make murder and armed robbery illegal.” Thank you for an example of sarcasm muddle, that’s what it looks like Git Real. Other than that I’m not going to dignify your comment with a response.

Gotta get back to work at Wal Mart now, cheap plastic crap made in China doesn’t sell itself you know.


Submitted by bladderq on Mon, 12/11/2006 - 10:50pm.

4. I wonder if NYC and DC have any other structural factors that lead to violence, like underachieving schools or high concentrations of poverty.
The media pays plenty of attention to how good guns are. Like before thanksgiving when a 92 year old woman defended herself against an armed house invasion.

She gave a pretty good account of herself w/ only a .38. I wonder when I see all those #'s marked on the door & wall if it means like #138 shots fired?
Arm Everyone! Kill 'em ALL! Let God Sort It OUT !
Thank god our Cops are too busy making petty traffic stops on 54 to be involved in this type of behavior. Just wait until they join the FCSD drug squad. We can become the smallest municipality to have SparrowHawk 1/2.

Git Real's picture
Submitted by Git Real on Mon, 12/11/2006 - 4:36pm.

I've been shamed.... I must now leave.. never to return...

Yawn.....zzzzz


Git Real's picture
Submitted by Git Real on Mon, 12/11/2006 - 4:39pm.

2. I don’t see the connection between me not reproducing and there being 10,000 people murdered by guns each year. (10,000 people is a rough statistic and does not include the nearly 15,000 people who kill themselves with firearms each year).

And why should anyone dignify that garbage with an answer?


muddle's picture
Submitted by muddle on Mon, 12/11/2006 - 12:10pm.

I think you may be on to something.

While we're at it, we should make murder and armed robbery illegal.

Oh. Wait. These already are illegal. But, darn it, some people do it anyway.

I wonder if things will go any differently if we outlaw guns? Then the guy who keeps his and aims to rob me will be reasonably certain that, law-abiding citizen that I am, I can't shoot back.


ArmyMAJretired's picture
Submitted by ArmyMAJretired on Mon, 12/11/2006 - 10:12am.

Total U.S. traffic deaths in 2005 reached 43,200, according to the preliminary statistics released by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The figure for 2004 was 42,636.

Like any gun grabber, ignore the statistics that crime is lower where gun ownership is higher. Hint NYC and Washington DC ban handguns!

The media largely ignores stories showing guns protecting people.

What other Constitutional rights are you against?


Git Real's picture
Submitted by Git Real on Mon, 12/11/2006 - 9:34am.

How about we have you neutered so you don't reproduce?

What did you mean by this statement you posted in another place?

Hey remember the good old days when Black people and White people couldn't use the same facilities?

A Black or Whitey hating person who believes in confiscating firearms from the citizenry. How weird is that?


Enigma's picture
Submitted by Enigma on Tue, 12/05/2006 - 7:18pm.

Be a responsible parent:
Teach responsible gun ownership - start with a bb gun.
Don't let kids have access to weapons without supervision.

Be a responsible pet owner:
Know where you pets are at all times.
Spay and neuter them.


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