A 5-
year-old boy accidentally shot his
2-year-old sister to death in rural
southern Kentucky with a rifle
he had received as a gift last
year, authorities said.
The children's mother was home
at the time of the shooting
Tuesday afternoon but had
stepped out to the front porch
for a few minutes and "she
heard the gun go off,"
Cumberland County Coroner Gary
White said. He said the rifle was
kept in a corner and the family
didn't realize a bullet was left
inside it.
White told the Lexington Herald-
Leader the boy received the .22-
caliber rifle as a gift.
"It's a Crickett," White said,
referring to a company that
specifically makes guns, clothes
and books for children. "It's a
little rifle for a kid. ... The little
boy's used to shooting the little
gun."
The shooting, while accidental,
highlights a cultural divide in the
gun debate. While many
suburban and urban areas work
to keep guns out of the hands of
children, it's not uncommon for
youths in rural areas to own
guns for target practice and
hunting.
"Down in Kentucky where we're
from, you know, guns are
passed down from generation
to generation. You start at a
young age with guns for
hunting and everything," White
said Wednesday. What is more
unusual than a child having a
gun, he said, is "that a kid would
get shot with it."
"Accidents happen with guns.
They thought the gun was
actually unloaded, and it wasn't,"
the coroner said.
White said the girl died of a
single gunshot wound to the
chest area.
In a brief news release, state
police said the shooting
occurred when the boy was
"playing" with the rifle, but did
not elaborate. It is not clear
whether any charges will be
filed, said Kentucky State Police
spokesman Trooper Billy
Gregory.
"I think it's too early to say
whether there will or won't be,"
Gregory said.
The AP is not identifying the
children because of their ages.
www.crickett.com

Sad. WHY ON EARTH WOULD YOU GET A RIFLE FOR A 5YR OLD? What ever happened to video games,comics,clothes,shoes,motorized dirtbikes or even a Toy Gun. I'd totally blame the parents for the whole thing.
AND WHY ON EARTH WAS THE GUN LOADED AND KEPT WITHIN THE REACH OF THE CHILD!
Poor kid. He's gonna have to live with the fact that he killed his sister for a long time if not forever. And they said something about pressing charges? What that kid needs is love guidance and counselling and not to be shoved into a juvenile home.
RIP Kiddo...