Posted on 03/17/2006 12:50:11 PM PST by kiriath_jearim
Bag Mix-Up Puts Gun in D.C. School
Mom Is Charged After Girl, 7, Turns In Pistol
By Clarence Williams and Henri E. Cauvin Washington Post Staff Writers Thursday, March 16, 2006; Page B01
A 7-year-old girl mistakenly grabbed her mother's DKNY bag on the way to school Tuesday -- and turned it over to a teacher several hours later when she discovered a loaded semiautomatic pistol inside, authorities said.
The mother was called to the Northeast Washington elementary school, and she was arrested and charged with weapons offenses and child endangerment. Police quoted her as saying: "That's my gun; she got the wrong bag."
No one was hurt in the episode at Emery Elementary School, at 1720 First St. NE. The gun contained five live rounds, authorities said.
The girl's mother, Maryam Williams, told a school official that she had intended to take the gun to a firing range for practice, according to charging papers filed yesterday. She said the bag containing the gun was in the trunk of her car, along with her daughter's backpack, and that there must have been a mix-up, the papers stated.
Police and school officials said the gun went unnoticed until the end of the school day, when the girl opened a small makeup case inside the DKNY bag and saw the small, silver-colored .380-caliber pistol. The child immediately told her teacher, and school officials notified police, according to the charging papers.
Williams, 32, of the 1800 block of North Capitol Street was released on personal recognizance after a hearing yesterday in D.C. Superior Court. The charging papers quoted her as saying that she knew the gun was loaded and that she did not realize that it was missing until the school called.
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
"The child immediately told her teacher, "
She must've had the Eddie Eagle program somewhere.
Seriously, the mother isn't too bright. She didn't secure this weapon properly. That said, she should be able to carry it, if she wants to. That's impossible in DC, though.
"The school's principal yesterday sent a letter to parents saying that a social worker would talk with the girl's second-grade classmates in a "healthy dialogue" about the incident and what they can learn from it"
I'm sure it will be 'healthy dialogue' in D.C.
*spits*
Sounds like the kid did just fine. A big mistake on the mothers part, yes, but her kid had brains to do what was right. What more can they ask of the kids?
Where's the crime? Is the mother a felon? This is an honest mistake and nobody got hurt. Give the mom a misdemeanor or a fine for child endangerment and move on.
off-body carry= not good idea.
( but hell, it's DC. living there=not good idea.)
1. The girl carried the loaded pistol with her all day long and only when she noticed it and brought it to the attention of the teachers did the feces hit the fan. Good job going undetected all day long with a loaded pistol.
2. The girl, being honest, not only is getting expelled from school, her mother is facing criminal charges. Way to go and the way to encourage honesty and integrity within the school children.
3. Bad woman for wanting a pistol to defend herself and her kids anyway. In NY the vigilant school security officers and the NYPD will protect you anyway, no need to have a pistol in criminal and crime free NYC..
But something smells. How can a seven-year old not know what they're carrying until the end of the day? Didn't she have to look into her backpack for homework or paper throughout the day only to find out it's her mom's bag? Why at the end of the day this happened?
In DC and NYC and MA this sort of thing is a Crime Against the State and probably regarded as the most serious sort of crime. Criminals possessing firearms and even shooting store clerks is not nearly so scary an offense to the authorities in places like this because those guns are just tools for criminals to use against citizens. A law abiding citizen would only have a gun to shoot mayors and social workers and legislators and such.
"How can a seven-year old not know what they're carrying until the end of the day? Didn't she have to look into her backpack for homework or paper throughout the day only to find out it's her mom's bag? Why at the end of the day this happened?"
I'm sure the DKNY bag had a logo on it and she could have easily distinguished it from the backpack. She had the bag throughout the friggin' day and just notices it at the end. I mean c'mon. This story stinks to low Hades.
The kid tattled on her mom, mom will do some jail time, the kid will get kicked out of school, mom will lose her job, will be unable to defend herself from the D.C. vermin, and the kid will wind up in some relative's home to be molested by an uncle or half-brother.
My first thought. I don't see how the kid could accidently grab the DKNY bag when she meant to grab her own backpack.
And your assessment of the tragedies awaiting this family are probably spot on.
PURCHASE:
The sale of handguns in the District is prohibited.
OWNERSHIP:
No handgun can be legally possessed in the District unless it is registered. All handguns registered in the District prior to Sept. 24, 1976, were required to have been reregistered by Feb. 5, 1977. After that date, no more handguns could be registered.
Thus, it is unlawful to possess, acquire, or bring into D.C. any handgun which was not registered as of Feb. 5, 1977.
CARRYING:
Carrying a handgun in the District is prohibited. All firearms are to be kept at one`s home or place of business.
All firearms must be unloaded and disassembled or locked with a trigger lock except when kept at a registrant`s place of business or while being used for lawful "recreational" purposes. A D.C. license to carry a pistol is needed for one`s home or business and the pistol must also have been registered prior to September 24, 1976.
Self-defense in one`s home with a firearm is therefore legally precluded.
* * * * * * * *
Oh, the first offense is a misdemeanor, second offense is a felony.
You have to ask though, why wasn't the child banned from school for umpty-ump weeks ... isn't that the way PC schools are now? Zero tolerance? Like not even an asprin (but school offishuls are allowed to have them) .../s/
My interpretation of this incident is that the kid had more common sense than the mother. When my kids were pre-gun-taught age, all our wepons were in the safe until they were needed to go to the range. The range bags are hard sided aluminum with locks. Weapons never loaded. Loaded home protection pistols is another topic....
No, the kid did not do the right thing. The right thing would have been to keep her mouth shut, especially since it was at the end of the day anyway. I can't blame her though, she's only seven; she did do pretty good for seven, just not as good as COULD have been done.
Not in the new Amerika. This isn't a free country anymore.
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