Thread: Man arrested for holding baby and BB gun

I work with someone who was accidently shot in the face with a BB gun. It knocked out a (front) tooth and damaged the jaw. It has been 3 months since it happened and she has another2-3 to go until her jaw has healed enough that she can get an implant. Not what I'd want for my kid.

I don't like to hold anything unpredictable when I hold a squirmy baby. I even have my tea in a travel mug!

Airsoft is relatively safe when played with proper protection. Most airsoft guns on the market are usually below 350 ft/s (110 m/s), but projectiles expelled from any type of airsoft guns can travel as low as 65 ft/s (20 m/s) to more than 700 ft/s (210 m/s) and are capable of breaking skin at 300 ft/s (91 m/s). Though, if over 300 ft/s (91 m/s), the hit would have to be within a short range and breaking the skin is not the same as penetrating it. Blood can be drawn, but flesh is usually left intact or bruised at worst. Protective eyewear (goggles or glasses) is widely considered the minimum protection for airsoft players, as the eyes may be injured by any type of impact. A little known fact is that the teeth can also be injured (fractured) by the impact of a pellet. Dentists have reported broken teeth that require root canal and crowns to repair damage. A face mask (like that used for paintball) is recommended to protect eyes and teeth.

Airsoft gun - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

I'm not sure why any child needs to be around that or even play with one. When I think of recreations for children, I think of sports, video games, playing outside, and other kid things.

Thinking about this some more, I think the thing that frustrates me is that if the gun *had* (accidentally) gone off and hurt the baby, gun people would say "Well obviously he just wasn't being responsible with the gun" (as evidenced by the fact that he shot a baby.) But since he didn't accidentally shoot her, it's fine. No harm, no foul. It's all based off of the outcome, and not his actions or judgements that lead to the outcome.

I dont think of myself as a 'gun person', I just think there are circumstances here that we cant tell, know nothing about. Was the gun even loaded? Was the safety on? Apparently these guns are really hard to fire accidentally, which is why DH was not worried about one being in our kids reach. I just dont think it is fair to take a child away from her father due to one picture.

Originally Posted by Potter75

The article says BB gun, not airsoft gun. And do you frequently let him hold it and a baby? And frankly, you have very different rules for your family than what I find acceptable, so what your 7 year old shoots does not sway me as a debate point.

The bolded is plenty for me. Any one who would hold a gun that could break bones or cause a fatality in the same lap as a squirmy baby is not exhibiting safe gun use.

Another article with more information says it is an airsoft gun. An airsoft gun cannot break bones and has NEVER caused a fatality.

The air guns shoot plastic projectiles called “BBs”. Although being hit by a “BB” can hurt, the guns do not have the capability to kill anyone and are frequently given to children to use as toys. Certain models closely resemble a handgun in appearance, causing them to be easily mistaken for a deadly weapon.

Man arrested for posing with baby and BB gun on Facebook photo — RT

I'm also bothered by the fact that he posted it on FB, like "Look how funny/cool/whatever I am! I'm holding a gun and a baby! Guffaw!"

I'm not saying that's a reason to get custody of the kid, just more of a general reason why I'm willing to be judgey about him and think that, at best, he's a buffoon.

The funny think about laws is that you have to abide by them if you do not agree. To reference the abortion debate, I do not agree with abortion but I have to abide by the fact that it is legal and the law says people have the right to have them. The fact of the matter is that it is legal to own and have guns. It might be stupid to hold a child and a gun at the same time, but it is very legal. While I would not personally hold a baby and a gun, I think it can be done responsibly. Think of all the cops out there that have a gun on them. You can't tell me that none of them hold babies?

Do they typically hold babies with their guns drawn? Safely tucked away in a holster by a professional seems like a little bit of a different situation.

I agree. Classy for sure.

I also think that all of these guns that "look" like real guns can be very confusing to kids. Sure, this was an airsoft gun and perhaps not terribly dangerous, but how do you teach young children to recognize and know the difference between acceptable guns to have drawn around the family and guns that should not be?

Were I the mama, I would have done the same thing. Not okay in my book and certainly worth having a chat about IMO.

Originally Posted by AlyssaEimers

The funny think about laws is that you have to abide by them if you do not agree. To reference the abortion debate, I do not agree with abortion but I have to abide by the fact that it is legal and the law says people have the right to have them. The fact of the matter is that it is legal to own and have guns. It might be stupid to hold a child and a gun at the same time, but it is very legal. While I would not personally hold a baby and a gun, I think it can be done responsibly. Think of all the cops out there that have a gun on them. You can't tell me that none of them hold babies?

He has the legal right to have a gun. He has a legal right to have a child. I'll give you both of those. There's no stated legal right to hold both at the same time. Common sense says you don't hold them both at the same time. I do believe that is child endangerment, there is an increased risk that something could happen because he's holding both at the same time. Like Alissa said, you rarely hear about these cases when the injury is prevented, only when something bad happens.