# Is this incident worthy of having your kid taken away from you? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [November 30, 2012, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-incident-worthy-of-having-your-kid-taken-away-from-you/642605 "2012-11-30T19:52:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![purplehorseshoe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/purplehorseshoe/32/2996_2.png) [@purplehorseshoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplehorseshoe)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2012, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-incident-worthy-of-having-your-kid-taken-away-from-you/642605/21 "2012-11-30T22:10:46Z")
> [@Moonlitherial](#): > > .. I guess these days I’d have been a foster child and my parents would be suing the school. Not to mention, the doctor who went, “Eh, the school’s right, **Moon** is fine.” :eek: ---
**Author:** ![ekedolphin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ekedolphin/32/10003_2.png) [@ekedolphin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ekedolphin)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2012, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-incident-worthy-of-having-your-kid-taken-away-from-you/642605/22 "2012-11-30T22:15:38Z")
My opinion? Kids shouldn’t be playing with BB guns. ---
**Author:** ![Enkel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/df705f/32.png) [@Enkel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enkel)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2012, 10:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-incident-worthy-of-having-your-kid-taken-away-from-you/642605/23 "2012-11-30T22:28:50Z")
As others have posted, there has to be more to the story. Getting the average BB out is not that hard and I can’t imagine anyone that wouldn’t try to take it out on their own. (I can’t think of anyone I know who hasn’t managed to dig various foreign objects (BBs, fish hooks, twigs, …) out of themselves) But the article says it was removed “from the skull”? So, the kid was shot point blank somehow, but not in the face and probably not a glancing blow if it embedded into the skull? Maybe there are questions about if there was alcohol and horse play involved on the part of the adults. If it was just an average ‘kids playing around, shot self, dad didn’t get it out’… then I think CPS is totally over reacting. But, if they have concerns that it might have been a suicide attempt or that daddy and his buddy were drunk and something got out of hand… then a little CPS involvement will teach them to think twice in the future. AND, if there are future events, it will document the current event toward the father’s parenting history. ---
**Author:** ![outlierrn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/outlierrn/32/3005_2.png) [@outlierrn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/outlierrn)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2012, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-incident-worthy-of-having-your-kid-taken-away-from-you/642605/24 "2012-11-30T22:41:50Z")
> [@etv78](#): > > Sorry, but IMO, yes. One of the ER docs I work with had a daughter fall and hurt her arm. He checked it out and gave her a ice pack. Day of two later it was still hurting so he took her in and they found a fracture. Can’t tell you how many nothing injuries we see in the ER. ---
**Author:** ![etv78](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d78d45/32.png) [@etv78](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/etv78)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2012, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-incident-worthy-of-having-your-kid-taken-away-from-you/642605/25 "2012-11-30T22:49:03Z")
I’m not a dad, nor have I babysat, so I concede I’m a worrywort about that. ---
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2012, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-incident-worthy-of-having-your-kid-taken-away-from-you/642605/26 "2012-11-30T22:51:41Z")
> [@](#): > > maybe dad was scared of something like this happening when he would take his son to the ER? Maybe he was scared of the bill he’d get and could not afford? Maybe, but it seems to me like Dad’s concern for his child’s health should trump all of that. > [@Typo\_Negative](#): > > C’mon guys. This is a little blurb, not an in-depth article. There could be a lot of other factors at play that didn’t get into a paragraph. Maybe the ER staff saw something in the kid’s history. Maybe the kid seems scared and had tell-tale bruises. Maybe Dad was acting…strangely. There could be a lot of things that would make the ER staff think the police should look into before releasing the kid back to his custody. They may just not mention them to the reporter. I googled and there were several news hits, all with same coulpe of paragraphs. > > There is a lot we don’t know. Pretty much this. CPS knows a hell of a lot more about the situation than we do. This could easily be just another story the media presents in a misleading way to generate as much outrage as possible. ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Tildrum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e95f7d/32.png) [@Tom\_Tildrum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Tildrum)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2012, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-incident-worthy-of-having-your-kid-taken-away-from-you/642605/27 "2012-11-30T23:02:03Z")
Dad may not have been adept with the knife, such that the boy presented at the hospital with a hideously bloody wound. ---
**Author:** ![ZenBeam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/3ab097/32.png) [@ZenBeam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZenBeam)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2012, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-incident-worthy-of-having-your-kid-taken-away-from-you/642605/28 "2012-11-30T23:03:45Z")
Yeah, we don’t know everything. Also they’re still investigating, so it’s not permanent (yet, at least). But if there’s nothing more to the story, it doesn’t seem that big of a deal to me. You could live your whole life with a BB under your skin without any adverse effects beyond having problems every time you needed to board an airplane. ---
**Author:** ![USCDiver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/uscdiver/32/354_2.png) [@USCDiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/USCDiver)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2012, 11:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-incident-worthy-of-having-your-kid-taken-away-from-you/642605/29 "2012-11-30T23:05:50Z")
> [@outlierrn](#): > > One of the ER docs I work with had a daughter fall and hurt her arm. He checked it out and gave her a ice pack. Day of two later it was still hurting so he took her in and they found a fracture. Can’t tell you how many nothing injuries we see in the ER. I AM an ER doctor and it took me three days before I took my 15 month old in for an X-ray after she hurt her wrist. It was broken…:smack: ETA: she was not take into protective custody. ---
**Author:** ![Sparky\_the\_Wonder\_Spirit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/848f3c/32.png) [@Sparky\_the\_Wonder\_Spirit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sparky_the_Wonder_Spirit)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2012, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-incident-worthy-of-having-your-kid-taken-away-from-you/642605/30 "2012-11-30T23:08:08Z")
> [@Tom\_Tildrum](#): > > Dad may not have been adept with the knife, such that the boy presented at the hospital with a hideously bloody wound. Yeah, I think the “I took a utility knife to my kid” part of the story may have raised more eyebrows than the “my kid shot himself with a BB” part. ---
**Author:** ![Zabali\_Clawbane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/ecd19e/32.png) [@Zabali\_Clawbane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zabali_Clawbane)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2012, 11:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-incident-worthy-of-having-your-kid-taken-away-from-you/642605/31 "2012-11-30T23:29:00Z")
Wouldn’t the kid need a tetanus shot update? Especially if the BB ricocheted? 😕 ETA: Especially after being cut in the scalp with a utility knife which is more likely to be rusted. ---
**Author:** ![IvoryTowerDenizen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ivorytowerdenizen/32/17937_2.png) [@IvoryTowerDenizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IvoryTowerDenizen)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2012, 11:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-incident-worthy-of-having-your-kid-taken-away-from-you/642605/32 "2012-11-30T23:31:30Z")
> [@Sparky\_the\_Wonder\_Spirit](#): > > Yeah, I think the “I took a utility knife to my kid” part of the story may have raised more eyebrows than the “my kid shot himself with a BB” part. Yeah. And that’s why I think this stiry is different than the stories of not taking your kid to the ER for days and finding out your kid has a broken bone. If you thought your child had a bad break and you wrapped it in plaster yourself and then finally went o the ER, that might be more analogous to the story of someone digging around with a knife to get the BB out. Dad knew his son needed medical help and preferred to whip out a pocket knife rather than go right away. ---
**Author:** ![Ferret\_Herder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2012, 11:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-incident-worthy-of-having-your-kid-taken-away-from-you/642605/33 "2012-11-30T23:34:45Z")
> [@Sparky\_the\_Wonder\_Spirit](#): > > Yeah, I think the “I took a utility knife to my kid” part of the story may have raised more eyebrows than the “my kid shot himself with a BB” part. Especially if he wasn’t very good at it! 😮 **Zabali** : The kid might be set if he’s up-to-date on the diphtheria/pertussis/tetanus vaccination, especially since I think kids are supposed to get a booster on that earlier now as the pertussis (whooping cough) portion doesn’t last as long as it used to. ---
**Author:** ![Astroboy14](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/df705f/32.png) [@Astroboy14](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Astroboy14)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2012, 12:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-incident-worthy-of-having-your-kid-taken-away-from-you/642605/34 "2012-12-01T00:06:45Z")
> [@ZenBeam](#): > > You could live your whole life with a BB under your skin without any adverse effects beyond having problems every time you needed to board an airplane. My dad has had a BB embedded in his chin for the past 70-something years, and I don’t believe he’s ever had an issue getting onboard an airplane. ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2012, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-incident-worthy-of-having-your-kid-taken-away-from-you/642605/35 "2012-12-01T00:18:27Z")
> [@Kimballkid](#): > > There are [BB pistols](http://www.pyramydair.com/bb-guns). Thanks. I’m pretty sure you can’t legally buy a BB pistol in Canada; I didn’t know they existed. ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2012, 3:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-incident-worthy-of-having-your-kid-taken-away-from-you/642605/36 "2012-12-01T03:19:54Z")
Here’s a[slightly longer version of the story](http://www.kansas.com/2012/11/30/2586050/boy-in-protective-custody-after.html), which includes the following: > [@](#): > > Several adults live in the same home as the boy, including the father. Investigators want to know why the injury was not reported right away. FWIW, my (professional, not personal) dealings with my state’s CPS lead me to believe the father would have had to screw up brain surgery on the kid before they’d take a 12-year old out of the house. So I’m voting for “something more than lousy first aid.” ---
**Author:** ![Zabali\_Clawbane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/ecd19e/32.png) [@Zabali\_Clawbane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zabali_Clawbane)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2012, 3:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-incident-worthy-of-having-your-kid-taken-away-from-you/642605/37 "2012-12-01T03:46:04Z")
I think Wichita has a statute prohibiting the firing of BB guns within the city limit. (I’ve known more than one Kansas town that has such a statute.) I’m not sure if that includes for getting rid of varmints (pigeons, squirrels) or not. (Maybe you need a permit?) So, there’s that. Then here in Kansas they are espeically vigilant when it comes to tetanus boosters. Wichita has been known for being rough, and it has **[gotten](http://www.kake.com/home/headlines/Bradley-template-180883701.html)** rougher **[recently](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mas0Q_cpRpg)**. And Kansas also has a meth problem. Any, and all of that could be factors. Edit: Yep, they have a statute prohibiting the firing of BB guns within the city limit. **[PDF](http://www.wichita.gov/NR/rdonlyres/23CA65E2-C55D-4E20-A660-E2CCE20E20F1/0/Ordinance_No_45991.pdf)** Second Edit: They make some BB pistols that look like actual guns too. ---
**Author:** ![Enkel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/df705f/32.png) [@Enkel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enkel)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2012, 6:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-incident-worthy-of-having-your-kid-taken-away-from-you/642605/38 "2012-12-01T06:21:51Z")
What I don’t understand is the repeated reference to removing the BB from the kid’s skull. If it was embedded in the skull (as in the bone thing that the skull is made of - not just under the skin), that would almost have to be a concussion or some form of fracture? AND, if it was so embedded that the guy couldn’t get it back out? Maybe this guy was pretty close to performing brain surgery and he just didn’t know it. It’s hard to imagine a kid not screaming to high heaven when someone is pushing around on a fresh skull fracture. ---
**Author:** ![AK84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85e7bf/32.png) [@AK84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AK84)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2012, 7:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-incident-worthy-of-having-your-kid-taken-away-from-you/642605/39 "2012-12-01T07:14:40Z")
I do not think that what has been reported is sufficient to have the child taken in protection. I do think that it is very likely that there is much more to the story and or dear old dad than is being reported, which would make the taking into care more understandable. ---
**Author:** ![Darryl\_Lict](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7cd45c/32.png) [@Darryl\_Lict](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darryl_Lict)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2012, 1:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-incident-worthy-of-having-your-kid-taken-away-from-you/642605/40 "2012-12-01T13:07:57Z")
> [@Maastricht](#): > > maybe dad was scared of something like this happening when he would take his son to the ER? Maybe he was scared of the bill he’d get and could not afford? > > I think we are individualizing a bigger problem here. I think it is an hysterical overreaction on the part of CPS to take the kid away. I’ve witnessed a similar incident. My nutso nephew shot his buddy in the head with a BB gun. We were quite pissed off at him. I tried to dig it out of his head but it was embedded pretty firmly. Had I been on a desert isle, I certainly could have done it with a fresh exacto knife dipped in alcohol. My sister, an RN was not willing to do it, which surprised me. Had it been me, I’d insist that my sister cut it out, even though I do have insurance, because I know there would be significant uncovered costs (actually, I’m pretty sure I’d have to pay the full cost, because my ridiculously expensive insurance makes me pay the first $2500). Plus, I just hate the idea of the expense of an ER on an insignificant injury. Actually, I’d just wait to the next day and go to the medical clinic. The kid had no health insurance and it would cost over a $1000 to go to the ER. Plus, we figured that it spawn a police investigation. So, we took him to the hospital, got and there was a police report and it cost my sister a thousand bucks. I think my sister managed to convince the police not to press charges. > [@TruCelt](#): > > But I do also believe that there is more to the story - CPS is not generally anxious to remove kids from loving homes. Yup. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-incident-worthy-of-having-your-kid-taken-away-from-you/642605.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-incident-worthy-of-having-your-kid-taken-away-from-you/642605.md?page=3)