# Toddlers and Fire Arms DON'T Mix, People! **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [April 3, 2008, 11:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toddlers-and-fire-arms-dont-mix-people/443783 "2008-04-03T11:38:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Princhester](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3e96dc/32.png) [@Princhester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Princhester)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2008, 6:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toddlers-and-fire-arms-dont-mix-people/443783/41 "2008-04-04T06:12:37Z")
I can go one better: I managed to read the thread title as “Two year olds and Fire Alarms don’t mix” I guess just because it’s normally just spelt firearms. So I was expecting something a bit weirder than this thread actually is. ---
**Author:** ![slaphead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9bcb4/32.png) [@slaphead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/slaphead)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2008, 9:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toddlers-and-fire-arms-dont-mix-people/443783/42 "2008-04-04T09:21:20Z")
[QUOTE=mlees] I assume that is what the hospital was thinking, however… I doubt that the cops were going to set up bright lights and go through the good-cop bad-cop routine. [/QUOTE] Well, I have obviously no experience of this beyond TV/Movies, but I thought that when someone was in hospital the doctors had the last word on whether or not the cops were allowed to talk to them? I’ve certainly seen more depictions of this scenario than the ‘we’re interviewing the gunshot victim right now and if you try to stop us you’re going to jail in your scrubs’. ---
**Author:** ![Brown\_Eyed\_Girl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/brown_eyed_girl/32/3574_2.png) [@Brown\_Eyed\_Girl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Brown_Eyed_Girl)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2008, 11:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toddlers-and-fire-arms-dont-mix-people/443783/43 "2008-04-04T11:00:04Z")
**Stealth** , on TV crime dramas they would test for GSR (gunshot residue). I’m assuming there’s some basis in reality for that and they’d be able to tell that the 2 year old was holding the gun when it discharged. [QUOTE=FoieGrasIsEvil] And I cannot for the life of me imagine why a father (albeit a kid himself) would actually GIVE a loaded weapon to a toddler. Insanity. [/QUOTE] I have a 17yo with the maturity of a 10 yo, so I’m quite familiar with piss poor decision-making around that age. It’s not insanity. It’s extreme immaturity and failure to make sound decisions based on potential consequences. He probably thought it was cute or amusing. He was clearly wrong, of course. As for the cops, they have egg on their face now because that was pretty poor decision-making as well. Good for the hospital for standing up for the child’s well-being in the face of charges for defying the officers. ---
**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2008, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toddlers-and-fire-arms-dont-mix-people/443783/44 "2008-04-04T19:09:40Z")
[QUOTE=Brown Eyed Girl] **Stealth** , on TV crime dramas they would test for GSR (gunshot residue). I’m assuming there’s some basis in reality for that and they’d be able to tell that the 2 year old was holding the gun when it discharged. [/QUOTE] There’s not. They _used_ to test for it, but then found out that people can have GSR on them even though they didn’t handle a gun. They _can_, however, make some determinatins if the child had any powder burns. ---
**Author:** ![Autolycus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/22d042/32.png) [@Autolycus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Autolycus)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2008, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toddlers-and-fire-arms-dont-mix-people/443783/45 "2008-04-04T19:20:20Z")
Toddlers and fire arms don’t mix? Says you! Stay tuned for the latest episode of [Will It Blend?](http://www.willitblend.com/) And remember, you can’t hug the world with fire arms! ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Duality](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mr.duality/32/4098_2.png) [@Mr.Duality](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Duality)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2008, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toddlers-and-fire-arms-dont-mix-people/443783/46 "2008-04-05T14:10:44Z")
[QUOTE=Bryan Ekers] Yep, shoot him clean when he’s in your house. The red mist comes from when you dispose of his body, outside, by feeding it through a wood-chipper. [/QUOTE] Cleanup is much simplified when you freeze the body first. ---
**Author:** ![Brown\_Eyed\_Girl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/brown_eyed_girl/32/3574_2.png) [@Brown\_Eyed\_Girl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Brown_Eyed_Girl)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2008, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toddlers-and-fire-arms-dont-mix-people/443783/47 "2008-04-05T14:24:51Z")
[QUOTE=Tuckerfan] There’s not. They _used_ to test for it, but then found out that people can have GSR on them even though they didn’t handle a gun. They _can_, however, make some determinatins if the child had any powder burns. [/QUOTE] Thanks for the clarification. I wanted to be sure to note that all I know about criminal investigation is what I got from TV, movies, and books. And we all know that Hollywood plays fast and loose with reality, although I do think there is probably a smidgen of accuracy or at least some basis in truth in the portrayal. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2008, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toddlers-and-fire-arms-dont-mix-people/443783/48 "2008-04-05T19:33:12Z")
[QUOTE=mswas] I plan on killing home invaders with my Kung Fu. Any two year old that can acquire my Kung Fu is fully qualified to use it. [/QUOTE] I know Kung Fu, Tae Kwon Do, and 17 other dangerous words! ---
**Author:** ![Count\_Blucher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Count\_Blucher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Count_Blucher)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2008, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toddlers-and-fire-arms-dont-mix-people/443783/49 "2008-04-06T00:52:44Z")
[QUOTE=BrainGlutton] I know Kung Fu, Tae Kwon Do, and 17 other dangerous words! [/QUOTE] “Grasshopper, when you can take the Hotwheels car from my hand you will be ready to leave for school.” ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2008, 2:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toddlers-and-fire-arms-dont-mix-people/443783/50 "2008-04-06T14:07:35Z")
I see a niche market for **toddler pistols**. You have a very small pistol for the child, probably a .22, but with a .25 or .32 “husky” size for bigger kids. A small cable runs from it to a safety trigger, to be held by mommy or daddy. The child can only fire when the adult is pulling on the 2nd trigger. ---
**Author:** ![tnetennba](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7993a0/32.png) [@tnetennba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tnetennba)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2008, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toddlers-and-fire-arms-dont-mix-people/443783/51 "2008-04-06T15:02:59Z")
I fail to see how the hospital was looking out for the child’s best interest by preventing a very warranted investigation into parental neglect and child endangerment. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toddlers-and-fire-arms-dont-mix-people/443783.md?page=2)