14 year old boy shoots himself in face at school in front of friends

How could this be worse? A 14 year old New Hampshire boy shot himself in the face in the school cafeteria with friends looking on. From the story:

Ethan Symonds, a seventh-grader who was sitting at a table near the boy in the cafeteria, said he heard something "a little bit louder than a chip bag popping." He said he did a double-take, saw blood, and ran.

Seventy of the school's approximately 170 students were in the cafeteria at the time. Nick Phillips, an eighth-grader in the student's home room, said he had been passing notes during the week saying he was depressed, but it wasn't clear why.

The boy is in serious condition. His friends and the school must be traumatized. There are problems with children and teen depression all over our country. When that is combined with easy access of guns, it can lead to tragedy. Every gun in the hands of a child first goes through the hands of an adult.

UPDATE (2/12/12):  A follow-up posting.