15 year old California boy shot and killed

A 15 year old California teen was shot and killed near his home:

Family and friends of 15-year-old Luis Angel Zavaleta-Rios are devastated after police say he was shot and killed on the sidewalk in front of a park just one block from his home.

His father says many friends had just attended his son's 15th birthday party on Friday. And were shocked to learn of his death Thursday morning when they showed up for class at Merced Valley Community School.

About two dozen of his friends and classmates stopped by the park to leave flowers and light candles in Zavaleta's honor. They say the freshman was a good student who was passionate about construction. He also loved the sport of boxing, and was a member of a competitive club downtown.

Minnesota teen brings guns to school in plot to kill parents and students

A 17 year old Waseca, Minnesota teen brought several guns to his school in a plan to kill his parents and then students in his school.  Luckily, his parents turned him into the school authorities. From an article:

John David LaDue had it all figured out. He would kill his mother, father and sister and then create a diversion to keep first responders busy while he went to Waseca Junior/Senior High School to wreak havoc.

There, the 17-year-old planned to set off pressure-cooker bombs full of nails and metal ball bearings in the cafeteria. Students who weren’t maimed or killed would be gunned down in the halls, he told police.

After his arrest Tuesday, the high school junior said he intended to kill “as many students as he could,” before he was killed by the SWAT team, according to charging documents filed in Waseca County District Court.

LaDue was charged Thursday with four counts of attempted first-degree murder, two counts of first-degree damage to property and six counts of possession of a bomb by someone under 18. Police found seven firearms and at least six completed bombs in his bedroom and in the storage unit where he was arrested.

Every gun in the hands of a child must first pass through the hands of an adult.

5 year old Minnesota boy brings gun to school

A Benson, Minnesota kindergarten student brought a gun to school:

A kindergartner brought a gun to school in Swift County Tuesday morning, and authorities are investigating now to find out how such a thing could have happened.

No one was hurt in the incident at Northside Elementary school and everyone -- from the other students to teachers to law enforcement -- acted quickly to get the gun away from the young child.

Around 8 a.m., students alerted a teacher that the child, who police say is about 5 years old, had brought a weapon into the school building. The teacher quickly confiscated the gun.

Benson Police Chief Ian Hodge said there is no reason to believe that the kindergartner intended to cause any harm, although police are withholding details -- including where the gun came from and whether it was loaded -- while the investigation is ongoing.

"The child has no intent to harm anyone," Hodge said.

Every gun in the hands of a child must first pass through the hands of an adult.

3 year old Wisconsin toddler shoots self with mother's gun

Unfortunately there has been another toddler shooting. A Milwaukee, Wisconsin 3 year old found a gun in his mother's car and shot himself. From an article:

Three-year-old Kevin Donald shot himself with a gun while playing in his mother's car. Police say the toddler found the gun hidden in the glove compartment. The family tells us the boy is still being treated at Children's Hospital of Wisconsin. Doctors are waiting for the swelling of the head to go down before doing surgery. Now the family is focusing on why a gun was being kept in that car.

Donald's grandmother and aunt both say this could have been prevented. The boy's mother is saying she kept the gun inside the car for protection purposes. Brittany Petersink, the boy''s aunt, told our Sandra Torres, "This is Milwaukee. This is the ghetto...anywhere you go there's someone trying to take something from you."

Every gun in the hands of a child must first pass through the hands of an adult.

7-year-old unintentionally killed by brother

7-year-old Jaylin Miller, of Ligonier, Indiana was unintentionally shot and killed by his brother on Saturday.  According to reports:

Jaylin and his brother were out in the yard with a firearm, attempting to kill ground moles when the firearm was unintentionally discharged by his brother. Jaylin was struck by a single gun shot and died at the scene.

Police are investigating the incident and have not released any more details at this time.

Utah toddler shot and killed with rifle left in home

The writers of the Kid Shootings blog have been unable to keep up with the number of kid shootings of late. We do refer you to The Gun Report, a regular compiling of actual shooting incidents published several times per week in the New York Times. Unfortunately every one of these reports starts out with the shootings of and by children, some as young as toddlers.

That said, we report today on yet another shooting of a toddler with a loaded gun left around in a home where he could get his hands on it. In Utah, a three year old accidentally shot and killed her two year old brother. From the article:

A 2-year-old Cache County boy died late Friday, hours after his sister shot him.

Authorities said the shooting happened about 6:40 p.m. at a home near 3600 West and 2200 South, in an unincorporated part of the county. The boy’s 3-year-old sister shot him with a .22-caliber rifle that had been left in the living room, the sheriff’s office said.

Cache County sheriff’s Lt. Mike Peterson said the gun had been used earlier in the day by the children’s father, who set it down after returning home. The firearm was unloaded but did have live rounds in the magazine, he said.

"We believe the 3-year-old had to manipulate the action enough to chamber a live round," Peterson said in a news release.

Every gun in the hands of a child must first pass through the hands of an adult.

2 year old Pennsylvania toddler kills 11 year old sister

A 2 year old toddler has killed his sister with a gun left unsecured in a home. From an article:

Jamara Stevens, 11, was shot and killed in Philadelphia over the weekend by her 2-year-old brother.

Police say the gun was left in the house by their mother’s boyfriend, and on Saturday morning, one of the three Stevens’ children discovered the .357-caliber handgun on top of the refrigerator and brought it upstairs.

The toddler found it, pointed the loaded and cocked gun at Jamara and fired the weapon.

Every gun in the hands of a child must first pass through the hands of an adult.