When are people going to wake up? Parents are afraid to spank or punish a child anymore for fear of being accused of child abuse. There is a difference in abuse and spanking. CHILDREN NEED TO BE TAUGHT THERE IS A PRICE TO BE PAID FOR MISBEHAVIOR. THIS NEEDS TO BE TAUGHT IN THE FIRST FIVE YEARS AS THIS IS THE FORMATIVE YEARS FOR A CHILD.Children are now allowed to hit their parents, yell at them, curse them and anything else they want to do.How many parents have actually been murdered by their children in the last 10 years?
There has never been more violence with children than now.
It all started when the paddle was taken from the parents and from school.Children respected parents and teachers then. They were taught to respect their elders and to be respectful towards anyone with authority. Our government is taking our freedom to raise our children with diciplin away from us.
Give the authority back to the parents and hold them responsible for their children's actions. If the government wants to take our rights from us to diciplin our children then let the government take responsibility for the child's actions.
Let me make it clear I am against child abuse. Again ther is a difference in punishing your child and abusing it

I agree with christine3937, his parents should be held responsible for his actions and more importantly, having a handgun in the house that was not under lock and key!

The kid needs early intervention...if at 4 years old he is shooting the babysitter, what will he be doing at age 6, 16 or 26?

This world is going to hell in a hand basket. I can't believe that a kid, my daughters age, would do something so unthinkable. My daughter has never seen a real gun nor knows how to fire, yet load one. He needs a good spanking.

Amen to that. If we want to retain our right to bear arms, we have to responsible gun owners. How did this 4 yr old know where the gun and ammunition was? He's obviously witnessed this gun being loaded and fired many times. The parents should be held accountable for their childs actions. This is a very tragic event and the authorities should not take it lightly.This 4 yr old child is just as injured as the person he shot. He has not been taught acceptable ways to manage his anger. What is going on in that household?

I am appalled and disgusted by this story. The parents should be sent to prison! A 4 year old who knows where guns are kept in the home, where the bullets are and know HOW to load the gun??? What the hell? First of all there should NEVER be guns in a home with kids - and if so, they need to be locked up. The article states that "Counseling has been arranged for the young shooter". Great, maybe Charles Manson can lead the session.

Well I agree guns should be locked up, but I tihnk it said that he was watching the boy at his grandmothers trailer. It is really disturbing that he would get so violent after having his foot stepped on. There is definitely more going on than meets the eye. Children that age mimick...so he must be exposed to a lot on violence to lash out in such a way.

It is my understanding that the boy was not at his parent's home. The babysitter was watching the boy along with several other teenagers and in his grandmother's mobile home. I'm not sure if the article means the babysitter's grandmother or the child in question' grandmother. So it wasn't the parents who neglected to lock up their weapon, but the grandmother. Perhaps she should be charged, though I'm not sure if not having a weapon secured is a criminal offense in Kansas.

I agree, the parents should be locked up for stupidity. First, they never should have taught a 4 year old (too young to have common sense and wisdom) to use a gun, and second, for not locking the gun up....their lucky their child is not dead!!
I also agree with the previous comment, there is probably no dicipline in the home, that's why the child threw a fit when he didn't get his way.
The boy needs a good spanking, and the parents need some jail time ( and their gun licence taken away permenantly!!).

I totally agree Christine!!! Ignorance is NO excuse, teach them Parents Responsibilities

The parents should not go to jail, who said the 4 yr old learned it from them. He could of picked it up from any where. So get real dont be so quick to judge the parents. Its not always there fault, and plus it wasnt at the 4 yrs home it was at his grandmas, so how was the parents supose to lock it up when its not there house.

Yes!!! I agree 100% especially with Wynell; U ROCK!!!

This is for all to read. I grew up in a house where guns were kept in closets and even leaning behind doors. Oh my God! we even had them hanging in gun racks on the wall. We also had gun racks in pick ups. And to think that there are people out there that don't teach their children about guns (toy guns as well). But, really people that blame the guns are as stupid as the people that don't teach the use and reasons for guns. This child hasn't been taught the "do's and don'ts" of guns. Teach him and he will make a better person. Responsiblity is the best lessons for life.
As, for the idiot that thinks it was a "Handgun". Well, I have never seen a handgun do damage to others or other thinks than what it has hit. Unless, the kid had all the kids that had minor injuries line up. Very unlikly. To do injury and damage to things and others this firearm had to be a shotgun with birdshot loads.
Now, lets get back to our "Right to bare arms". It is your right, and most of all it is a right just like all the other rights the constitution gives us. To take any right, any right, away from us as Citizens of the United States of America is wrong. For those of you that think we should have the right to bare arms and it should be taken away, puts the foot in the door to take any of our rights away, even the right that lets you have the "Freedom of Speech" to let you protest the "Right to bare arms". And, you are probably the vote that put a liberal thinking president in office. Lord help us.
I own guns and I have children. My children have been taught gun safety. They know and they have seen what a gun can do. People, teach your children, because if you don't teach your children then your child becomes a number in our legal system that we are all left with to pay for and teach a lesson to. Not just gun safety but teach them honesty, respect, responsiblity, love, and Integrity.

Jimmy from Texas.

Unfortunately Teresa, they are necessry for the very reason you mentioned. Also unfortunately, there are a lot of people who are irresponsible. Are you going to take away everyones' car because of the hundreds of deaths that occur in them every day?

guns have a sfe and useful purpose in this world, don't let a few bad people make up your mind for you....

Teresa The reason you hardly EVER hear of someone using a gun to stop a crime or defend themselves is that the liberal left-wing goofball media does not want to tell you or America what is going on. Statistics say that over 600,000 times per year an American with a firearm (handgun or rifle) defends themselves and/or stops a crime.
Heard this lately? Look to more conservative news sources for real information.

We will not agree on this issue. I do not see a good use for a handgun. They are only for killing people and we do not need any more of that. I didn't see anything I mentioned that could be used to justify them. I know a lot of people are pro guns and will never understand it.

When someone tried to break into my home in the middle of the night, I was very glad I had a gun. I agree that some people are irresponsible, but that does not mean everyone should be punished.