One of the loudest arguments against gun control is the adage “guns don’t kill people; people kill people.” Although the truth to that is undeniable, guns are by themselves dangerous things that should not be handled by just anyone.
And most often than not, guns are most lethal at the hands of the people we least expect.
The case of this 11-year-old boy from White Pine, Tennessee is an example.
READ: Toddler accidentally shoots another in the head after finding a gun in mom’s purse
Benjamin Tiller and neighbor McKayla Dyer were outside playing when, just like children their age, they began arguing. McKayla had recently gotten new puppies, and Benjamin wanted to get a glimpse of them.
When she refused, he went back to his house, and grabbed his father’s 12-gauge shotgun.
Doubting that the gun was real, McKayla laughed. “Tiller then made certain the gun was loaded, cocked the hammer of the gun, and shot the victim just above the heart,” court documents said.
READ: Four students shot to death in a school shooting in Canada
The documents also said that Benjamin had been trained in firearm safety and had gone hunting with both his grandfather and father. And for murdering McKayla, Benjamin was sentences by court to spend the rest of his childhood in custody.
This story is terrifying for a lot of reasons, but mainly because the murder was committed by someone so young. It makes one wonder the amount of violence he had been exposed to early on.
Not only that, his parents had a hand in cultivating a violence-driven mentality in him. Parents have a responsibility to teach their children kindness, humility, compassion and love. Violence should have a part in everyone’s lives, much less a child’s.
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