When I read this story yesterday, he was still alive but it didnt' look good. Very sad that he didn't make it.
Posted on 03/05/2005 2:03:02 AM PST by beaversmom
THE grieving mother of a toddler who died after being shot with an airgun called yesterday for the weapons to be banned.
Two-year-old Andrew Morton was hit in the head by a single pellet - thought to be aimed at firefighters tackling a house blaze - as he went out with his brother to buy chips.
His family took the agonising decision to turn off his ventilator after doctors said there were no signs of recovery.
Mum Sharon McMillan, 34, said: "Airguns should be banned and anyone who carries them should be locked up.
"Andrew was a wonderful wee boy, a brilliant kid."
Sharon and Andrew's dad Andy, 30, were at the youngster's bedside in a Glasgow hospital when he died after being in intensive care for two nights.
Sharon said: "I just kept thinking 'this is a dream' and I was going to wake up from my nightmare.
"We were there when he was given the last rites and Andy and I took turns cuddling him in bed."
Her plea for an airgun ban was backed by politicians. And the father of one of the Dunblane massacre victims said Andrew's death was "a tragedy waiting to happen".
Scottish Parliament minister Margaret Curran said: "There is a real sense of horror at such a barbaric act. All options have to be considered. If that means we need to licence these airguns, they should be banned.
"We will do whatever we can to protect our communities and our children. This is a brutal act, my thoughts are with the family."
Dr Mick North, whose five-year-old daughter Sophie was killed by gunman Thomas Hamilton at Dunblane primary school in 1996, added: "This is something that was waiting to happen because there are so many airgun incidents.
"Fortunately most people are not badly injured but it was only a matter of time before someone was killed.
"We need tougher controls. Too many people regard these weapons as toys. This is the strongest possible indication they are lethal weapons."
The age for owning an airgun has been raised from 14 to 17 and it is an offence to possess one in a public place.
But Dr North, who wants the weapons licensed, said the measures do not go far enough. He added: "The changes did not control ownership or possession within properties. So you can get people taking pot shots out of windows."
Sharon and Andy have four other children, Cheryl 17, Brian, 13, Sammy-Jo, 10, and seven-month-old Calvin.
Andrew was hit on Wednesday evening as he walked with Brian through the Easterhouse area.
The youngster was fascinated by fire engines and the pair stopped to watch a crew putting out a blaze in their street - with tragic consequences.
Brian said: "Andrew put his hands to his head and I asked what had happened.
"When I touched the back of his head there was blood. His face just went white and we started screaming." A 34-year-old fireman had earlier been shot but escaped injury.
Andrew's sister Cheryl last night paid tribute to her little brother. She said: "He was the life and soul of the full house. If everybody was upset he would cheer you up. He acted about 22. He was amazing. A pure brilliant wee boy."
As part of the probe into Andrew's killing, children were yesterday searched as they walked to school.
Police arrested a man of 27 over the shooting. He was last night in custody and is expected in court on Monday.
Tony Blair called the senseless killing "appalling". He added: "It is a terrible tragedy and I know people are looking closely at what lessons can be learned."
Scotland's justice minister Cathy Jamieson said weapons laws must be reviewed following Andrew's death.
bump
When I read this story yesterday, he was still alive but it didnt' look good. Very sad that he didn't make it.
This is very bad for the child but the scum, who may have started the fire and was shooting at the people at the fire is to blame.
Sad and I feel for their loss. However, how would they feel about a parent whose child had just drowned in a pond calling for a ban on all ponds?
Exactly--but in England and here in a lot of cases, the focus always seems to be on the weapon and not the person doing the crime. I think England needs to bring back the death penalty. And we don't need to be more like Europe thank you very much anyway Justice Kennedy!!!
Remember a thread a couple of years ago when a womans kid died in a blowhole on the beach in Hawaii, and she wanted them all fenced in.
Much as I love my sons, I could not have called them brilliant at 2 years old. The editor should have shown some discretion. Of course, I feel very sorry for this family, but their anger is misdirected. Hope the killer gets caught.
Too many deep fried Mars bars. Some weird old news comes out of Scotland.
Mum Sharon McMillan, 34, said: "Airguns should be banned and anyone who carries them should be locked up."
O' God please help me this day to deal with idiots like this.
Bump to your post.
I could not have said it better.
Tragic as it is, truly airguns don't kill toddlers; people kill toddlers. And the unborn. And the elderly. And the maritally-inconvenient. And they get away with it. And it's because we are letting deviancy be defined downward. We the people in our apathy are to blame for permitting this.
And we the people can force our legislators and judges to undo nearly EVERY bad decision. If we summon the will and do not lose our focus.
If he had choked on a Mike and Ike they'd be banning those as well.
And yes, if children are around ponds. . .they can be dangerous. . .we try and warn. . .any water. . .crossing the street; we teach them children 'to look both ways'. . .the do's and don'ts of tring to protect them as they grow up. . .
There is always a particular sadness when tragedies fall to the innnocent. . . when a child is doing nothing but the innocent. . .playing. . .and falls into harms way; it happens; it is cruel. . .often there is no one to blame; save inexperience. . .
. . .but to be no more than a bystander. . .to go buy 'chips' and not come home; because some other child/person is doing something reckless and irresponsible (someone elses inexperience perhaps) is difficult to accept without looking to the perpetrator. . .or as in many cases, the object, at hand.
Perhaps the perp will get some attention here; I surely hope so. . .but whatever the case; for these folks. . .their immediate response is at least, understandable.
It is very sad.
Bringing back the death penalty would actually be popular. The last poll I saw suggested the public was in favour.
And so am I. My dear, departed Gran's second husband was shot in cold blood. The murderer is now out and about, living a relatively comfortable life, married to a woman who campaigned for his release. That's not justice.
Regards, Ivan
It is very sad. Read a story the other day on FR about a little boy, 10 or so, who had made a big snowball with a friend. The thing rolled down and crushed him to death. I know I can't be like this, but it makes me not want to leave the house. This poor little boy looking at the fire trucks and some idiot has got to be in the area! I wonder if the idiot was deliberately aiming at the boy.
It is not Justice. . .unless you are a Liberal.
The perp is the only victim in their minds. . .
. . .they do not count the 'life stolen'. . .from the victim - and from all those who loved and valued that person.
Hopefully the family will find peace in God. If they realise that they will see their lad again and that he is safe now then maybe they can get through this hard time.
Mr Ramsbotham wrote:
We can't ban every single thing that causes a death.
If he had choked on a Mike and Ike they'd be banning those as well.
--> Very tragic. I have to say as well, ban is not the answer, and also, it's the leftist mentality that causes this very problem, they have no problem teaching kids sx ed, but when it comes to smarts (guns etc.) they want to hide it to protect the kids but in the end, senselessness like this causes an innocent to be killed.
At the same time, there are psycho's out there, and they will hurt someone, whether it's by accident (ie. wrong target), or on purpose by use of car, plane, gun, toy, knife, computer monitor, cords, branches, drowning, torture, whatever means they can. Making the rest of us suffer with rules because of the few senseless and idiotic people should not happen. It's time for a change England, it's time to become more like America the Beautiful.
I don't know what feels meaner. . .tragedy by the above or by an ignorant perp. . .
. . .or could ask the same ie 'what feels better'; in one's having to come to immediate terms with the pain - and anger - of such excruciating loss.
I think that would be a very positive step.
It works quite well here in Texas.. 100% of the criminals
executed commit no further crimes ever.
That's good to hear. I know one of my cousins over there is definitely for it. That's why he said he liked George Bush a few years back--because he is pro-death penalty.
When my dad was stationed over there in the 50's, he said a judge would tell the murderer, "You will hang by the neck until dead Tuesday next." And sure enough, Tuesday next he was a goner.
Sorry that happened to your Grandma's second husband. You are right, it's not justice to let the murderer continue on with his life in or out of prison.
Dennis Prager, radio guy over here, always says murder is unforgiveable because the only person that can forgive someone is the victim and the victim is dead. Others forgiving a murder is like a woman down the street getting raped and me forgiving the rapist. Letting someone continue on with their life after they have taken a life is society forgiving the person and really saying the victim's life was no big deal.
One thing unmentioned in the article is the fact that in the U.K., firemen are often attacked, even shot at. It is my understanding that certain bad neighborhoods are very dangerous for emergency services personnel to enter. There are members of the criminal underclass who typically live on welfare and they spend their time doing destructive things. They are the type of vicious idiots who would set fire to their own (government subsidized) flat and then shoot at the firemen. These criminals are often immigrants or children of immigrants. The government subsidizes people to act like savages and then the politicians want to ban airguns, knives, etc.
Care to explain why a mother who just lost her child to a tragic accident is an idiot for venting an opinion? I think her reaction/overreaction can probably be contributed to the state of mourning she's in. Sounds like you're labeling someone just because you don't agree with their view.
Shooting at firefighters. Dropping objects from the roof of nearby buildings onto the firefighters and their trucks.
Some British people use the word "brilliant" differently than we do-- it's a slang term meaning, I think, "great" or "excellent" or "wonderful". I've heard it used that way, purely as a term of praise.
Even if his older sister was calling the "wee lad" brilliant as in smart--I wouldn't see a problem with it. I'm not sure of the problem the other poster had with that. I think my two year old is smart--I'd also use the adjectives crafty and devilish to describe him as well.
Absolutely amazing - and clueless.
. . .the Libs are always trying to 'turn' this on Repubs in their rhetoric. (Why can't a compassionate Christian, forgive Bill Clinton (?); or the latest racism from a Demrat; or even the Beltway murderers. . .whatever)
They do not 'get it'; and in fact, few Repubs do either.
The Libs are forever, pharrisee like. . .'forgiving' someone. . .ie their 'Rodneyesque - 'can't we all get along'?
. . PC has made 'judgmental' a bad work as well . . .'discretion', next. . .
I certainly have sympathy for the family who lost there little guy. But comments like this above quote are one of the main reasons that I generally ignore or quickly dismiss the rantings of emotional women.
Thanks. I have not heard my Scot friend use it so loosely.
the events that lead to the loss of anyone are tragic, but the atmosphere denouncing all types of weapons bad and worthy of banning breeds mishaps and tragic uses.
the ban on guns leads to an ignorance about the proper uses of such tools and when certain types of less lethal weaponry is not banned, then the assumption is the irresponsible usage of non-banned weaponry will have little harmful effect on targeting victims.
if proper firearms usage is taught at the onset and that firearms can kill if not properly used then a trickle down
effect would cross over to the responsible use of toy air guns.
locking up the individual who took potshots for murder is appropriate action, not the banning of responsible usage of said arms.
teeman
i didn't mention that letting a two year old out without adult supervision is not my idea of good parenting...
but i am not calling for her to give up her other children
Believe it or not, Jarts (lawn darts) are still legal and widely available in the UK.
Ban rubber bands, they can put an eye out.
My next door neighbor is British. He uses the word brilliant a lot and not in the sense that someone is very smart. It just means great or wonderful and can refer to anything.
I think he was aiming at the boy. While the article talks about a pellet, the typical airgun in Britain is an accurate .17 cal. weapon that is often used for hunting birds, small game and vermin. They are not BB guns.
Unlike the US, in Britain many air rifles come standard with silencers. A few folks in this county have gotten in trouble with the ATF when customs checked out their imported British air rifle. I think the Brits now know not to ship silencers to this country.
On January 27th, 1999, Home Secretary Jack Straw formally signed the 6th protocol of the European Convention of Human Rights in Strasbourg, on behalf of the British government, formally abolishing the death penalty in the UK.
This is a stupid thing to say, if you shoot out of a window into a public place with an airgun then you are already committing an offence. If you shoot someone with an airgun then that can result in a serious charge, for example, ABH, GBH, manslaughter or murder. The current laws are perfectly capable of prosecuting morons who use airguns in crimes. The idea of preventing crimes committed with airguns by "prior restraint", i.e. by limiting the population's access to airguns, will not work because there are hundreds of thousands of unregistered airguns already out there.
BTW, the majority of air rifles (the most powerful airguns available) in Britain are not FAC licensed and by law they can only put out 12 foot pounds of power - that is only enough force to humanely kill a small animal like a rabbit. It would require very good shot placement to kill a person, even a child, with one and there is no guarantee that such a shot would cause death. Rather than trying to ban air rifles, maybe the parents of this poor child ought to be campaigning for tougher punishments for people who shoot at firemen and people on the street with airguns, catapults, bows etc. Deterrence is the only way to prevent such reckless behaviour.
BTW, Glasgow is in Scotland and it is one of the most violent cities in Europe, (the murder rate is worse than in most US cities). Anyway, we can't bring back the death penalty because Blair has signed us up to EU's Human rights convention which specifically outlaws the death penalty in member states. Another good reason for us to get out of the EU.
The majority of air rifles in Britain are not FAC licensed and by law they can only put out a maximum of 12 foot pounds of power. However, air pistols are more commonly used by juvenile delinquents than air rifles and the maximum legal power output for an air pistol is 6 foot pounds (the single-shot type are the most powerful), whereas CO2 BB pistols only run at a maximum of 3 foot pounds. In my experience it is the BB pistols which are most likely to be used by morons for firing at members of the emergency services because they are the cheapest type of airgun, they are semi-automatic and they are the smallest and so can be concealed more easily.
Communist idiocy.
Actually, I did read that but still ended up calling it England--my mistake--must have not registered in my brain. I guess I consider it all England just because my mom's from there but the Scottish probably don't appreciate not seeing a distinction.
bump for later.
I have a friend who is a fireman in York, (Northern England). He often tells me about the threatening behaviour and violence directed at firemen by local youths when they are fighting fires in bad areas of the city. Apparently, the main reason for this sort of behaviour in York is the resentment to any authority figures held by heroin users, but as you said, the people doing this have probably never had regular jobs in their lives.
Are you saying the child was killed with a BB gun?
I mentioned CO2 BB guns because these seem to be the most commonly used by groups of juvenile delinquents on the street to shoot at firefighters etc. Also most CO2 powered "BB guns" available in Britain actually fire pellets not BBs.
Here is an interesting article with a revealing passage in it:
Some youngsters openly carry sticks and golf clubs which double as weapons. On Friday and Saturday nights, gangs from the neighbouring estates fight each other. "It’s territorial," said one police officer, who admitted that they don’t usually patrol the area. The nearest police station is two miles away in Easterhouse.
"We don’t hang around, so nor should you," the officer said. His colleague added: "We drive in, do what we have to do, and drive out again. It’s too dangerous."
It sounds like the Police should patrol the area and enforce the existing laws which ban the carrying of makeshift weapons, airguns, knives etc on the street and ban the discharge of airguns in public places.
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