Tossed-Off Semiautomatic Gun Found In Pittsburgh Playground

[ScaredOnce]

http://www.thepittsburghchannel.com/...11/detail.html

"PITTSBURGH -- What would your child do if he or she found a loaded gun?

WTAE Channel 4 Action News anchor Andrew Stockey reported that more children are being confronted with that choice because abandoned guns are turning up on playgrounds and parks.

A highpoint 9mm semiautomatic was found June 10 at the Foster Park pool on Pittsburgh's North Side.

"The pool was packed with kids. Children were in the playground. The basketball court was packed," Pittsburgh Police Officer Chad Finney said. "We did not have to move anything. We did not have to push anything away. It was lying right there, easily visible."

An anonymous tip led police to the weapon at the park, where children were having fun that could have been wiped away in an instant.

This wasn't an isolated incident. Guns left by criminals and gangs are crossing children's paths in parks and playgrounds.

"They are found in the school area where kids who may want to take a gun to school can't get it into the school. So they throw it in the school area, so kids are finding them there," said Special Agent John Hageman, from the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

The ATF is seeing an alarming increase of incidents where children find weapons in Pennsylvania, Hageman said.

"Often, we find parents are willing to talk to their children about cigarettes and about drugs, and really, it is time to start talking to them about guns and not waiting until maybe they are 8, 9 or 10 years old," Hageman said.

What should you tell your children if they happen to stumble upon a weapon? The ATF says it's a situation where you need to teach your child to be calm and use common sense.

"It would be good to instruct your child to first encourage the person to put the gun down," said Hageman, "but also immediately encourage all the other children that are around to leave the area."

Next, your children should contact you or the nearest adult immediately, said Hageman.

From there, leave the rest up to law enforcement.

"Let your child know they are going to be a hero by doing this," said Hageman."

I haven't been around here in awhile, so sorry if this is old news. But when I came across this article I couldn't think of a better place to share it. It's food for thought; especially thought provoking is the part where it's mentioned that purposely throwing a weapon into a school area is a known way to by pass school security. I was also pretty impressed with the objectivity of the story as a whole. Usually this is exactly the type of story that the nay-sayers jump on.

Take care...

(EDIT: Deleted some jibberish that showed up in the text with the copy/ paste.)

[Koli01]

I think anti-gunners are seeding the playgrounds and school yards with guns just waiting for some unsuspecting child to pick one up and shoot his/her self or another. Then they can cry, wail and point fingers. I put nothing buy them.


tin hat has been returned to head now.

[GunLawyer001]

This can't be happening, there are laws which restrict transfers, so criminals can't get guns in the first place.

Unless, somehow, criminals don't obey those laws...

Thank goodness for the PSP database, they can just run the serial numbers and find out who dropped it there. Unless these were stolen, but that can't be or else why would CeaseFirePA and the Brady Campaign keep pushing for more laws that only affect gun shops?

[ScaredOnce]

Originally Posted by GunLawyer001

This can't be happening, there are laws which restrict transfers, so criminals can't get guns in the first place.

Unless, somehow, criminals don't obey those laws...

Thank goodness for the PSP database, they can just run the serial numbers and find out who dropped it there. Unless these were stolen, but that can't be or else why would CeaseFirePA and the Brady Campaign keep pushing for more laws that only affect gun shops?

I thought you were being facetious, but then I watched CNN and it all makes sense now... We can talk about this later though; for now, I have to finish melting down all of my firearms in order to use the metals for producing more hybrids because our little rock is getting warmer and a few penguins have drowned...

[GunLawyer001]

Originally Posted by ScaredOnce

I thought you were being facetious, but then I watched CNN and it all makes sense now... We can talk about this later though; for now, I have to finish melting down all of my firearms in order to use the metals for producing more hybrids because our little rock is getting warmer and a few penguins have drowned...

I may have to melt all my guns down and build hybrids and shelters for the homeless, but in the meantime I'll be sure to use some sort of device at the muzzle end to capture all those greenhouse gases, slow them down and cool them a bit, perhaps reduce the offensive decibel level at the same time.

It's the right thing to do.

[ScaredOnce]

Originally Posted by GunLawyer001

I may have to melt all my guns down and build hybrids and shelters for the homeless, but in the meantime I'll be sure to use some sort of device at the muzzle end to capture all those greenhouse gases, slow them down and cool them a bit, perhaps reduce the offensive decibel level at the same time.

It's the right thing to do.

haha... nice. I haven't posted on pafoa in about 5-6 months, and after your last post, I have to "spread it around" before giving you more rep. Dig your wit my man.

Pray, all is well...

[Joe Smith]

Man,


I could have had a free Hi-Point! I even have a spot next to my jello pudding and spork*




*
(obscure reference)

[GunLawyer001]

Originally Posted by Joe Smith

Man,


I could have had a free Hi-Point! I even have a spot next to my jello pudding and spork*




*
(obscure reference)

"Sporks", that brings back memories of High School, and a weird experiment in getting us one step closer to eating gruel from a trough with our hands. I believe that our sporks were of plastic, of a consistency that didn't lend itself to grinding them into weapons in Shop class. A bit like being in prison, but the odds of sleeping with a teacher were much, much better.

[Ophidian]

Well, I would not want my child playing with a HiPoint pistol in any capacity, so I am doubly offended by this news story. I guess being a HiPoint, they are lucky in that there is a good chance it wont work anyway :P

[Brown-Bear]

I think its time we bring this guy back. When I was a kid I learned how to NOT to pick up a gun I found and kill myself or my classmates with it. Whats wrong with people these days???

Dave