An argument over Christmas gifts turned deadly in Florida after a 14-year-old boy allegedly fatally shot his older sister.
A 14-year-old boy allegedly fatally shot his older sister in Florida after a family argument over Christmas presents, officials said Tuesday.
The teen had been out shopping on Christmas Eve with Abrielle Baldwin, his 23-year-old sister, as well as his mother, 15-year-old brother and sister's children, Pinellas County Sheriff Bob Gualtieri said during a news conference.
The teenage brothers got into an argument about who was getting more Christmas presents.
"They had this family spat about who was getting what and what money was being spent on who, and they were having this big thing going on in this store," Gualtieri said.
A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, well-regulated militias shall have the right to keep and bear arms. Also, in a twist completely unrelated to that other sentence, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed. I'm talking rifles, muskets, flintlocks, hell, even futuristic weapons nobody's invented yet. Not part of a militia? Doesn't matter. Completely unregulated? That's right. Also, by 'people' we mean everyone: kids, witches, the addled, it's a free for all!
Of course, most people only know the final trimmed-down edited version of that amendment. The original was much better, IMO.
Fuck the United States. Only place in the world this fucking shit happens regularly , because a bunch of small dick Republicans won't give up their guns.
They don't give a shit about guns. But at long as they can keep their voters riled up about it, they won't have the time to think about real issues like why they're so poor, why they will go bankrupt if they get really sick, etc etc etc.
Guns is like religion, it's just another method of control where the target doesn't even know they're being controlled
There was a time when the NRA fought for a two-day waiting period on handgun sales and limits on concealed weapons permits. And a time when then–California Governor Ronald Reagan signed legislation forbidding the carrying of loaded firearms in public. Before gun control became a progressive cause, it was a right-wing staple, and it was aimed squarely at the rights of African-Americans nationwide.
In Florida, white "citizens patrols" were permitted to search the homes of free African-Americans for guns "and other offensive or improper weapons, and may lawfully seize and take away such arms, weapons, and ammunition." The message was clear: guns — like the ballot box, marriage, and the right to free assembly — were for white Americans only.
That conflict — between the fears of racist whites and the needs of African-Americans to defend themselves — arose again in the late 1960s. The leaders of the Civil Rights Movement recognized that the need for self-defense still existed — in fact, Martin Luther King Jr. applied for (and was denied) a concealed carry permit. Recounting his memories of "Freedom Summer" and the Civil Rights Movement, Charles E. Cobb Jr., former field secretary of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, said, "I know from personal experience and the experiences of others, that guns kept people alive, kept communities safe, and all you have to do to understand this is simply think of black people as human beings and they're gonna respond to terrorism the way anybody else would."
On May 2, 1967, a group of Black Panthers took to the steps of the California Legislature carrying revolvers, shotguns, and pistols and read a statement saying, "The time has come for black people to arm themselves against this terror before it is too late." In a direct response to the incident, Governor Ronald Reagan signed the Mulford Act, banning the open carry of loaded weapons, barely two months later. Guns were "a ridiculous way to solve problems that have to be solved among people of good will," he said.
As former NRA president Harlon Carter said in 1975, the use of guns by violent criminals or the mentally ill was simply the "price we pay for freedom." In 1980, the NRA endorsed Ronald Reagan — 13 years after Reagan had signed the first open-carry ban in the country.
White people may be more likely to carry a gun, but black people are more likely to be jailed for it.
Exactly. And they keep sowing this myth that the guns will be taken away at any point in time, but "you should keep them in case we become tyrannical!" And the definition of what is and isn't tyranny is always subject to change, but usually if it's tyranny against people the base doesn't like, then it's not tyranny.
Well Technically... Of the 150 plus democracies on the planet only three have a constitutional right to firearms. The USA, Mexico and Guatemala... Of those Mexico actually has actually fairly heavy restrictions on what firearms are covered by the Constitution and which are restricted to police and military use.
So realistically this sort of thing happens in the US and Guatemala... If it is any consolation the US is flagging way behind Guatemala in gun related deaths when you adjust for population?
Dude I lean center left...it's not just Republicans that care about gun rights you dumbass. LOT of gun owners also are democrats. Stop trying to one side an issue. Thenissue isn't guns it's literally the owners and yea I'll be damned if I give up my firearms cause you want me to. My guns stay locked up in my safe at all times. My kids know they aren't toys and can seriously hurt someone. I keep the keys to that safe with me.
Secondly taking away legal and lawful gun owners guns will NOT stop people who don't follow the law from obtaining guns and doing bad shit with them. Grow the fuck up.
I bet it's also Republicans fault that BOTH these kids have been arrested for car burglary too?
If it wasn't a gun, I guarantee it would have turned violent with any other weapon. Would you be this riled up if you read the same story but it was about a stabbing?
The people in this story are the problem, not the weapon used
It is definitely the person who pulled the trigger's fault, but I don't understand why we would want minors whose brains haven't fully developed to have point-and-kill weapons.
You point out how awful these kids are, and then post in support of making it easier for them to kill. That's strange to me.
Although I guess it makes sense, because you also seem to imply that deaths aren't more likely to occur if guns are involved. I just can't agree with you there.
Jamal, 14M, shoots his 23 year old sister, Abriele, dead. Abriele had a 6 year old son How many years will it take for the 6 year old to be old enough to kill his Uncle in cold blood on Christmas? And what age will Jamal be?
I thought you said "armed", and if only... if that kid had been packing he could have been the good guy with a gun who would have mowed down all the bad guys and saved the day.
The bullet traveled through her left arm and into her chest, popping both of her lungs. She suffered internal bleeding and was unable to breathe
That's the nice way of saying she drowned in her own blood.
"These young kids — 14, 15 years old — routinely carry firearms and this is what happens when you got young delinquents that carry guns," Gualtieri said. "They get upset, they don't know how to handle stuff, and they end up shooting each other."
Just FYI, this is not limited to children. There's plenty of adults who have zero idea on how to handle stress without flashing a piece. I've seen about six different people use that as a method of indicating I'm getting over in your lane on my way into work pre-pandemic.
I’m pretty gullible and I believe a lot of stuff. So I’m asking this sincerely.
Are you saying that in America people are tapping their widow with a Glock and giving you the stink eye to get into your lane? Like, instead of indicating and then waiting for a safe gap?
America is pretty big, and that isn't something that happens where I live (Seattle)
But there are parts of this country where a surprisingly large percentage of people are completely fucking insane and peacock with weapons in reckless ways. It also isn't unusual for children to have guns, even if it isn't legal.
There's a high school in rural Colorado that has given up on doing anything about guns in their high school because something like 30% of students are armed on any given day.
I grew up in Tennessee, and students were allowed to store guns in their cars parked in the high school parking lot.
I have met many people who open-carry and then openly emphasize it to others because they want to be intimidating. It's a part of their identity, and they will let you know in inappropriate ways.
This country is weird. I'm happy to live in a less violent part of it.
I think it is generally unlikely but am also sure that there are places where this is part of the culture.
In Florida you’re allowed to use lethal force if you justifiably believe that your safety is threatened. When lockdown first started, there was a video of a dude having a meltdown at a Costco because he had to wear a mask. The person at the door was a woman of 65-70 and the man child pumped up his chest and yelled “I feel threatened” at her, which I learned in Florida for threatening to murder someone over an inconvenience.
Go into any of the relationship subreddits today and for the next few days and you will see countless Americans melting down into various degrees of rage and bitterness over Xmas presents.
It’s like this very goddamn year.
Can anyone explain this part of the culture to me?
I’m not saying I hate all Americans or anything ridiculous like that, the cast majority of Americans I’ve met are good hearted people but when it comes to Xmas and in what I’m given understand is the modern vernacular: “y’all cray.”
Don’t any of your families still watch the Charlie Brown Christmas? Because you really should.
Go toxic places to read toxic things. I've never heard of this. But also I can't imagine going to a relationship board and expecting to come away with anything but misanthropy regardless of time of year.
Materialism is really big with a lot of people. My in-laws kids are spoiled rotten and only accept big brand name stuff because that's all their parents give them for Christmas and Birthdays. Same people who can't afford to pay their mortgage and are likely to lose the house in a few months.
I like present-less holidays. Better to focus on just being with people I find. Also helps if there's a lot of good, homemade food.
For me it’s all about consumables and experience. You like sauerkraut? I just made you a jar. You like classical music? Here are two tickets to the symphony. I just avoid stuff unless it’s like plates for someone who moved into their first apartment.
Americans live in a state of constant stress that is satiated by material possessions and trying to impress or be better than others. These kids were just trying to get their dose of imbalanced brain chemicals
There are 335 million people in the United States.
One asshat shot someone.
I'm not defending guns, shitty culture, or shitty people, but this is clearly a case where this kid has some sort of mental disorder. Literally hundreds of millions of families watched Charlie Brown and went the entire holiday without murdering each other
No it is not clearly a case where the kid has some sort of mental disorder. You know literally nothing about this person.
I would probably bet that this kid made a stupid split second choice in the heat of the moment about something that (partially likely due to raging teenage hormones) probably seemed very important at the time, and the guilt will haunt him until the end of his life (which, statistically speaking, just got much shorter on average).
This is exactly why guns are so dangerous. It gives people (in this case, a literal child without a fully developed brain) the capability to make a decision to end another life in a split second.
Entirely too many people base their self worth on what other people think of them.
So "I didn't get enough shinies" = "nobody really loves me" = "I'm a worthless human being".
Alternately "I didn't get enough shinies for my kids" = "I'm a bad parent" = "I'm a worthless human being."
Then that gets reflected outwards, poorly. :(
Breaking that cycle of seeking approval from other people is one of the hardest things you can do. At our core, we all seek validation on some level or other.
It’s mostly people running a mental ledger then comparing the value of presents to how much they do in the relationship as a journal for the shortfall in gift value.
Often siblings resenting one another for perceived (or even sometimes objectively clear) favouritism.
Strict liability for whoever was the legal owner of the gun(s), I say.
Whoever let these children get their hands on the firearm is absolutely a murderer. Even if it someone who let their gun get stolen from their car. Definitely if it was a family member or friend.
Oh, I remember that event with an actor killing a camera operator with a prop gun (jokingly pointing it at her) or something.
The person responsible for props was a complete dumb baboon and guilty of murder, yes.
However, I was shocked by the fact that so many people think that pointing a real gun, even if it's a prop, at somebody without checking that it's not loaded is normal and thus that actor was innocent. They were defending that action as if they themselves would really have taken a gun and squeezed the trigger while pointing at someone without checking.
So maybe it's about responsibility and education, not ownership of guns.
Because, say, Moldova (off the top of my mind), hardly a rich country or even with a healthy society, has gun laws more liberal than in USA, and doesn't have school shootings and such events.
Switzerland and Austria have very liberal gun laws, again possibly more so than in USA, and don't have such a problem.
Can't speak for Moldova or Austria, but I would not call Switzerland's gun laws liberal.
They are VERY strict. Gun ownership rates are high, but there are tons of restrictions and licensing requirements on ownership and sale of guns there. The country is proof that having a strong regulatory structure does not necessarily prevent gun ownership and should absolutely be considered a model for where the US regulator environment should be moving (universal registration including 2nd hand sales, full license checks for all purchases including ammo, effective bans on large categories of weapons, mandatory training, and the like).
People who love "gun rights" always cite Switzerland without even doing the most basic Wikipedia-level research on it.
Correct me if I'm wrong, but aren't those places where you're required to take some kind of classes to be able to qualify to own a gun? Isn't it also pretty easy for anyone from the police to be able to take them from you within reason if they find you to be violating some laws?
You can't put the responsibility on the actor who never chose to own a gun, so they have no reason to educate themselves about gun safety.
All responsibility lies with their employer (I guess that's the producer and/or director), who made them handle a gun as part of their job and should have given them the required training, as well as the prop guy whose job it was to check the gun.
Three years ago I had to stop my 17 year-old adopted sister from hitting our elderly mother over $30 of missing Amazon crap on Christmas day, then I called the sheriff on she and her baby daddy. Five cars came to mediate the situation.
Needless to say, I don't go to family Christmases anymore.
Sorry to hear that. That's awful. If you have your own family in the future, that's your chance to make sure nothing like that happens in it. We learn from the mistakes we experience.
I honestly feel like we get better with each generation from experiences like this.
I've read too many history books to think that things get better with our species over time, and my time is too valuable to me to waste on kids, but that's just me.
I hope the choices you've made are fulfilling for you.
It's a nice thought but I'm pretty sure my beating the shit out of a 17 year-old girl wouldn't have reflected well on me in front of five sheriff's deputies.
I mean, probably true, but misleading?
You're definitely way more likely to get shot in pretty much any major US city, almost all of which are blue.
Not making any value judgement of one vs another. Just saying that this particular issue is pretty ubiquitous. Definitely not just a "red state" thing.
It's actually both a huge and growing issue in red states specifically. Plus the guns people are using in crimes in states with more restrictive gun laws are coming from the states with less restrictive gun laws.
Basically, the more people who have guns, the more likely those people are to use those guns. Go figure.
Those figures are per capita however. So while there are more gun deaths in California, you are significantly more likely to be killed in New Mexico to gun violence.
This would never have happened if the sister had had a gun of her own : she would have been able to retaliate, and kill her brother before he could kill her, and we would have gotten a happy ending. I just don't understand, it seems so simple to me : just issue a gun to every child over the age of 5 (months)! There, done !
[The 14-year-old boy has] been charged with first-degree murder, child abuse and being a delinquent in possession of a firearm, police said.
"These young kids — 14, 15 years old — routinely carry firearms..."
This is where USA culture feels alien to me. It is well known that children at that age tend to have poor emotional regulation, and underdeveloped physical and mental skills. The adults have duty of care, and they've allowed the child to wield a gun and kill someone. I would think that surely the parents have been criminally negligent in this case. But no, in the USA it's apparently totally normal for children to carry around lethal weapons as though they were a toy. The outcome is sad, but unsurprising.
'Course, the kid being armed is illegal and shooting your sister over jealousy, last time I checked, isn't an appropriate legal use of deadly force. For a freedom celebration I'd expect less "people going to prison."
This is more "NRA freedom celebration" material, featuring Keanu Reeves no less.
Kid whips out a gun, and the "adults" did nothing about that. Just shoo him outside with his firearm after threatening to murder his brother.
Now one is dead, one is charged with murder, and one is charged with attempted murder. Fuck it. Charge everyone at that house with murder and get them all out of society. Fucking trash.