In Port Orchard, Washington, a mother of a 9 year old boy was sentenced to prison for 14 months 2 years after the incident.
On Friday Jamie Lee Chaffin was prosecuted for unlawful possession of a firearm, this was not her first run in with the law. In 2007 she was convicted of forgery and was prohibited from owning or accessing any kind of weapon.
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| Chaffin in court back in 2012 |
The young boy stated that he took the gun off the dresser, because he was afraid of the other kids in school. At the time he was living with Chaffin's boyfriend, Douglas Bauer, Chaffin also did not have custody of her son. Chaffin's children went on to state that Bauer had other firearms in the house, and none of them were locked away.
In 2012 Chaffin testified against Bauer, and plead guilty to unlawful possession of a gun. Her sentence was postponed, due to Bauer's case. His case went all the way to the state Supreme Court, only to be ruled out.
Now in 2014 her sentence was set to 14 months stating that she was unable to support herself and needed Bauer, even though she knew there were guns in the house.
The Judge for her case, Leila Mills, thought differently she thought there was no justification to her actions what so ever.
Two years after the incident, there are now results. Bauer's insurance company payed $300,000 in a legal settlement, and the School District payed $900,000 to the family Amira Kocer Bowman. As well as Chaffin taking responsibility and serving her 14 months in prison.
When I first read this article my mind immediately focused in on the topic of gun laws. It is ridiculous that in our world today people who would leave guns out in a house filled with kids are allowed to own guns. In the Bill of Rights, the Second Amendment grants the citizens the right to keep and bear arms, but is it really worth it? So many lives are unnecessarily taken due to accidents caused by guns.This is a prime example of why there should be stricter gun laws. Chaffin had already had issues with guns in her past, yet it was very easy for her to access them again. Her children were also exposed to them, but not to the seriousness of the weapon. The little boy thought the gun was ok to take with him, and that it would protect him. He didn't think about hurting others. If he had this thought, then so could have other young children. So many citizens owning guns, creates a environment where guns are not taken seriously. People forget what they are capable of doing.
This is the issue with gun laws, if everyone is allowed to own one, how can you stop people from using them on others? If everyone wasn't allowed to own a gun would this event have even occurred? It is my belief that guns cause more problems, than they solve.
This article is by Associated Press for MSN news.
Click the link below to read the full article:
http://news.msn.com/crime-justice/mother-of-boy-who-brought-gun-to-school-sentenced
I think it is ridiculous to be charged with unlawful possession of a gun; we inherently have the right to possess guns according to the bill of rights and gun control laws are all violations of that right.
ReplyDeleteWow, there were many consequences as a result of the poor judgment of the child. I also agree that this is a prime example of the dangers of current gun laws.
ReplyDeleteIt's so hard to really Uncomplicate these situation just because connecting children to their parents isn't a solid proof for imprisonment. No one in the article is guilt free but it's also hard to find one person completely guilty.
ReplyDeleteKids get pretty out of control these days! Though a mother should watch over her children, she is not the one at fault in this case. Then again, shouldn't she of been more careful and had the gun somewhere where the child couldn't get to it?
ReplyDelete-Glenna Loughlin 5th