When a six-year old shot a teacher

You must have raised your eye brows and gnashed your teeth, grimly thinking “here we go again!” I did stop chewing my food for seconds.

America, America, America. A six year old shot a teacher. A six year old shot a teacher....that was the social media repetitive mantra early this week.

The internet makes things airy fairy.

However.

One London newspaper reported it, much clearly, on Tuesday morning.

“A teacher shot by a six year old had been trying to take the weapon off him, a parent claimed yesterday.

Abby Zwerner, 25, suffered life -threatening injuries when the pupil blasted her at close range in the chest at a school in Virginia.”

The parent was speaking to the Washington Post and she is quoted to have verified that Ms Zwerner was going to confiscate the weapon when the little boy fired. Notice the emphasis on “LITTLE” boy. Six is not ten. Or nine. Six is, below comprehension.

And it is always boys.

Boys and guns.

But six years?

Further down the page the bulletin explained although the child was arrested, he can “never be prosecuted. “Six years. One two three four five six. Born around 2017. This is like yesterday. A few hours ago.

The United States sells guns like we buy knives to chop onions.

“Federal law sets a dangerously low minimum age for buying firearms. While the law requires a person to be 21 to purchase a handgun from a license dealer, it only requires a person to be 18 to buy a long gun, including an assault weapon, from a dealer.”

REPEAT.

From a dealer.

It doesn’t matter what the law says, or is. There is a culture here of SELLING assault weapons. Just like you and me can buy alcohol, or cigarettes as long as we are over 18. Right?

Culture.

That word.

America and guns.

But how would a six year old acquire an assault weapon? It is like asking how a six year old would acquire a knife in the UK, where blades are the common assault weapons, especially, among young people. Did the child nick it from parents? Was the weapon hanging somewhere in the bedroom, kitchen, store room. And. And. And. How did the child learn to use it?

How did the child learn to squeeze the trigger? Six year olds usually, play with toy guns.  That is probably normal, universally. Toy guns. Toys.

Obviously at the time this chat was being written, more details of the episode had not unfolded. By today, Friday, there is more information. So this chat cannot speculate too much.

We shall for the time being stick to the word, culture. The day to day, habit and behaviour of citizens. With whatever they are used to.

When I was living in Brazil there used to be genuine fear of street children. The first half of my life in that country was in Rio De Janeiro. It was normal to be wary of street children as they had weapons. They were either used by gangsters (and drug dealers) to assault anyone, for money and possessions.

There was a story we heard and like most things in Brazil, a mixture of funny, bizarre and scary.

The tourists had just arrived in Rio and were walking along one of the sunny, beautiful beaches. Two children, seven year approx, approached them.

“Please. (note that Please comes, first), can we have a chewing gum?”

Which translated as sweets.

The gringos (tourists) said they did not have chewing gum.

“Then give us money to buy bullets?”

Strange, eerie, freaky to gringos, but a reality.

 Street children would shoot you if you did not give money. And there were tales of seven to eight year olds handling and selling guns.

Back then thirty years ago, I would be offered small firearms (e.g. .22 or even, police special .38), for just ten dollars. It was that cheap. And commonly acceptable. If you heard someone had been shot by a child, it was not something to keep your mouth open for seconds in awe. It was THE USUAL.

To prove this point, in 2004 a film about a young man who hijacked a bus with its passengers hit the headlines. You can still watch, Bus 174, online.  Sando Do Nascimento, who grew up in the streets of Rio, captured headlines in a live recorded TV documentary by Jose Padilha, the respected Brazilian film maker. Padilha is known for City of God (2002), a masterpiece set in the same city. Both releases were based on true incidents. Life. Sandro Do Nascimento, witnessed his mother’s death then fled from home.  On the streets saw the killing of youngsters by armed police.

Violence, assault weapons, all these things mushroom from a culture of a place and country.

They do not grow out of nowhere.

We should learn from that.