http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/01/24/AR2006012400422.html

Seven-Year-Old Shot in Germantown Care Center

By William Branigin and Ernesto Londo�o
Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, January 24, 2006; 4:51 PM

Police in Maryland today arrested the father of an 8-year-old boy who took a handgun to his day-care center in a backpack and accidentally wounded a 7-year-old girl.

John Lynwood Hall, 56, of Germantown, was charged with "leaving a firearm in a location accessible by an unsupervised minor, contributing to the delinquency of a minor and possession of a firearm by a prohibited person (felon)," said a statement issued by the Montgomery County Police Department.

Police said the boy took the .38-caliber Taurus revolver and bullets from "an unsecured container in a closet containing the father's possessions" and carried the gun to the day-care center in his backpack.

"The boy was handling the gun inside his backpack and had the gun pointed in the direction of the little girl when the gun discharged, striking the girl in the arm," the police statement said.

The girl, who is a student at Christa McAuliffe Elementary School, was taken to Children's Hospital for treatment. According to the statement she was in "stable condition."

The incident occurred shortly before 7 a.m. at the For Kids We Care, Inc. day-care facility in the 12600 block of Grey Eagle Court in Germantown, the statement said.

The gun had been in Hall's possession for a number of years, it said.

Police took custody of the 8-year-old boy, who will undergo an evaluation before the county Department of Juvenile Services determines what to do with him, police said. His name was not released because he is a minor.

Montgomery County police spokesman Derek Baliles said six other children were at the day-care center at the time of the incident. The boy "began to play with the handgun while it was still in the backpack," he said. "It was out of sight."

Um, would these folks (the Dad) be the kind of felons the Democrats want to restore voting rights to?

Just askin'...

later news stories indicate this was on purpose.