It’s Tuesday, in the country, in a trailer park. I could end right there, those that have lived in, or near, a park, would just use their imagination and be entertained the rest of the day. However, for those that like to follow my posts of the Trailer Kingdom, I have a couple of things for this morning at least.
While pouring myself a cup of coffee, I looked out the window, and noticed someone at the 
mailboxes. He was going box to box, removing mail. There was a car parked there I didn’t recognize, not that I recognize half of them, since various parts fall off from day to day, causing them to change their appearance like a Chameleon. Then I realize it is our “official” USPS carrier, or one of them. He is barely as tall as his vehicle roof, regular clothes naturally, and has a 1-foot square Tupperware box, the type you buy from a Dollar General Store. As I watch, he is putting mail in the boxes from the box, and taking mail from some boxes, for his Tupperware organizer, yes, let’s call it that. Mystery solved, no mail theft. Darn! That means no excitement either. Sorry for the picture, I was in a hurry, the phone camera was set to low resolution, and I had to enlarge it. There, that should be enough excuses for a crappy picture.
Learning to drive?
For those of you that follow the tales of YouTube Boy, I have an update. I just heard a call go out for the county, about a white van driving recklessly on a county road near YouTube Boy’s location. You guessed it, a few moments later his name came across the radio. Reports were he had nearly hit a gas tank (propane), driving and acting crazy. My first thought, his family doesn’t own a white van. Second thought, maybe we are finding out where that bug in his ear disappeared to. Soon, a call for medics to YouTube Boy’s house, 83 year old man shaking, high blood pressure. That will be the grandfather. It’s getting so predictable, The county comes out, then reports that he is just learning to drive, and a little upset. I can almost call the action around here before it happens. He and grandfather (who is really his adoptive father) just had a dust-up last night, where he spit on the grandfather. The neighbor called the county Sheriffs. They came out, calmed him down, promised him the moon and left. As simple as it sounds, the spitting on the grandfather should have been classified as domestic violence, and would have given them power to get him some help.
Of course the county handles it the same way, every time. They come out, talk to him, calm him 
down, then report back that everything is okay, he was just upset. I went over there one night while he was having a melt down. On that night, the father would not let him go to visit a friend, so he had kicked the front door open, knocked holes in the wall with his fists, turned some items over in the living room. The county was called, they calmed him down, promised to talk to him more, gave him a card with their number, in case he got upset again.
Do these county law-enforcement persons not watch TV? The story of this boy reads just like the narrative of the guy that killed all the students recently. Only two differences, the Florida boy was obsessed with firearms, where YouTube Boy is obsessed with vehicles and driving fast, mildly interested in firearms. He only has a driver’s learner permit. The only other difference is YouTube Boy is 16, the Florida guy is 19.
But wait, the county has been called at least 2 times that we are aware of, over YouTube Boy stealing his father’s gun, and taking it around his park, to show his friends. The county caught him, talked to him, promised to help him get on the volunteer fire department, blah blah, returned him home. According to him, they offered to take him target practicing later. I guess they haven’t seen “American Sniper” either.
Nobody hears the ticking of this thing?
No charges for minor in possession of a firearm, or that the gun had the serial number filed off. On a side note, that gun has come up missing I hear. That scares me. I think the wheels are really loose on his wagon, and one may come off at any time. He’s on about 6 medications a day for mental/emotional problems. May still have the bug in his ear, Mom is scared of him, reluctant to have him picked up.
This kid has been placed in Detention for weeks at the time, as many as three times in the last 2.5 years. Nobody hears the ticking of this thing?
Comments always welcome
Ron, you seem to have got to the heart of one side of the malaise sweeping America. Unheeded warnings, no action taken, and offering to take a boy with a gun to a target range. In the UK, a boy wandering around with a pistol would likely have been shot dead by armed police, as we have a real fear of guns over here.
Perhaps a similar fear of guns is just what is missing from the American psyche?
Your article should be read by all world leaders and police departments, especially those in the US.
It is from such acorns that mass shootings become the oaks.
Best wishes, Pete.
Yes, and the offer came from a deputy of all people, knowing the boy had just broken the law by stealing his family member’s firearm. Thanks for the comment Pete.
After an incident everyone will speculate on whose fault it was. It was everyone’s fault for being so complacent!
I wish there was something that “I” could do. Trying to work with these county people, is an exercise is futility. Why would a deputy, constantly respond to a house with a troubled teen, and never take care of the problem, but constantly coddle him.
That kid. Uh-oh. Definitely ticking. I sure hope he won’t be (in)famous one day. Help needed? Help available?
Speaking of help: ever watch the show, 9-1-1? I just discovered it (better late than never!) and I love it! It shows the first responders as real people with real lives of their own; the acting is so natural. If you’ve seen it, what do you think of it? It has a large ensemble cast, some are police, some firefighters, a 911 phone operator, some EMTs…
Coming back to the first item again, have you seen this? It’s shocking that this 13-year-old (!) could get a gun so darn easily!! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fB7MwvqCtlk
Help needed?
There is not much help in our State, and the entire US has been following that pattern for years. They have closed most of our mental facilities, opting for the community support, which has no real monitoring, so the people get off their meds and become violent.
I just heard that the mother is headed down there to see if she can get juvenile court to order him to a detention facility. I hope she can get something done.
13 year old buys gun.
Yes, it proves many points about problems with guns. On the one hand, gun shows should have to follow the same rules as pawn shops, and run background checks. It isn’t a loop-hole, as the sensational media labels it. You need a law to have a loophole (technicality to be exploited) There has been no law passed covering “gun-shows” or “personal sales”.
The sale to that boy should not have happened, the man should be fined, jailed, or both. He should also be prohibited from gun shows for a long time.
The main thing, that media doesn’t want everyone to realize is, no matter how many laws we pass to control firearms, register them, or prohibit certain ages from having them, only the law-abiding will follow those laws. A criminal, or a kid, won’t go where they know they will get caught trying to buy one, because if your a criminal with a record, you’re prohibited from possessing one already. It is against the law for an underage person to even attempt to buy one, or rather, the moment he took possession of it, he was breaking the law.
This was a good kid just used for some media drama/experiment. If your bent on doing evil, no amount of laws, regulations, or age will prevent you.
9-1-1
I had heard that it was real good, I have never watched it. Years ago, the most realistic one on TV was the series, Hill Street Blues. It was so factual, that cops wouldn’t miss watching it. We called it, “Time to watch our favorite training program”.
Thanks for such an engaging comment, Ellie.
The thing is, Ron, statistics about gun homicides comparing the US, per capita, with countries having much stricter laws, eg Canada, Australia, Japan, the UK, etc – the numbers don’t lie. The US numbers are way, way out of whack. You say “If your bent on doing evil, no amount of laws, regulations, or age will prevent you.” Therefore, I ask – is the US so disproportionately full of “evil” people? Can’t be, can it??
I wish I knew, Ellie. Take Chicago, 6 killed, 22 wounded this past weekend. I don’t know if people are evil, mean, crazy, or a mixture of them all, plus they just don’t care. But to answer your question, it would seem that far more people are killed with illegal guns, by what I would term, evil people, than by lawfully owned ones. I fear there is no solution, the genie is out of the bottle.
But my understanding is that almost all school shootings have been done with guns legally obtained. The Las Vegas massacre too. There simply must be more controls, I feel.
I agree, there should be more enforcement of the laws we have too. If there were, people like the man that sold the rifle to the kid, would be in jail, no questions asked. There are some controls that need to be added, like the gun shows. Also in my opinion, anything that modifies the rate of normal fire (bump stocks) should be outlawed. Extreme modifications should be outlawed, ie 40 round magazines, those stupid silencers. It’s like people have become kids, and want to outfit their GI Joe Doll.
Sadly your right. The weapons were legally obtained, which brings us to the mental health issue. We need better response to red flags. Also, stop advertising that an area is gun-free, that draws every nut-case to it. Isreal had the same problem from terrorists shooting up their schools. After they armed and trained a few faculty, and never divulged who was armed, the attacks stopped. Sad, but true. I wish I could turn back the world to around the 1950s when things were more innocent, and people cared about life more.
Well I wish more people in your country thought like you, Ron. ??
Oops those question marks were actually sad emoji!
One of these days, WordPress will stop fiddling with things. I need to check into that, and see if I can correct it.
Strange because on other WP blogs they *don’t* turn into question marks. Go figure!
🙂 😀
Heeey! Fixed?? Lemme try: ???
Tsk. YOU can do the emoji ok, but seems that I can’t. Strange!
Your homework for tomorrow! Lol.
Sure, use a colon and right parentheses for a smilie, and colon and capital D for big grin.
Ohhhh surrre! I was trying to use the lil emoji on my phone!! Lol!!
Thanks Ellie. I can only shake my head, when money from lobbyists, manages to get laws passed, so that grown people can attach a silencer on a weapon, under the guise of “hearing protection”. There are times I think society has just run off the rails.
Me too!
Oh, meant to ask, the mother is “headed down” where, exactly? I sure hope he’s restrained / constrained in some way; he sure sounds unstable and dangerous!!
Ron, what do you think of this guy’s idea?
https://youtu.be/iNGz-kO4VYE
I feel for him, he is truly hurting due to the recent tragedy. You could see it in his face. His actions make him feel a little better, and that is good. However, if someone were to invade his home, or his neighbors home, and he could have done something to save them, using that weapon. Is he still going to feel like he improved the world? The world is a scary place now. We have those that own firearms and consider them toys. They add stupid extended magazines to them, or add a bump stock, or laser sights. A firearm is a tool, It is to defend you, if you so choose to have one. It is not a toy, anyone that treats it like that should not own one, there is something wrong with them. I never believed that regular citizens should be allowed to own a rifle like the military.
Around 1990, I was a member of the NRA, and a cop. I had an NRA ring, nice one. When they came out and declared that anyone, should be allowed to purchase armor piercing ammo (cop killer rounds they were called), I took that ring that night while on duty, and threw it into the Alabama River. I never rejoined.
Okay. Good. Watch these comedy recordings now. About 7 min. each. Funny – but very serious underneath.
1) https://youtu.be/0rR9IaXH1M0
2) https://youtu.be/a9UFyNy-rw4
Thanks, I needed the laugh. He has some good points. I want to watch his skits on religion also. I bet they are good.
They’re hilarious!!!
She went to the county downtown, juvenile division, who basically told her there is nothing they can do, unless he commits a violent crime that he can be charged and held for.
Saddest part? The boy actually wants to go and be placed in a facility for a while, he wants his medication adjusted. That was as of this afternoon at least.
Shaking my head in sadness… it’s a Lose-lose situation!
Yes, it saddens me so much.
This is beyond sad. Clearly the young man is mentally ill. His mother is clearly neglectful. Your county is hopelessly inadequate to the task. I wish there was something I can offer to you, but I can only send my sympathy.
Thanks Elizabeth, it’s a bad situation all around, and not much anyone can do, or get someone to do. Thanks for the comment.
Wow! A ticking time bomb for sure! Telling the kid you will take them to a shooting range??? I again cannot figure people out!! Especially with what just happened recently in Florida. These Law Enforcement officers have watched the news, right??
At the risk of sounding mean, I’m not sure what these guys watch. I have never been a fan of the county enforcement here. I have seen them stand and talk to people that they know have warrants on them, and do nothing. Thank you for the nice comment.
Sad! Sometimes all you can do is shake your head!