I don't want to be an alarmist, but I wonder what a youth would need an unlicensed handgun for. There's been so much tragedy in the news lately, ie: Canandaigua Academy, and any number of incidents that don't involve guns all over the country (Florida, California), am I the only one who thinks this is kind of scary? Let's all hug our kids a little tighter tonight and make sure they are alright.

It is scary , but yet the problem keeps getting worse and more frequent along with being close to home .
Along with hugging your kids , lets continue to teach our children to not bully and to not to alienate others .
I know this won't solve the problem , but it can't hurt .

I'm thankful that someone reported it & he was caught. Imagine the outcome if he'd actually purchased one. Who knows what his intent was? Scary indeed.

Very well said both of you. Great idea, Thomas. I know the school district has been working on putting an anti-bully policy/education...into place, but it's been a long process. Talking to our kids about it absolutely can't hurt and can only help b/c so many times bullying ends in a very violent act that no one really wants to happen, even the bullies.

Perhaps this individual was just being a "kid" .. Maybe he was going to plink at cans, some targets, etc. I am not saying trying to buy a gun was this "kids" best idea. Lets be realistic, just because this kid was trying to buy a gun. Does not mean his intensions where going to be satanic. So everyone who ever stole there parents car, must have drove straight to the liquor store. and everyone who ever dropped out of school, must have turned out to be a poor loser.... I can do this all day.. Give the "kid" a break.

I love how every time the possibility/result of a school shooting is brought up in conversation, bullying becomes the next topic. To be honest, that's like blaming the drug dealer when the dope fiend robs the bank.


.......not that I'm condoning bullying or narcotic sales......

Not to minimize the situation, but bullying happens at all stages of life. Dealing with it at school and learning to cope cane become an important mechanism as the person grows older. Teaching the tools and skills to deal with stressful situations as well as negative situations and relationships is more important than saying "bullies are bad".

This young person may have wanted it to go hunting or to just OWN a gun. I don't buy alcohol just to get drunk out of my mind. You don't drive your car just to smash it into someone else. There are reasons for many actions, and to question this one person's simply because of other people's past actions frightens me. What he did was illegal, what he was going to do with his illegal gun no longer matters.

You're absolutely right, Ken and Chelsea, it could have been something "innocent", but it seems to me that if the gun were being purchased for plinking at cans or targets or just to own one, then the parents would have purchased it. I am not in anyway vilifying the person who tried to buy it, what I am saying is that there could have been any number of reasons that are not so innocent as to why it was being purchased and that we should be concerned. Being concerned is healthy; asking questions is healthy. There are examples daily of youth being violent towards themselves and/or others, so there is nothing wrong with being cautious or concerned. I'm sure it's the social worker in me that raises such concerns and it really is out of concern for others, the "purchaser" included, that I raise them.

Yes, people do need to learn to deal with adversity as life is not a bowl of cherries; however, if we minimize the negative effect that the kind of bullying that drives people to violence towards themselves or others then we are not being realistic and honest. Also, there really isn't anything wrong with just being nice and tolerant of each other, including people who make bad choices; at least in my opinion.

Members of the Local Law Enforcement Drug Task Force were called into the investigation to help with the arrest...What did buying a gun have to do with drugs...

Posted by Chelsea Dobson on November 5, 2009 - 9:02pm
Not to minimize the situation, but bullying happens at all stages of life. Dealing with it at school and learning to cope cane become an important mechanism as the person grows older. Teaching the tools and skills to deal with stressful situations as well as negative situations and relationships is more important than saying "bullies are bad".


Well said. There are adult bullies who, apparently, never received the training or skills to learn to cope with situtions that trigger that behavior.
Yes, it would be nice to always turn the other cheek and allow that behavior to continue because one shouldn't say, "bullies are bad" but turning the other cheek only encourages the bully to continue the behavior with no willingness to correct it.
Teaching our children how to cope with peers who display this behavior is difficult enough. Teaching ourselves how to have compassion for adults, who walk through life as a bully, is even more difficult.

Mark, two words: undercover agent.

I would imagine the task force has more experience with undercover work.

Good point, Bea.

I e-mailed Chief Brewster and asked if he could say what the motivation was for getting the gun and he said the case is still under investigation.

Thanks, Howard. That's a great idea. I'm really looking forward to learning more as we are able to.

Thanks Howard. As always, great reporting.