What a bunch of Tenderfeet

Four people, including one minor, were shot in Omaha this weekend. While it doesn’t look like anyone was killed from their injuries, it emphasized the fact that it’s getting pretty scary out there.

One incident involved a group of juveniles near Florence Blvd. and Pinkney. According to Omaha police, the kids were shooting guns in an alleyway, and a 17-year-old was shot.

Witnesses told officers that a group of juveniles were in the alley behind the
address, shooting a firearm. While one of the juveniles was handling the
firearm, it discharged, striking the victim. All of the juveniles, except the
victim, fled from the scene prior to officers arriving. The victim was
uncooperative with officers. The victim's injuries do not appear to be
life-threatening at this time.

Teenagers shooting guns in back-alleys isn't a great idea.

I understand teen-age interest in firearms. I used to fire shotguns when I was a Boy Scout in Birmingham, Ala. At summer camp I would shoot skeet and watch the disk dissolve into a cloud

Nowadays “skeet” has a very different meaning—but that’s for another blog post.

I’m not saying all today’s teens should up and join the Boy Scouts, but I am suggesting that the city and state do something more to either keep guns out of juvenile hands or start a program where these kids could get training on handling a firearm.

But with the city’s $12 million 2009 budget shortfall, the estimated $11 million 2010 shortfall, city pools closing early and libraries having their hours cut—we'll be seeing red for awhile.