The Lincoln Log

It was just wonderful being fifteen. Our parents gave us the freedom to hang out on the weekends, go to the movies, hang out late at night, and party it up on Friday nights with our friends. As teenagers, almost all of us have the urge to grow up. We want to drive cars, drink alcohol, graduate high school, and have jobs. Even if we want to act grown up, does this make us so? We lack several factors that adults have including the decision of acting between what is right and wrong. Are we considered old enough to make the right decisions, let alone know the consequences?

A teenager from Richmond, Calif. was murdered from three triggers of a gunshot by a 15-year-old that had mistaken an identity. The teen that shot the rifle was sentenced for at least 50 years in prison.

The ramifications for this teen murderer vary – some believe that he does not deserve to be placed in prison for so long, after all, he is only a minor. But what makes me hesitate is that the 15-year-old didn’t shoot a single bullet; he shot three times in the head. As teenagers, are we aware of what we are doing? Obviously we don’t think twice about our actions.

We are molding to become the adults of our generation. It is important that we take the consequences and learn from the mistakes we make, otherwise our society would not improve. At the very least, 50 years in prison is the correct punishment for the murderer’s action. He took the life of a young adult, all because of a mistaken identity. The teen that was killed had a full life ahead of him including a football scholarship at the University of Oregon. It’s not fair that he was killed by accident, when he was just as innocent as the next guy driving down the street.

It is important that we recognize our errors and reflect on how to improve our society, to create the “more perfect union” our forefathers agreed on when establishing this country. Everyone makes mistakes, but as aspiring adults we should learn the ways of our society. At 15, we are only three years younger from becoming a legal adult, and we are responsible for coming to class everyday to receive a good education, so that we can choose the correct decisions of our everyday lives. A 15-year-old boy has enough sense and maturity to know when to stop triggering the gun, or not carry one in the first place. Our parents trust us at our teen years, and we should live up to our responsibility as young adults to do the right thing.

The result of this tragedy is upsetting to those who think 50 years penalty is unfair for a minor. However, it is not fair to the family that their son’s potential won’t be fulfilled because of an unfortunate blunder. The sentence is not close enough to the equivalence of losing a life. It’s also an adult ruling, and if the minor who made the mistake who chose to make an adult decision must take the adult consequences of prison. The teenager who triggered the gun now has a 50-year opportunity to think about the mistake he made.