Manama: A child in Saudi Arabia shot and killed his mother in a freak accident that triggered a new debate online about the possession of private weapons.
According to initial reports, a family comprising the father, mother and children were returning home after a trip to a duck farm.
As the father got off the car to perform Maghreb (sunset) prayers in Baqa in the northern part of the kingdom, leaving his family in the car, one of the children spotted the gun and started playing with it.
The child accidentally shot his mother and killed her on the spot, Saudi news site Sabq reported.
Online users shared prayers for the mother, but mostly condemned the father for failing to ensure the security of his family.
Several users said that he should be held responsible for the death of the mother and should face justice for his deadly negligence.
"May God grant fortitude to the family to bear the terrible tragedy," Abu Khalid posted. "The folly of the father has caused a stigma for the child who will always be reminded in many ways that he had killed his own mother. It is not a trivial matter and the father should be held responsible. All gun owners should put an end to their follies and get rid of their weapons," he said.
Praying, another user, lashed out at the father.
"How can a father who has children be so negligent as not to secure the gun he has? It is terrible," he said. "Unfortunately, the use of guns is becoming more intense and people fire them on all occasions, whether they are trivial or important. The laws banning the use of guns should be strictly enforced. We often hear about tragedies caused by stray bullets. People should reconsider their attitudes and be much more careful with the use of guns," he said.
On the other side of the spectrum, Ahmad said that social media users should not be so harsh, arguing that the father was punished since he lost his wife and mother of his children because of his negligence.
Others said that the incident should be taken from the perspective of fate and destiny, and that what was willed to happen has happened.
