Outrage as father lets 8-year-old daughter fire machine gun

RIYADH. KAZINFORM - Citizens on social media have been outraged at a video clip circulating on social media purportedly showing a Saudi man allowing his eight-year-old daughter to hold and fire a machine gun, because he wanted to show his support for Operation Decisive Storm.

Maha Al-Munif, director of the Iman National Family Program, said parents encouraging their children to hold and fire guns are breaking the law and could be punished, according to a report in a local publication recently. She said the father could face a prison sentence of up to a year and a fine of between SR5,000 and SR50,000. Local laws and international conventions signed by Saudi Arabia prohibit children under 18 from taking part in wars and carrying weapons, she said. She said this father's behavior does not assist in building patriotism. Children should be socialized using other methods, not guns, she said. The child protection law passed by the Saudi Cabinet states that children are abused if they are exposed to or allowed to carry weapons, forced to join armed groups, or involved in publishing violent acts in the media. She said the National Guard Hospital in Riyadh has treated many children injured by weapons that negligent parents had not stored securely, according to Arab News.