Nicole Johnson is horrified by the shooting of an 8 year-old child by her classmate and has some important questions for our readers.

Currently, ABC News.com is leading with this headline: Seattle Boy Who Accidentally Shot Third-Grade Classmate Charged, Judge to Decide Whether Case Proceeds about the third-grade boy who brought a gun to school and shot his classmate, Amina Bowman, 8, by accident. Bowman is in critical condition, but expected to recover.

I firmly believe our community has the ability to cause a shift in individual consciousness, as well as the capability to heighten social awareness around pressing issues within our culture. I want to open this discussion up to our esteemed writers and commenters at The Good Men Project.

Here are my questions for you pertaining to this case:

Why was this 9-year-old boy able to locate a gun in his mother’s home?

If the .45-caliber handgun was locked, why does this 9-year-old boy know how to unlock a gun?

If the gun was not locked or properly stored, what criminal penalties should his mother face? (Keep in mind, the state of Washington does not have a firearm child access prevention law.)

27 states have passed firearm child access prevention laws, which hold the gun owner responsible if a child gains access to a gun that is not securely stored. Should the penalties for this law be more stringent?

The charging documents state the boy had told a classmate that he was going to bring his “dad’s gun” to school and run away. Why didn’t his classmate warn his teacher or school administrators?

Does this 9-year-old boy know what he did was horribly wrong?

Should this 9-year-old boy serve time in juvenile detention?

What is the best way to prevent cases like this in the future?