0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.
Bubba Ludwig may only be 10 months old, but he has already successfully obtained a gun licence in the US state of Illinois. Bubba's father, Howard Ludwig, applied on his behalf after his grandfather gave him a shotgun as an heirloom. Mr Ludwig said he had not expected to succeed, but he filled in the online form, paid $5 and the licence was his. US gun laws are regularly the subject of fierce debate, renewed recently after April's Virginia Tech killings. Gunman Cho Seung-hui was able to exploit a loophole in Virginia state law and obtain weapons despite having a history of mental illness. The loophole was later closed. Technical problems The licence includes a picture of a toothless Bubba and a squiggle that represents his best attempt at a signature. In an article in the Chicago Sun-Times, Mr Ludwig, 30, said that he expected the application to be turned down. Two rejections did in fact come, he said, but both related to technical problems - on one application he forgot to tick a box stating his son was a US citizen - rather than Bubba's youth. His third attempt was rewarded with a state firearm owner's identification card (FOID), complete with details of Bubba's height, weight and date of birth. 'No age restrictions' Illinois gun laws are said to be among the strictest in the US. But Illinois State Police, who oversee the application process, said that they had followed the law in this case. "Does a 10-month-old need a FOID card? No, but there are no restrictions under the act regarding age of applicants," the Associated Press news agency quoted Lt Scott Compton as saying. Mr Ludwig said Bubba's gun would likely remain at his grandfather's house until he was 14. "I'm not about to approve any unsupervised hunting or trap shooting for Bubba," he wrote in the Chicago daily. "Still, I'm glad he was able to get his FOID card. It makes an adorable addition to his baby book."
I dont know what is scarier, the fact that a 10 month old can get a gun licence in Illinois or the fact that his grandfather feels the need to give him this 'hierloom' at such a young age.QuoteBubba Ludwig may only be 10 months old, but he has already successfully obtained a gun licence in the US state of Illinois. Bubba's father, Howard Ludwig, applied on his behalf after his grandfather gave him a shotgun as an heirloom. Mr Ludwig said he had not expected to succeed, but he filled in the online form, paid $5 and the licence was his. US gun laws are regularly the subject of fierce debate, renewed recently after April's Virginia Tech killings. Gunman Cho Seung-hui was able to exploit a loophole in Virginia state law and obtain weapons despite having a history of mental illness. The loophole was later closed. Technical problems The licence includes a picture of a toothless Bubba and a squiggle that represents his best attempt at a signature. In an article in the Chicago Sun-Times, Mr Ludwig, 30, said that he expected the application to be turned down. Two rejections did in fact come, he said, but both related to technical problems - on one application he forgot to tick a box stating his son was a US citizen - rather than Bubba's youth. His third attempt was rewarded with a state firearm owner's identification card (FOID), complete with details of Bubba's height, weight and date of birth. 'No age restrictions' Illinois gun laws are said to be among the strictest in the US. But Illinois State Police, who oversee the application process, said that they had followed the law in this case. "Does a 10-month-old need a FOID card? No, but there are no restrictions under the act regarding age of applicants," the Associated Press news agency quoted Lt Scott Compton as saying. Mr Ludwig said Bubba's gun would likely remain at his grandfather's house until he was 14. "I'm not about to approve any unsupervised hunting or trap shooting for Bubba," he wrote in the Chicago daily. "Still, I'm glad he was able to get his FOID card. It makes an adorable addition to his baby book."
Bubba is a relationship nickname formed from brother, given to boys to indicate their role in the family, especially the oldest male sibling. For some boys and men, bubba is used so pervasively it replaces the given name. The nickname may also be used outside the family by friends as a term of affection.Because of its association with the southern part of the United States, bubba is often used outside the South as a pejorative meaning low economic status and limited education. The term "bubba" may also be taken to mean one who is a good-ol-boy who has difficult business and social relationships due to his self-absorbed outlook on life.The name is also the source of many a prison sex joke, where Bubba is a stereotyped homosexual who rapes his fellow inmates, usually when they "drop the soap".[
