The next time that you hear a hoplophobe say that it’s too dangerous to have guns in the hands of civilians, remember that having a badge doesn’t make a person any better:

NOBLE, Okla. — A stray bullet fired by a police officer trying to shoot a snake hit and killed a 5-year-old boy fishing at a nearby pond, officials said.

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A Noble police officer who had responded to a report of a snake in a tree apparently fired the deadly shot while trying to kill the snake, according to City Manager Bob Wade.