“Shoot Any Bad Guys”: Arizona Grandfather Arrested After Leaving 5-Year-Old Girl In Desert With Loaded Handgun While He Went Out For a Cheeseburger

Paul Armand Rater, 53, is facing two counts of felony child abuse and one count of felony child endangerment after he gave a loaded and cocked .45-calibre handgun to his 5-year-old granddaughter and left her in the desert. I told her to “shoot any bad guys.”

The incident happened near their home in Buckeye (about 30 miles west of Phoenix). The little girl was later found by her mother and a volunteer firefighter wandering for hours in the desert with the still cocked and loaded .45 handgun.

As for Rater, he was located in a store and said that his vehicle broke down. He said that he left the girl under a tree in the desert because she was complaining she could not walk any more. He admitted leaving her with the gun “while he went for a few drinks and a cheeseburger.”

That should do it for a sentence and jail time.

Fortunately a felony conviction will likely bar Rater for owning weapons in the future.

What do you think the appropriate sentence should be?