The AP reports (via cbs13.com) that an…”8-year-old girl allegedly shot by a neighbor angered by children mischievously knocking at his door underwent successful surgery to have a pellet removed from her spine, authorities said Saturday.”

Ugh. I’m getting to the point, however, that I don’t know what irritates me more, the craziness of these stories or the manner in which they are reported. For example:

The girl was struck in the back, screamed and fell, authorities said.

Is this little tidbit of information really necessary? An 8-year-old girl just got plucked with a .22-caliber pellet rifle what do you think she is going to do? And since when did pellet rifles come in calibers? I’m no firearm enthusiast but the last time I heard of a .22 caliber anything it was called a gun which used bullets which can kill things.