Let me see, a nine shot automatic? Usually a target pistol will hold the usual six shots. That means someone had to reload it twice. No way that was not premeditated murder in most states if he dies. But, they performed a miracle in surgery and the guy lives, so they don't do anything to the girl or her mom? First, I don't think the child would reload twice and fire into him for seventeen shots. She very calmly says, "I put a lot of bullets into him, why didn't he die?" That is not a well child, not to mention the police are involved in every shooting, so, I claim b*llsh*t on this one since no cop in their right mind would let her walk out of there without sending her for a psych eval at the local nut house. Little kids don't just pick up a gun and shoot their parents and since they live, have everyone say, "OH, OK, never mind, you are real sorry, you didn't know better." Especially when she admitted she expected him to die. That was an admission to attempted murder. I don't care how old you are, they wouldn't let her walk away from that one.

First, the ninth step is about trying to repair the physical damage from the past. There is a quote in the book that says, "We realise there is a long period of reconstruction ahead. A remorseful mumbling of "I'm sorry" won't fit the bill. The people one harms don't need to hear another "I'm sorry" from someone who has said it repeatedly, since they have probably already heard it for ages, thousands of times. One is supposed to Make Amends, which is not an apology. To make an amends, one says, " I see that I have harmed you, I did (state what the harm done was) and I was wrong." Then to make it up, "What can I do to make this up to you?" Then you are supposed to shut up and wait for them to tell you what you can do to make it up. You are supposed to wish to be forgiven, just to repair the damage with whatever you can do. Some harms can never be measured in dollars and cents or have a way to make it up. Sometimes the person will tell the alcoholic to stay out of their life, and that is what they are expected to do, if that is what they person wants you to make it up. For a person in the twelve step program to ask you to allow someone else to work the ninth step as the chief stated, "For me, do this for me." That was unrealistic. That is not allowing the alcoholic to be responsible for his own actions and no sponsor would approve of that.