In this case, the parameters are
"13", "Boy", "", "6", "Sister"I swear, this is going to happen repeatedly until our gun-obsessed culture undergoes a substantial change, whether or not that change is driven by legislation.
This has nothing to do with any liberal/conservative dichotomy, gun‑wielding or gun‑hating, 2nd‑Amendment‑worshipping or not, etc., etc. It has to do with one thing: a societal casualness about guns that causes some stupid adults to let their young kids play with loaded firearms.
C'mon, folks... stop being such asswipes... keep your guns where your kids can't reach 'em.
This event happened to a classmate of my kids. Man brought a gun to show the family, younger brother shows off and pretends to shoot older brother just entering the room. And actually shoots him. Man didn't know bullet was still in chamber.
ReplyDeleteellroon, IMHO he had an obligation to know. Gun ownership comes with responsibilities, and that's one of them.
DeleteThey are making baby guns now in cute pastel colors with names like 'squirrel' and 'chipmunk." Gun nuts apparently haven't figured out that if they 'off' their children there will be less of them to vote Republican.
ReplyDeletekarmanot, whatever else a gun may be, it isn't "cute." Guns shouldn't be actively marketed to appeal to young kids. When older kids are introduced to firearms, they should be taught the same respect for them as they are taught for power tools, for the same reason. AFAIK, there are no cutesy pastel chainsaws sold.
DeleteUnless you are talking about antiques, there is no way of 'accidentally' discharging a firearm. Modern guns are designed to prevent it with hammer blocks and other features. None of these are accidents, they are negligence.
ReplyDeleteIt may be difficult to find room to secure weapons away from children, but trigger locks keep them from being fired. Overall the most important thing any gun owner should do is 'clear' the weapon, i.e. make absolutely certain the firing chamber is empty. The next step is to secure the ammunition. If the weapon is unloaded, and the ammunition locked up, a child can only use it as a club.
A small amount of time, a fire-proof lock box, and trigger locks make all the difference. Only a total idiot would leave a circular saw plugged in when children were around, and loaded firearms are just as dangerous.
Bryan, when I think of firearm safety, I remember from my early childhood a ritual enacted by my father and grandfather whenever we entered my maternal grandparents' house, located on a red-dirt farm in East Texas about 100 miles from Houston. Dad would ask Pop for the key to the gun cabinet, lock it and give the key back to Pop. If Pop and/or Dad went hunting during the (typically weekend) visit, the ritual was repeated when they got back home.
DeleteThe only thing I ever could (and did) suffer from those guns was annoyance at all the shotgun pellets in the squirrel meat. Even today, as a sprout-eater, I cannot fault Pop for hunting: it was essential to the household food supply. I don't begrudge hunters if they (or their families) eat what they kill.
Today's fill in the blank:
ReplyDeleteShooterAge = 2
ShooterGender = Boy
OptionallyFatally = Fatally
Relationship = Self
Sigh.
Yesterday's fill in the blank:
ReplyDeleteShooterAge=8
ShooterGender=Boy
OptionallyFatally=Seriously injures, probably fatal
ShotAge=5
Relationship=Friend
Sigh. (Again.)