When Toddlers Kill Selves with Guns in Florida, Guess Which Color Gun Owners Get Arrested?

[Teddy B 17,252]

Agreed. In both cases, the weapons were found non secured. The charges should be based on that, in which case one would expect the charges to be similar.

The original location of the weapons is alleged. That's an area better left to the courts.

Based on Florida law a gun in a glove box is considered to be secured.

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

The law may say that but laws are open to interpretation. Considering the exact circumstances of what happened it seems unlikely that it is that clear cut.

[Dakine10 5,452]

Based on Florida law a gun in a glove box is considered to be secured.

Yes, but they didn't find a gun in a glove box. That is the owners contention. And the owner certainly has some incentive to say that.

I would rather charges be made on the facts at hand and circumstances be left to investigation.

[Teddy B 17,252]

The law may say that but laws are open to interpretation. Considering the exact circumstances of what happened it seems unlikely that it is that clear cut.

Yes, but they didn't find a gun in a glove box. That is the owners contention. And the owner certainly has some incentive to say that.

I would rather charges be made on the facts at hand and circumstances be left to investigation.

Right, but there was not enough evidence for an arrest in this case, these people were not not arrested because they were white, which is the bone of contention in the op, they were not arrested because there was no cause for arrest at the time.

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

That may certainly be that the case here.

However you never really know what drives someone's decisions and the idea behind claims of institutional racism is that people aren't always aware of biases that influence behaviour. There's a fair amount of research out there about that.

[Teddy B 17,252]

That may certainly be that the case here.

However you never really know what drives someone's decisions and the idea behind claims of institutional racism is that people aren't always aware of biases that influence behaviour. There's a fair amount of research out there about that.

Institutinal racism is certainly an issue, but based on the known facts of the two stories used in the op article, this is not an example of it or at least a good example of it. The person who wrote the article in the op is stretching to make this work, he also got the charges against the black man wrong, he wasn't charged with culpable homicide which would give a good dramatic affect to the story, he was charged with culpable negligence, a much lesser charge.

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

Institutinal racism is certainly an issue, but based on the known facts of the two stories used in the op article, this is not an example of it or at least a good example of it. The person who wrote the article in the op is stretching to make this work, he also got the charges against the black man wrong, he wasn't charged with culpable homicide which would give a good dramatic affect to the story, he was charged with culpable negligence, a much lesser charge.

Agreed.

[Dakine10 5,452]

Right, but there was not enough evidence for an arrest in this case, these people were not not arrested because they were white, which is the bone of contention in the op, they were not arrested because there was no cause for arrest at the time.

I'm not saying there's racism. In both cases the guns were found non-secured and it appears in both cases they used the testimony of the parents as to the previous location of the gun. They believed the parents account in both cases and the difference was in one case the gun was stored in accordance with state law and in the other it was not. I guess my point was the initial charges should be on the evidence. Either charge both or don't. The final outcome wouldn't have changed.

A former co-worker was in a case like this. Her 3 year old shot himself with a gun he found under the boyfriends pillow. The mom lied up and down to police abut the circumstances but it ended up being she wasn't even home at the time. She left the little guy asleep on the bed. The end results of the investigation were he found the gun, ended up where he got it in position to fire and then the riccochet came back of the stone wall and hit him in the head.

She wasn't initially charged and then later was charged with negligence, but the end result (because he was home alone) was a a charge of child abuse resulting in death which could be up to 12 years in jail. I hadn't followed the case recently but a quick check (link below) looks like it's was 14 days in jail.

http://www.thedenverchannel.com/news/front-range/frederick/mother-dionne-warren-gets-jail-time-for-accidental-shooting-death-of-her-3-year-old

[Teddy B 17,252]

The bottom line in all of these tragic stories where kids end up killing themselves with firearms, is that there are just far too many irresponsible people with guns that should not have them. This will not change until the laws are changed and that's not happening any time soon.

[Dakine10 5,452]

The bottom line in all of these tragic stories where kids end up killing themselves with firearms, is that there are just far too many irresponsible people with guns that should not have them. This will not change until the laws are changed and that's not happening any time soon.

Yeah, people say the parents have suffered enough and that is true, but sentencing in these cases is not just punitive. It also is to serve as a deterrent. Maybe it would prevent future tragedies if we started taking them more seriously.

[Teddy B 17,252]

Yeah, people say the parents have suffered enough and that is true, but sentencing in these cases is not just punitive. It also is to serve as a deterrent. Maybe it would prevent future tragedies if we started taking them more seriously.

I can't believe the woman in your story only got a 14 day jail sentence. Seems to me that after all the lying she did to authorities, which to me shows a lack of remorse, she should have received much more.

[Dakine10 5,452]

I can't believe the woman in your story only got a 14 day jail sentence. Seems to me that after all the lying she did to authorities, which to me shows a lack of remorse, she should have received much more.

I hope there's more to it but I won't be surprised if that's it.