Mississippi boy, 9, shoots sister, 13, over video game controller, police say

[Steeleballz 7,550]

8 hours ago, smilesammich said:

i wonder how common it is, to have a gun just lying around the house for a kid to pick up like that.

 

      It's the other side of the coin. We talk a lot about bad guys with guns and sometimes about good guys with guns and how to reduce firearms violence. Then there's this big grey area of people who just don't seem to realize that a gun isn't a toy. It is another issue. This death wont show up in most of the statistics people like to throw around. 

 

    Many people were not in favor of firearms training the last time it was discussed here. I realize someone who has owned guns forever and is responsible may think it's not necessary, perhaps thinking mainly about there own situation. I'm not worried about myself in most cases like this. I am responsible. I am worried about the multitude of people who are not.

 

   

[Sonea 138]

23 minutes ago, Steeleballz said:

 

      It's the other side of the coin. We talk a lot about bad guys with guns and sometimes about good guys with guns and how to reduce firearms violence. Then there's this big grey area of people who just don't seem to realize that a gun isn't a toy. It is another issue. This death wont show up in most of the statistics people like to throw around. 

 

    Many people were not in favor of firearms training the last time it was discussed here. I realize someone who has owned guns forever and is responsible may think it's not necessary, perhaps thinking mainly about there own situation. I'm not worried about myself in most cases like this. I am responsible. I am worried about the multitude of people who are not.

 

   

Whereas this may not be popular. California mandates some sort of lock at purchase. Of course the next step is getting the owner to use the lock or lockbox, or safe etc.

 

Some of this can also be handled by laws. For instance any gunowner that allows a minor to take possession in California automatically gets charged when an accident occurs in the home.

Edited March 20, 2018 by Sonea

[Steeleballz 7,550]

4 hours ago, Sonea said:

Whereas this may not be popular. California mandates some sort of lock at purchase. Of course the next step is getting the owner to use the lock or lockbox, or safe etc.

 

Some of this can also be handled by laws. For instance any gunowner that allows a minor to take possession in California automatically gets charged when an accident occurs in the home.

 

   It's frustrating that we need laws to make a parent realize they can't keep a loaded handgun within reach of a child. I'd like to think parental instinct alone would be enough, but apparently it isn't. 

 

  I've posted this in the past, but about 5 years ago a coworker of mine lost her 3 year old child. The father left a loaded handgun under his pillow. The mother left the child sleeping on their bed while she took an older child to school, apparently did not realize the gun was there. According to the police investigation the child must have woke up, got a hold of the gun and pulled the trigger. The bullet ricocheted of the concrete wall and back through his skull. Too many sad stories like this, and no reason they should ever happen. I just can't imagine having a toddler in the house and leaving a loaded gun lying around like that.