[teCh0010]

A columnist responds to the accidental shooting death of an 8 year old girl. She and her twin sister found her mother's shotgun and one shot the other.

http://www.commercialappeal.com/mca/news_columnists/article/0,1426,MCA_646_3747025,00.html

****************
On Saturday 8-year-old Acquiria Ralston and her twin sister were playing with a shotgun in their South Memphis home. The gun went off and Acquiria was killed.

A neighbor heard the noise and saw Acquiria's sister run outside for help, but I'll remember the girl's death more for what we won't hear and see.

We won't hear the quiet murmurs of prayer vigils by Acquiria's supporters outside the hospital where the girl was pronounced dead.

We won't see earnest politicians on TV, eager to prove that the loss of Acquiria's life signals a victory for a culture of death.

We won't have to endure the blather from an overzealous elected official vowing to replace federal judges whose chief sin was failing to interpret the law as he saw fit.

No, Acquiria's death will be followed first by tears shed by a few, and then by silence by most of us, for two main reasons.

First: It's hard to say who or what is responsible for the girl's death.

Her parents weren't home when the shooting occurred; if they had been perhaps the sisters wouldn't have been able to get the gun.

If Tennessee law required that every gun sold come with a child safety lock, perhaps the girls wouldn't have been able to fire the gun even if it'd been left in their toy box.

If guns (and the need to arm oneself) were as rare as a palatable plan to repair Social Security, Acquiria still might be alive.

Without a single culpable party, blame often gets tossed around like a hot potato until the potato cools and we lose interest.

Compare this to the Terri Schiavo case. If the Florida woman had gotten help for her eating disorder, which led to the coma that doctors think caused her severe brain damage, perhaps Schiavo still would be alive.

Still, many claim that an out-of-control judiciary, not an individual woman's failure to win her battle against bulimia, is to blame for Schiavo's death.

And that brings me to the second reason for the silence around Acquiria's death.

Despite pontification about a renewed commitment to a culture of life following Schiavo's death, in America, there is no such culture.

If there truly were a culture of life in America, you'd see the same people who rallied around Schiavo's parents railing against the gun lobby, which has given more than $17 million to federal candidates in the last 16 years. During that same period gun control advocates gave just $1.7 million to federal candidates.

If Washington politicians really believed in a culture of life, they wouldn't have let the assault weapons ban expire.

Nor would an estimated 8.3 million children live in a home where a weapon is unlocked.

Nor would the firearm-related death rate for children in the United States be 12 times higher than that of 25 other industrialized nations combined.

The phrase a culture of life, to borrow from Shakespeare, is full of sound and fury, signifying nothing.

Contact Wendi C. Thomas at (901) 529-5896 or e-mail thomasw@commercialappeal.com.

***********************
My reply to the editor.

“Without a single culpable party, blame often gets tossed around like a hot potato until the potato cools and we lose interest.”

These are interesting words placed in an article where you pass blame around. A little blame for the gun lobby, a little blame for our legislators, a little blame for society, and a little for the Republicans to top it off. I am glad that we have an entire “Wendi C. Thomas” article without the word “racist”.

This little girl’s death is a tragedy; I can’t imagine what her mother is going through. It’s a tragedy that was easily avoidable. You mentioned that requiring firearms to be sold with a child safety lock could have prevented this tragedy, but the fact that it came with a lock does not force people to use it properly. This girl’s mother made a decision to keep an unsecured loaded firearm in her home. The fact that Tennessee does not require child locks with each firearm does not mean they are not available. They can be easily found at local retailers, Wal-Mart carries one for $8.87.

Every year more than 50% of the 2 Million poisonings reported is a child under 6. Motor vehicle accidents are the number one killer of children under 14. No one is asking our legislatures to require child seats to be sold with every car, nor is anyone screaming for child safe cabinet locks to be sold with every bottle of Drano. Not everyone who purchases a car, household cleaners, or a firearm has children.

A firearm is a tool, like many tools it can be dangerous if children can access it unsupervised. I don’t see anywhere in the article where you tell parents to take responsibility for their children’s safety, don’t expect the legislature to do it. Every parent should take the time and responsibility to childproof their house to the best of their ability, and firearms are part of that. I hope that this tragedy will be a wake up call to make their homes child safe and teach their children what to do if they ever find a gun, not a talking point for a columnist to push her political agenda in the paper.

Heath Reynolds
Collierville

[El Tejon]

Culture of Life=Culture of Learning, not the Culture of Ignorance that the Left wraps around itself like a security blanket.

Teach your child about firearms as well as poisons, gravity, water, physics (playing in street), etc., inter alia. :)

[Don Gwinn]

First: It's hard to say who or what is responsible for the girl's death.

Her parents weren't home when the shooting occurred; if they had been perhaps the sisters wouldn't have been able to get the gun.

She lost me around that last bend there. These are 8 year old twin girls, home alone with unsecured weapons? And it's hard to say who is responsible when one of them dies?

No, ma'am, it's not at all difficult. I happen to have twin 8-year-olds myself, though mine are boys. I can't imagine what would cause me to go off and leave them home alone. All my guns are secured, but even if that meant that a pair of 8-year-olds couldn't get to them (and I believe it doesn't) I still have stairs, cleaning chemicals, electricity and hot water in that house, not to mention matches, lighters, knives, and carpentry tools.

Let me reiterate: if you leave your 8-year-old children home alone and they find a way to hurt or kill each other, you are responsible. Period.

[VARifleman]

Sweet reply, especially the knockdown punch of a last sentance. :D

[Fred Fuller]

Eight year old girls, left home alone.

An unsecured shotgun, left in the home in such a way that the children have access not only to the gun but to either a loaded gun or to the gun and ammunition for it.

Children who are not 'gunproofed'- that is, taught what to do if they find an unsecured gun, anywhere (don't touch, leave the area, call an adult).

AND THERE'S SUPPOSEDLY SOME _QUESTION_ AS TO RESPONSIBILITY? I think not. It seems pretty clear to me that there is ample indication as to the party or parties responsible for this tragedy. I see nothing wrong with Tennessee law holding the parent or parents responsible for the tragedy they precipitated by carrying out these irresponsible actions. There is simply no one else to blame for it. Trying to make it an issue in support of gun control is the smelliest sort of red herring.

lpl/nc

[dasmi]

First: It's hard to say who or what is responsible for the girl's death.

Ask the girl's parents who is responsible. Maybe they know.

[svtruth]

Guns aren't toys. There are a couple of unanswered issues here. If you keep a loaded gun in the house, why don't you gun-proof the kids, why are 8 yr olds left unsupervised? Don't her parents know how precious life is?

[AnthonyRSS]

Still, many claim that an out-of-control judiciary, not an individual woman's failure to win her battle against bulimia, is to blame for Schiavo's death.

Seems to me that this is just another case of people not accepting responsibility for their own actions.

[Monkeyleg]

"...the gun lobby, which has given more than $17 million to federal candidates in the last 16 years. During that same period gun control advocates gave just $1.7 million to federal candidates."

Um, maybe that means that, with the exception of a few hand-wringing liberals like the columnist, most people don't care about gun control.

Nice touch inserting the Social Security argument into the article as well. I'm surprised she didn't get in a dig at the war in Iraq.

[Standing Wolf]

First: It's hard to say who or what is responsible for the girl's death.

No, it's not. It's not the least bit difficult—unless, of course, one's totally out of touch with reality.

[javafiend]

Excellent piece, Heath. Please let us know if they run it.

[Cool Hand Luke 22:36]

First: It's hard to say who or what is responsible for the girl's death

KER-CHING! The Liberal's "money phrase": There's no such a thing as personal responsibility. We're ALL responsible for this tragedy and must ALL bear the blame for allowing an evil gun to kill this child. We are ALL responsible for this "culture of death."

It obviously couldn't be the parent's fault here for unsafe storage of the shotgun. (Mossberg charges $69 for one of those quick release locking wall racks for shotguns, and as was mentioned above Wal Mart has trigger locks for $10)

No sir, this was the fault of that evil gun that somehow "just went off" and All of us for permitting guns to even exist.

[gc70]

First: It's hard to say who or what is responsible for the girl's death.Typical leftist misdirection.

The "who" is just to divert your attention since a person is NEVER responsible for their actions.

But she sure can name the responsible "whats" - THE gun, THE law, THE legislature, THE judiciary... :barf:

[nico]

You guys mentioned that locks can be found for $10, but are there any guns that don't at least come with a cable lock anymore? I know for a fact that Winchester and Ruger pack them with every gun and I've seen several other manufacturers advertise that they do so.

It's hard to say who or what is responsible for the girl's death.
Given the circumstances, the opinions of a person stupid enough to make such a statement and believe it are absolutely meaningless.

If Tennessee law required that every gun sold come with a child safety lock, perhaps the girls wouldn't have been able to fire the gun even if it'd been left in their toy box.

How would that solve the problem of irresponsible parents leaving their 8 year old children home alone with loaded guns?

[KevinB]

I read this article with my breakfast this morning. I thought it was interesting that she brought up the AWB. It seems to me to be totally unrelated to the story. I truly doubt that Wendi, like so many others, even realize what the ban was about.

Hey teCh0010, good to see you on the board. This is the first post of yours I have read. Its nice to see some members from around my area. I'll be looking for your response in the paper.

-Kevin

[Jadecristal]

You guys mentioned that locks can be found for $10, but are there any guns that don't at least come with a cable lock anymore? I know for a fact that Winchester and Ruger pack them with every gun and I've seen several other manufacturers advertise that they do so.

My new Bushmaster M4 came without another cheap lock. If I *want* and need a lock, or a locking case, or a safe, or... [insert your preferred anti-use/theft/abuse device here], I'll pick one out that meets my needs, and go get it. If I can't figure out what device meets my needs, AND I'm too stupid to ask someone about it when I get the gun, I had no business buying it in the first place.

...pausing to think...

Though I guess that technically the case they included can be locked... not that they included locks, or that it's really anything other than a cheap transport/shipping case. A variety of other useful tools would open it very quickly.

KER-CHING! The Liberal's "money phrase": There's no such a thing as personal responsibility. We're ALL responsible for this tragedy and must ALL bear the blame for allowing an evil gun to kill this child. We are ALL responsible for this "culture of death."

This is perhaps what annoys me more than anything. It's not the only thing, but if no one is responsible, blame can then be shifted around and dumped - deserved or not - on whoever the liberals WANT to dump it on. In most cases, that would:
1.) not be the party that is actually responsible and/or bears some part of the blame, and
2.) would be the current target of the liberal we-are-your-masters-and-know-what-is-best-for-you agenda.

:fire:

[teCh0010]

Marlin ships a Marlin re-branded padlock and several metal pieces that can supposedly lock your NEF break action single shot. I could not readily see how it works and have no need for it as I have no children and a gun safe. I put the lock on my gate.

That’s the only non pistol I have purchased new recently. All new pistols seem to come with a lockable plastic case.

[mfree]

"Her parents weren't home when the shooting occurred;"

Ding ding ding! We have identified the problem, the article needs to go no further. Everything else is just the futile shoving off of an agenda.

[The Rabbi]

I thought every gun did come with a lock. I know at the gun store I worked at in Nashville the guns sold either had one or we had a big ole bucket of them at the front and you could help yourself.
But let's ask: why would anyone irresponsible enough to leave their kids home alone suddenly develop enough responsibility to use a gun lock? Merely having a lock will not guarantee its use.
But this is from the same city that elects the like of Harold "Kickback" Ford and Henri "No Pledge" Brooks.

[shermacman]

Dear Ms. Thomas:

Regarding your editorial concerning the terrible death of eight-year old Acquiria Ralston.

You write:
“Without a single culpable party, blame often gets tossed around like a hot potato until the potato cools and we lose interest.”

There is a single culpable party and that would be the mother who left two eight-year old girls home alone. The same parent who carelessly left a loaded shot gun in the house. The same parent who never bothered to teach the girls fundamental gun safety.

It is not about the gun, Ms. Thomas. A house is full of things that can both help make life easier and kill you. There drain cleaners, bleach, gasoline, knives, etc. Any one of which is, like a gun, either a tool or a weapon, depending on the attitude of the person holding it.

But far be it that a Liberal would ever consider personal responsibility, instead you take the typical Left wing approach: we are all responsible. No, Ms. Thomas, we are not all responsible for leaving two little girls home alone in a house with an unsecured, loaded shot gun.

[Walter]

When I see a newspaper columnist start a sentence with the word "if",
I know he or she is about to tell me how the world could be a much better
place..."If". And it is always predicated on THEIR opinion of what would
make the world a better place.

It never fails to amaze me how liberals know so much more than us peons
out here in the hinterlands about how the world SHOULD be run. I just
wonder, IF they would descend from their cloud-shrouded ivory tower for
a look at the world as it really is, would they believe it?

If "ifs and buts" were candy and nuts................. :rolleyes: ... :banghead:

Walter

[dloken]

The "Culture Of Life" supports the death penalty and is against cancer vaccine: http://www.newscientist.com/channel/sex/mg18624954.500/

[The Rabbi]

Thanks for writing. I don't know if I'll have time to check out the website,
but I will share this. The police investigated and declined to file charges
against the mother. Apparently, the mother had taken all the appropriate
measures to secure the gun from her children and it wasn't enough. Of
course, just because the police don't hold the mother responsible doesn't
mean you still can't.

Best,

Wendi


Wendi C. Thomas
Assistant Managing Editor/Metro Columnist
Commercial Appeal
495 Union Ave.
Memphis, TN 38103
www.commercialappeal.com
901-529-5896
901-529-2522 (fax)


-----Original Message-----
From:
Sent: Wednesday, May 04, 2005 9:32 AM
To: thomasw@commercialappeal.com
Subject: Column


Hi,
Your column about Acquiria Ralston achieved some notoriety on a
discusson board called TheHighRoad.org. While everyone is sorry an 8-yr
old girl died we are all wondering why you didnt place the blame
squarely on the parent/guardian who would leave two 8 year olds
unsupervised at home. If they had set the house on fire playing with
matches would you have blamed the match company?
But I include a link to the discussion and we would welcome your response.
http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?p=1676529#post1676529
Thanks

Nashville

[2nd Amendment]

The "Culture Of Life" supports the death penalty and is against cancer vaccine:

Support of the death penalty is entirely logical(certainly makes more sense than supporting abortion, unless you just wanna "get 'em early") and only a couple loud mouthes seeking media attention oppose the vaccine. But, handily, it makes for nice talking points when the left is(as always) feeling desperate.

[shermacman]

What a snotty, arrogant response! I also suspect that it is simply not true, I doubt the police believe that the mother acted responsibly and I doubt the police feel she secured the gun. The facts suggest otherwise: the girl is dead. And it still isn't my fault.

dloken, what is your problem? Who here is against cancer research? And what hypocrisy do you see in supporting the death penalty?

[nico]

Apparently, the mother had taken all the appropriate
measures to secure the gun from her children and it wasn't enough.
If the kid got ahold of it and shot someone, than obviously she didn't do enough! :cuss: Why are these people so quickly to pin the blame on all of us, but never place any responsibility on the people who are actually responsible?

[mfree]

"Apparently, the mother had taken all the appropriate
measures to secure the gun from her children and it wasn't enough."

NO she didn't. She wasn't THERE like she was supposed to be! You *cannot* just leave young children alone at home, *especially* if you've neglected to parent them in the first place and they go off and do whatever it is they please.

As for this "Culture of..." BS, I'm rapidly losing road altitude about it. Culture of this, culture of that, empty words in our CULTURE OF POLITICAL PANDERING.

*grumble*....

[erik the bold]

Michigan requires a minor child to be 13 years old before they can be left 'home alone'. I'm sure most states have similar statues in place.

Any idea what Tenn has ?

[The Rabbi]

Michigan requires a minor child to be 13 years old before they can be left 'home alone'. I'm sure most states have similar statues in place.

If we had a law like that it would eliminate a lot of stay at home housewives!

[Art Eatman]

Sorry, but this old man sez that anybody who's so irresponsible as to leave eight-year-old kids at home without any babysitter or adult supervision can find 100% of the blame by simply looking into a mirror.

As far as guns and locks, why is it such a big deal about the gunstore guy providing a lock? Ace and True Value went out of business? No more bicycle shops around? No WalMarts anywhere about? Duh?

Color me disgusted.

Art

[teCh0010]

Here is the edited version of my letter they ran Friday.


"Without a single culpable party, blame often gets tossed around like a hot potato until the potato cools and we lose interest."

Those are interesting words placed in an article where you pass blame around. A little blame for the gun lobby, a little blame for our legislators, a little blame for society, and a little for the Republicans to top it off. I am glad we had a Wendi C. Thomas column without the word "racist."

This little girl's death is a tragedy; I can't imagine what her mother is going through. It's a tragedy that was easily avoidable. Thomas mentioned that requiring firearms to be sold with a child safety lock could have prevented this tragedy, but the fact that a gun would come with a lock would not force people to use it properly. This girl's mother made a decision to keep an unsecured, loaded firearm in her home. The fact that Tennessee does not require child locks with each firearm does not mean they are not available. They are easily found at local retailers.

A firearm is a tool; like many tools, it can be dangerous if children can access it unsupervised. I didn't see in her column where Thomas told parents to take responsibility for their children's safety; don't expect the legislature to do it. All parents should take the time and responsibility to childproof their homes to the best of their ability, and firearms are part of that.

I hope this tragedy will be a wake-up call to parents to make their homes child safe and to teach their children what to do if they find a gun, rather than a talking point for a newspaper columnist to push her political agenda.

Heath Reynolds

[shermacman]

Way to go, teCh0010!
For the most part, we are very clear about our thoughts and opinions and we debate them freely here. But we need to write letters to the editors and write our congresscritters also.

Get the message out. This letter to the editor may be the only letter talking about personal responsibility and guns as inanimate objects that many readers of old fashion newspapers ever see.

[nico]

teCh0010, would you care to post the original so we can compare?

[teCh0010]

teCh0010, would you care to post the original so we can compare?

It's in the first post.

[nico]

haha oops :o