(WY) Teen dies in Russian roulette game

[TheOtherOne]

Stupid kid needed to be not-so-stupid and he would still be alive.

I read about this first on a post I saw on another forum I frequent. It's a tech support forum for some message board software I use and they happen to have a general area.

Most of the people there happen to be from England since that's where the software is made and let me say this: :banghead:

http://forums.invisionpower.com/index.php?act=ST&f=2&t=55662&st=0

You can probably tell my posts.

 

[biere]

Anytime I see a story like this I think of little kids raised in a child proof home. You know, where spare electrical outlets have those things in them so you can not insert a fork. Where cabinets have latches so they are not simple to pull open. Where hard sharp corners on coffee tables are evil and the best furniture is bean bag stuff.

As tamara mentioned, back years ago people grew up with guns. They used them and knew what they could do, this fosters respect for an item.

Now adays we have kids who grew up doing stupid reckless things because someone went around trying to protect the kid. As these kids grow older the parents keep finding things they did not protect the kid from. And unfortunately a lot of these parents don't have guns in the house so it is not like the kid was educated prior to this experience in a long term way.

The school of hard knocks will teach anyone. I think the school of hard knocks needs several years to instill some common sense. I am still attending.

But this coming group of kids and those after it never got near the school of hard knocks.

And as the parents of these kids are learning, it is better to start with small knocks on the head because the bigger ones will kill.

I see both sides of the argument. I don't think the parent should be punished though because then we are making the kid not responsable for his actions.

And if we start having to lock up all firearms not in our immediate possession, other things will follow. At some point I would get in trouble if a kid walked in my garage and stole some spray paint to huff, and died from it. The kid broke the law and then did something not right brite, but it would be my fault.

Of course I also feel if criminals were dealt with properly I would not need a car alarm on my vehicle. I would not need to protect my stuff with not only locks on all exterior doors but a gun safe as well.

I think anyone handing the gun to the kid would be in the wrong. But a kid having access to a firearm has in the past allowed them to survive a burglary, and if we lock all guns up then we are back to protecting the criminals instead of the innocent.

Oh well, enough rambling. Hope some of this makes a little bit of sense.

 

[Yohan]

This really reminds me. My drummer said he use to play Russian Roulette- with a cap gun. Still dumb if you ask me.

 

[Nightfall]

Responded to that thread, TheOtherOne. I'm so glad I live in the USA where people (at least many people) realize that it's their right to not have to accept it when they're raped/shot/assaulted/etc. and to defend themself.

At least for now.

 

[10-Ring]

I feel bad for the parents...it's never good when you have to bury a child. But let's face it, this kid wasn't going to find a cure for AIDS or be the next Al Gore ( or maybe he was ), maybe this was his contribution to society

 

[TheOtherOne]

Responded to that thread, TheOtherOne. I'm so glad I live in the USA where people (at least many people) realize that it's their right to not have to accept it when they're raped/shot/assaulted/etc. and to defend themself.

Thanks! There were a few people in it that see the truth behind gun control, but just far too many people from those European countries that don't know better or something.

The statement that irked me the most was this one (said in reply to defending ones self from an armed criminal):

You don't have the right to kill someone no matter what they are doing, and that is all that guns are designed for. That makes you a criminal, and no better than the people you claim you are defending yourselves against.

At least for now.

I hear ya. I'm afraid the good old USA will follow the gun control paths of some of those countries over there far sooner than I would like. I just hope I'm not around, my kids aren't around, and my kids kids aren't around when it does.

 

[Nightfall]

My issue with that is they don't seem to understand the hypocrisy of their statement. If I don't have the right to kill anybody... why is it okay for them to do so unharassed in their efforts?

If somebody tries to take my life and commit serious and dangerous violence, they forfeit that same right to me. They just turned it into me vs them, and I will do all in my power to make sure it's me and those around me who win.

Sadly, some of these people just either aren't willing to see the light, or are so misguided by their gov't that they can't.

 

[jimbo]

This makes me furious. I wish he could have shot a finger off and learned a cheaper lesson. Most of us were pretty stupid before we were 20 or so. Maybe not this stupid, but many of us learned lessons that could have been deadly. I'm very sorry for these boys and I wish they had got a 2nd chance.

 

[CB900F]

People;
Several thoughts come to mind. For those who commented upon the leaving a loaded gun in the house point; I don't believe the article stated whether or not the owners had left the gun loaded or not. Fourteen year olds are certainly able to load revolvers. Perhaps the ammo was merely stored with the gun, you don't know for sure, now do you?
I would bet a dollar against a dead rat that neither the Below nor LeForte family are long term Casper residents. Howcome? They weren't listed in the 98/99 telephone directory for Casper. Does that mean they couldn't be long term residents or Casper? No, of course not, but I'll make the bet anyway. I am a long term resident of Casper, but don't presently live there. Attended Dean Morgan Junior High and Natrona County High School.
The point being that Casper is a firearms friendly town. The comment about attending the high school is relevant. I personally sent tens if not hundreds of thousands of rounds of .22 long rifle downrange at the live fire range located in the basement of the school. NCHS was & is an ROTC public high school. The Stuckenhoff public range facility in Casper is state-of-the-art & was built with public funds. The firearms climate in the town is generally very knowledgeable & responsible. There is a far lower 'fear factor' in Casper concerning firearms than there might be in say - Paramus New Jersey or Mill Valley CA. All of which makes me think that it is highly probable that neither teen was actually raised in the Casper enviroment. Again though, I could be wrong.
I'll also make the same bet that if a non-biased poll were conducted at all of the 4 junior high schools in the city, the vast majority of the respondants would grade out to some version of:
He was stupid. This was a tragic death, but, to put it in perspective, remember - Nobody said that the blood that nourishes the roots of the tree of liberty, wouldn't be our own.
900F

 

[TearsOfRage]

A close friend of mine commited suicide too, but by hanging. Would you tell his father it was his fault for not locking up the clothesline?

 

[faustulus]

It seems to me that if the parents are to blame it is for lack of education. Now I will state outright that I lean more toward the Ann Rynd school of thought, but why is it my responsiblity to look out for anyone other than myself? That is half the problem facing America, we are all in such a rush to look out for our fellow man (and admirable trait to an extent) that we don't keep our own house in order. It was indeed a tragedy that this poor boy had to die, but he took the gun without permission (see stealing) lifted it to his head and pulled the trigger. At that point it didn't matter where the gun came from or who it belonged too. At any point prior to that he could have chosen to put it away. Now we all do stupid things, some of us are just lucky to survive them until we grow wise with the pain.

 

[Feanaro]

This isn't going to sound nice, but if you are stupid enough to play Russian Roulette, you deserve whatever you get.