Boy drowns - St. Pete Times says guns are safer than pools.

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cuchulainn

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Initial post deleted by cuchulainn

Story from the St. Petersberg Times deleted by me (cuchulainn) because Lou629 is correct.

I acted just like an Sarah Brady, didn't I -- using a tragedy to make a political point. :(

Thanks for the prod back up to the High Road, guys.
 
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Don't be silly...

What we need is a sensible licensing system, a waiting period and manditory safety training before anyone is allowed to apply for a permit to buy and install a swimming pool.

That'll make me feel better.
 
Beachmaster

You are correct sir! Concealed pool posession should be punished severely! I mean, how do we know the pool owner doesn't intend to allow school children to swim unsupervised?
 
Anyone who could read that story and not have their heart ripped out of their chest and then make lousy puns & jokes about it afterward is a true neanderthal! :barf:
This story is an absolute tragedy with a capital T and despite any positive reference to firearms, which were minimal at best, it really had no business being posted here any more than the tasteless jokes did IMHO. High road indeed! You guys should be ashamed of yourselves.

Edit for spelling.
 
Anyone who could read that story and not have their heart ripped out of their chest and then make lousy puns & jokes about it afterward is a true neanderthal!

I agree completely.

I think some of you folks might want to go back and re-read what you posted, think about the dead baby, and then reflect on the appropriateness of your comments.

I certainly hope the parents of this baby don't read The High Road.
 
Just plain sad.
I really don't think this is the time to bring up the issue of gun vs. pool safety...I have kids, I have a pool, I have a pile of guns.

I am more concerned about the pool.
And the liquor cabinet.
And the cars.
And their friends.

Sheesh. Life ain't easy. Two year-olds dead in a pool doesn't help.

I will send a prayer for him.
 
any anger generated because of the safety issue with pools v. guns and the inability of the anti's to understand where the true danger lies, while understandable, should not be displayed because of the senseless tragedy these people have endured.
 
A child's death is nothing to celebrate. A major newspaper actually acknowledging in print that guns are far from the greatest threat to children lives is. It is also news worthy (akin to "man bites dog") and notable for discussion on this forum.

Is that wht the article said, or what we wished it said?
 
As a fellow gun nut, I can understand why some of us feel a little vindicated. But as a father of a 2-year-old boy, I cannot not help but think such statistics are completely moot. To a kid, an unlocked pool is just as dangerous as a loaded firearm or any sharp object lying around. We have to do our best to protect our young regardless of where the danger lies.
 
The noteable (and on topic) subject matter is that a major news paper printed:
Any given swimming pool is nearly 100 times more likely to kill a child than any given gun, economist Steven Levitt and author Stephen Dubner showed in their 2005 bestselling book Freakonomics.
I wish we could discuss that fact, and wish that it wasn't tainted by such a tragic event. :( Maybe this thread should be kept, but locked.
 
I believe Cuchulainn had the best of intentions when he posted the story. It appears that some of those who responded did not. What had gotten me to read the thread in the first place was that this newspaper had actually printed the quote. This had seemed worthy of note and discussion. The tasteless jokes which followed immediately after the post were unworthy, period.

Just as in making sure of your backstop in shooting, some people need to become more aware that the law of unintended consequences applies to most things in life, IE: what you say can often come back to bite you in the a$$!

If this same newspaper were to find this thread, and their next headline were to read something like: " Gun nuts laugh over tragedy while mother mourns dead two-year-old", would this help our cause? I think not. More likely we'd all end up being tarred with the same brush, as a bunch of dim-witted, heartless neanderthals. Unfortunately, in at least some cases, they'd be correct.

Edit: typo.
 
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Since the thread's originator has decided to remove his post, I'm going to go ahead and close this so it can sink.

I have to say, though, that I'm heartened by what happened here. Yes, a couple of us got a little insensitive. . . . and yes, it did look like laughing over a tragedy even though I know how it was really intended.

But then what happened? We checked ourselves, we braced each other and we reaffirmed that just calling a place "The High Road" is meaningless unless we're willing to live that motto.

Well, you all did that, anyway. I'm just the moderator peeking in.
 
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