Teen accidentally kills self with stolen weapon

[4D5]

I guess I'd never be a reporter

Matt...

I’ll forgo the quoted text so as not to mess it up plus I’m by no means an English major.

I’m certain I’d never be a reporter. I like being in control of all aspects of what I do and not let anyone take credit for my work good or bad, much less add to it, screw it up, then me get blamed for something I had not control over.

As a systems/database administrator, if something gets screwed up (very rare) that I worked on, the boss doesn’t go looking for someone else in some other department; he’s standing at my desk with lots of questions. So should it be for those who write for the public to read, that is, be ready to field lots of questions and comments, good or bad.

I have a real hard time feeling sorry for any reporters or what their excuses might be when having to answer questions about their opinion (article and/or headline). If as a reporter, you are going to put your opinion out there for all to read, then you better have all the skill, education, and professional experience (or just plain guts) to deal with it because you know you’re going to get lots of questions.

 

[Weimadog]

Some people just don't pay attention to the basic rules of gun safety!

 

[jefnvk]

I think that it is possible that it is just a stupid mistake. I also think its possible that it is suicide. The only one that really knows is the kid, and he ain't talking.

Maybe the headline should read 'Teen misunderstands the concept of Russian Roulette'

 

[BluesBear]

From the article;
According to the other boy, the victim had loaded and unloaded the weapon prior to the shooting, Killgore said. "It was straight out accidental," he said.

So he popped the clip in and out a few times and forgor to check the chamber. He drops the clip onto the bed, aims the gun at his head and fires for effect.

That means it was straight out negligence!

It would've only been an accident if he had missed.








Yeah yeah I know it's really a magazine. I just used the word clip for effect.

 

[Preacherman]

It wasn't an accident at all: it was an ongoing criminal act. He'd stolen the gun (felony #1): he used the gun (felony #2 in many states) to commit an act of murder (unlawful killing of a person - felony #3).

 

[rayra]

Sometimes they blow it.

No, sometimes they spin the hell out of it to misrepresent the factual Truth.
See it ALL the time in AP and Reuters reporting about Israel and the WoT. Consistent fraudulent misrepresentation. Calling TERRORISTS "activists" is a chronic offense.
Congrats to the thread-starter for picking up the phone, but the problem really lies in the J-Schools throughout the Land. And they are heavily polluted with a single Far left of Center mindset.

 

[Tharg]

Ok - just did a google...

the COMMON (common sense isn't) definition of accident is you didn't mean it to happen...

after looking up negligent and accident.

negligent pretty much means you didn't care - you just did - w/o reguard to what might happen. It was under your control and you failed to keep it that way.

Accident refers to things that happen that were not under your control

in THIS sense - i can say that yes... there are NO accidental discharges of weapons. even accidentally dropping said weapon that went off - since it was under your control. (remind all of yourselves to tell your spouses and children every time you drop someting or acciden.... er... negligently knock something off a shelf that it was negligence and not an accident since your arm (i assume) was under your control </sarcasm off>)

under common sense its an accident if you don't think it will go off and it does. Technically its negligence... either way the person wasn't paying attention and got a bullet throught the throat for his efforts.

<bleh>

J/Tharg!

 

[Andrew Rothman]

rayra --

Go read the article again (or probably, for the first time). It is not biased.

The headline, written by a separate person, is lame, whether by ignorance or malice.

4D5 --

What is the problem here? You don't like the way newspapers are run? Tough luck, I'm afraid.

If you still can't figure out that the reporter DOESN'T and CAN'T control the headline, I don't think any further dead-horse-beating will help.

I'm sorry that the headline bothered you, but believe me: That article gets an A+ for accuracy and lack of bias.

And you did nothing but alienate the type of person we want to encourage. Congrats.

 

[NoScreenName]

At least they bury this crap in the Gazette...

I'm almost curious what their header was though... might have to check it out...



Another possibility, while I saw no real bias in hte article except for a somewhat incorrect (IMO) headline... is that the boy's family might be sueing the owners of the RV and firearms that were stolen...and a poor, victimized youth image is being fostered...that'd be some good news in such a small town...or maybe I'm just paranoid...

 

[4D5]

Called the reporter again today

Matt...

So I called the reporter today to apologize for being so assertive about the article and said I had heard from some others with respect of the news business and they confirmed the headline situation. I said I didn’t want to leave a bad impression with respect to gun owners.

She said not to worry, no big deal. Also said my conversation pales in comparison to some of the other calls she’s gotten about the article. She said she’s gotten lots of calls about the article, some from as far away as a military base in Oklahoma. She was wondering if it had been posted on the NRA site.

She said she’d gotten a new perspective about guns and gun owners and as a result will certainly be a lot more diligent about choosing wording and subject matter in the future.

So there we have it… but I’d still never ever be a reporter

 

[4D5]

As if the first headline wasn't bad enough

Read the paper today and yet another even worse headline.

The editorial headline reads:

"The consequences of inattention"

It's a follow up to the article on the original post about the "accident"

The link is:

http://www.nevadaappeal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20040923/OPINION/109230031


In case the site is down here's the text.

The consequences of inattention

Nevada Appeal Editorial

September 23, 2004

The tragic shooting death of a Fallon teen recently, followed by an equally tragic death in Minden Sunday involving a teen of the same age, should make every parent who owns a gun stop for a moment.

They should ask themselves a couple of questions. Are my guns secure? Who has access to them? Do my children understand the potentially dire consequences of playing with guns? Does anyone in the family have a casual attitude about guns?

The accidental shootings point out the need for parents to continually lecture their children, not only about the inherent risk of handling guns, but also about the dangers of developing a cavalier attitude toward firearms in general.

This goes for adults and teens who may have hunted for years. Familiarity with weapons leads many to handle them without enough thought about safety. It becomes routine to put a gun in the vehicle or take it out, or load or unload a weapon. But it shouldn't be routine. The consequences of inattention when handling a gun, showing it off to a friend, or treating it as a toy are severe.

In both cases, the teens who pulled the triggers didn't know the gun was loaded. The teen who accidentally killed Fallon resident Mark Anthony, 14, didn't know a round was in the chamber of the .12 gauge shotgun, a common hunting firearm found in these parts. The Minden boy put a stolen handgun to his neck and, also believing the gun was empty, pulled the trigger.

The small amount of time it takes to be extra safe, to talk to young people about guns, to take the time to secure all firearms, is a small inconvenience compared to living with a lifetime of guilt when tragedies like these occur. It only takes a moment of carelessness to bring a whole lot of regret.

Many of us who grew up in the outdoors can easily think of a close call with a firearm. Many of us also have been lucky that the situation resulted in no loss of life or limb. These two incidents show the worst consequences of handling guns without considering the potential for tragedy.

Nevada requires young hunters to take a safety class before they can buy a license. However, not everyone who has access to a gun is a hunter. Maybe every household with a gun should sign up.

Lahontan Valley News

 

[The_Antibubba]

I don't know whate Nevada State law is, but many states have a "Felony Homicide" statute-any death resulting from the commission of another crime is treated as if the death was planned; i.e, the criminals SHOULD have known someone could die from their actions. If the one teen had "accidentally" shot the other, it would qualify. It would be a stretch in this case.

That second article is quite level-headed, advocating education and responsibility. Maybe I'll wind up in Nevada again at some point.

 

[BluesBear]

re: the follow up article...

It is SO dang refreshing to see anything printed in any newspaper with that much common sense in it.

 

[noonanda]

She said not to worry, no big deal. Also said my conversation pales in comparison to some of the other calls she’s gotten about the article. She said she’s gotten lots of calls about the article, some from as far away as a military base in Oklahoma. She was wondering if it had been posted on the NRA site.

That was me. I wrote her an email about the article, questioning the accidental statement.

 

[Andrew Rothman]

4D5, you are the man. Good for you.

 

[Jim4003]

The bad thing about the entire situation is the gun hating liberals are going to be blaming guns as the problem. Fact is if the kids had been doing what kids should do instead of committing crimes the incident would never have occurred. I feel sorry for the people that had to witness the tragic accident. I do not feel sorry for the criminals, I will not go into further detail as I would only say things I shouldnt.

 

[LAK]

Death by misadventure. And that's putting it politely.

Surely anyone who understands "burglary" and can stay up til 1:30 a.m. is old enough to understand "reckless and foolhardy behavior".

I notice he is repeatedly referred to as "the victim". This is patently false.

Maybe it's called an accident so the kid can be buried in a church cemetary, depending on religion. And for insurance reasons, if there's insurance.
Sort of like the old "killed while cleaning the gun" reason?

A misrepresentation? Or would we call that a form of fraudulent claim?

 

[Andrew Rothman]

I notice he is repeatedly referred to as "the victim". This is patently false.

Well, sure, but "architect of his own destruction" is quite a mouthful.