Teen fatally shoots younger brother after handling antique gun

[BluesBear]

Tall Pine, there was nothing accidental to this.

The 14 year old NEGLIGENTLY fully cocks the external hammer, while cleaning the gun with a cloth.

Next he NEGLIGENTLY pulls the set trigger in the same manner.

Finally, he NEGLIGENTLY pulls the primary trigger while the rifle is NEGLIGENTLY pointed at his 12 year old brother.

The only accident is that their parents gave birth to them.
And I wouldn't rule out negligence in that either.


I do feel sorry for the children though. It was a lack of education that enabled this to happen.

 

[Barbara]

An almost identical situation happened here a couple months ago..10 and 12 year old children and a black powder gun.

 

[Obiwan]

Sad...tragic.....

But it burns me up every time I read a story about "cleaning" accidents.

Nobody ever steps up and says...I was playing with it and it went boom.

I am sure that the fear of prosecution plays a part ...especially when someone is killed.

But every time we don't take responsibility for our mistakes...we encourage more.

 

[Nightfall]

If only every parent was responsible enough to teach and enforce the 4 rules upon entry of a firearm to their home...

 

[whm1974]

My comment was, "Now it's safe."
Everyone saw the humor except him

I hope he was pointing this in a safe dieration when this happend...

Bill

If only every parent was responsible enough to teach and enforce the 4 rules upon entry of a firearm to their home...

Personally I think parents should be required by law to teach thier kids gun safety illreguardless if they own guns or not.

Bill Meadows

 

[Mastrogiacomo]

Nice, BluesBear -- hope you steer clear of entering family counseling. You lack a touch of human compassion. I'm sure this boy would not have been doing anything with this gun if he knew it was loaded. Again, the gun was given by the boy's parents to keep in a closet? I wouldn't give my child an empty gun to keep in draw or his closet. It's their responsiblity to have inspected it to see that was in fact empty and safe to pass on to their son -- but again, I still would have required that it be kept in a damn safe, and I would not have let my child handle it unless I was present.

These people should have known better. If they were unfamiliar with the gun, they either shouldn't have accepted it -- or they shouldn't have accepted it into their home until someone that does know about the gun checked it for them. They didn't do this -- so obviously the boy thought there was nothing in the gun. I'm sure some of the folks on this forum have shot out a TV or two or had a ND at the range. I haven't -- but I don't make remarks that their birth was a mistake just because I haven't done anything that foolish. Things happen -- which is why they're called "accidents." This boy had no way of knowing his parents gift was a ND waiting to happen -- and why should he? The gun should have inspected -- that was THEIR job. That said -- I still feel sorry for the whole family because it's a terriable loss -- and given that this wasn't their first experience with firearms, they should have treated the gun like any other firearm.


Laura

 

[BluesBear]

I have a ton of compassion. What I don't have is a lot of tolerance for stupid people.

I'm sure this boy would not have been doing anything with this gun if he knew it was loaded.

So what you're saying is that it's OK to ignore the four rules of firearms safety if you KNOW the gun isn't loaded?
Laura, you're a very intelligent lady. I have read a lot of your posts and I have always respected your point of view, but I can't believe you said that.



Any parent who gives a child (yes 14 is a child) a real firearm as a toy is STUPID. Loaded, unloaded, black powder, white powder, pink powder, green powder, smokless powder it don't matter. It's a gun not a toy!

Any parent who gives a child access to any type of firearm without teaching them the four rules as well as respect for that firearm is a MORON.

Any parent who would put their children in danger by doing something as INANE as this isn't fit to be a parent.


I honestly do feel sorry for the boy who shot his brother, he will never be normal. His life will be forever scarred. And this could have been prevented if his parents had not have been such IDIOTS.




Check out my sig lines, especially check out Ayoob's book "Gun Proof Your Children". If I have no compassion I wouldn't plead with every fence-sitting agnostic blissninny I meet to get and read this book. If I had no compassion I wouldn't have GIVEN away over 150 copies of it in the past 10 years. THERE IS NO GOOD REASON FOR ANY CHILD (or their parents) IN AMERICA TO EVER HAVE TO LIVE WITH THE HORROR OF UNINTENTIALLY SHOOTING SOMEONE!
:banghead:

____________________
To quote other THR members;
Sorry but I really don't care about or have time for stupid folks. Folks got a right to be wrong, stupid or both. (sm THR 05-06-04)
Why is it that the only thing stupid people seem to be able to do really well
is breed? (¿Mike Irwin?)

 

[Freedomv]

For sure this is a terrible tragedy, as everyone has noted. I also feel for those envoled, which is all of us.
What or how can we make some good of this?? That is to say How do we go about teaching ALL children The four rules that are always brought up AFTER such accidents. I mean in our schools, youth groups, etc.
I used to teach rifle shooting as a NRA member and with the aid of the DCM which is now the CMP. However I have not for several years because of my health. I belive it is time for me to start over again as I can still teach and I am failling in my social duty to do so. As is often stated after all "It's for the children."
I think that we all could probably do something if we just put our minds to it and put out a little more effort.
Take a child shooting??? I know it is political incorrect but worth the effort.
My 2 cents worth.
Vern