guns
stories titled "boy dies in accidental shooting" are, unfortunately, not rare. we come across them every once in a while. google it, you'll find lots of stories. they are all shocking.
you'd think -- who keeps a gun at home? a loaded gun? at a home with kids around? certainly nobody reasonable! you have to be a criminal to do that!
well
then it happens to someone you know.
she has three kids, and no guns.
her spouse's 22-year-old son from a previous marriage (who doesn't live with her) hid his gun on her property. her two younger kids found it and played with it. her youngest died. he was eight years old.
when i was 20 i had the opportunity to get a handgun license. i thought it would be cool. i knew i was skilled and trained enough to handle it, having spent the previous two years of my life in a firing range. it would have been much easier to carry than the military-issued rifle i was stuck with. i'm so glad i didn't buy a handgun back then. where would it be now?
"guns don't kill people, people kill people"? really? not if they're not there to be used!
how does a responsible, intellectual, wonderful mom go on living after a thing like that? she would have never, ever, leave anything at home that would put her children in risk.
how was she supposed to protect her family from other people's negligent, if not criminal, behavior? my heart goes to her, and there's nothing i can do but think.
do you know what's hidden in your back yard? can you be sure a neighbor didn't drop something in a box in your unlocked garage for a curious child to fine? do you know what your children or grandchildren can find if they look hard enough?
if you're reading this and got this far, please, please, think about your weapons. any firearms, hunting guns, explosives, fire crackers, fireworks, bibi guns... put them away. lock them up. better yet, keep them away from home until you go on your next hunting trip. because you never know.
5 comments:
What a sad story.
I was surprise to realize how many people in this country don't think and feel the same as me (and you) about "the guns issue"...
That is so sad. That mother lost a child over someone else's bad choice.
Yes, Gary has a couple of hunting guns, but he doesn't store them loaded and he doesn't store the ammunition anywhere near the guns (and I'm not even sure he has any ammo.) That was true even before we had children. It's a simple safety/common sense issue. IMHO, a loaded gun in your house means you accept that you'll be shooting at a person, since deer, bear, and game birds don't generally wander into the house. If you accept that, you may have to accept the consequences.
I actually had a handgun (glock) and permit for a few years. I kept the gun locked in a safe with NO ammo around and not at my house (!). the only reason i got it is because my dad bought a newer gun and couldn't sell his old one - so he thought the best thing to do is... to give it to me. i think he had some illusion we would go to the shooting range every onece in a while together. after a few years (when the gun saw daylight only once a year every time i got my permit re-approved), i told my dad that i really don't see the point of keeping the gun, so I gave up my permit and handed my gun as a donation to the police. I asked what they do with it, and they said it either gets melted down or sold by the weight with other guns.
Disturbing, huh...
this was such terrible news when i heard it. Is she back yet? How are the kids coping? That can be such a life-ruining event at that age.
CT
Sandy, this is so true. Too bad many people go through life thinking "it will never happen to ME".
CT, she's back at work, her kids are back at school and getting counseling, that's all i know...
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