How The Hell Does This Happen?

[strangercreek]

Accidental discharges. These stories of children being killed (or anyone being killed or maimed) by an accidental discharge are getting old. Mishandling weapons, not unloading before cleaning, etc. I know this horse has been beaten to death but I just read a story of a 10 month old shot in the chest and killed by the father in a hotel room.....grrrrrrrr.

I have never had any question as to when my weapons are loaded, their location, how many rounds, which rounds (brand, type, etc), location of ammo, cocked or not cocked, safety etc. It is alot to think about but it is 100% necessary 100% of the time.

The people that make these mistakes should not be allowed firearms, kitchen knives, power tools, or even shoe laces. I just don't get it.

The whole "a gun is a tool" concept is fine, but needs to be treated as a "gun is a dangerous tool that can kill you very easily if handled incorrectly and without the highest amount of caution"

A 10 month old killed, makes me sad....

http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/345746

[fishinwrench]

It happens because everyone "thinks" they need a "weapon"..... And guns have become the popular weapon of choice.

A "gun" doesn't need to be loaded at all times and kept within easy reach, but a "weapon" does. Or so everyone has been led to believe.

The longer you carry it around the more likely an accident will happen.

[Feathers and Fins]

Ive been around guns all my life carried for almost 20 years and have never had an Accidental discharge! I have been around guys who have hunted and carried all their lives with no accidental discharge. I have seen GUN MALFUNTION that caused discharge ( tree limb snagging trigger while walking through woods) but a safty on would have prevented it! Seen a few guns with malfunctions cause the gun to go off ( but those were malfunctions ). The article says the child was shot in the Head and Thigh?

I did not see mention of the type of gun BUT something seams fishy. If a Gun in hand goes off by someone pulling the trigger its NOT an accident if a gun goes off because lack of use of safety or pointing it in a safe direction I.E. Firearms safety 101 then its not an accident! If a gun goes off by a malfunction then it is an accident! BUT if all safety handling practices are followed and accident should not harm someone in most cases.

[jdmidwest]

No matter how much safer they make cars, they still seem to kill thousands of people every year. Everytime some person decides they need to drive, they run the risk of an accident happening.

A gun is always loaded, and should be treated accordingly, Period, end of story. The story does not go into much detail, but it looks like it went off twice. That would rule out accident.

Millions of people carry guns loaded on a daily basis, the actual percentage of gun related accidents is pretty low. Police, military, sportsman, and armed civilians carry around loaded guns daily. But it really sucks to hear about an accidental discharge hurting another person.

[rps]

This is not intended as a anti gun post. This is intended as a comment on people:

The incident is proof combining the 1st and 2nd amendments can be deadly: A belief that all have the right to bear arms combined with the belief no restrictions should apply as to type of weapon, training, intelligence, or need.

[oneshot]

Well something stupid happen and I feel bad for the Baby.

Around here there is too many willing to do harm.I keep a Loaded Weapon on me at all times seen too many being victims because they didn't have one.

oneshot

[fishinwrench]

Around here there is too many willing to do harm.

I keep a Loaded Weapon on me at all times seen too many being victims because they didn't have one.

Around Bennett? Really? That's funny, can't think of any place where I've felt safer.

Who knew I was flirting with death down there. Wow!

[bfishn]

Around Bennett? Really? That's funny, can't think of any place where I've felt safer.

Who knew I was flirting with death down there. Wow!

Maybe since Loaded Weapon was in caps he meant one of these;

(Note to self: be more careful in the future kidding guys that carry Loaded Weapon DVDs).

[Al Agnew]

Yep, gun safety 101 was certainly not followed.

I've hunted and shot with people who I only went with them once. They might think they were safe, but they did NOT pay constant attention to which way the gun was pointed. They would MOSTLY not point it in unsafe directions, but then they'd be turning around, with the gun also swiveling around with them, and the muzzle would swing right across my body. Just for an instant it would be pointing at me, but it only takes an instant to accidentally touch the trigger or snag it on something, and who knows whether the safety was on or not. I was taught, and taught very well, that the gun muzzle NEVER points, even for an instant, at something you don't want to shoot. My gun muzzle is always pointing up into the sky or down at the ground until I see something I want to shoot. And I was taught to assume that EVERY gun is loaded, all the time.

[fishinwrench]

Yep, I was taught the same way Al. And it wasn't just "taught" it was pounded into my head relentlessly and my gun taken away for almost a whole season the one time I had a momentary lapse and swung the muzzle of my .410 past my brothers knees.

I'll never forget my Dad asking me if I'd like to push my brother (who is a big ol'boy) around in a wheelchair for the rest of his life.

On the way back home from the field I told my brother I was sorry, and my bro says "it's ok"..... Wrong (but right) thing to say, cuz it wasn't "ok" and the lecture started all over again and lasted all the way back home, and then for another hour almost while sitting in the truck out in front of the house before we carried our gear and birds to the house.

I wasn't even allowed to carry my gun back in to the house.

Later in life, as I hunted and plinked with various other friends it was immediately obvious that they hadn't endured the same degree of training. Not even close. And I doubt that very many of these daily gun toters have, and that is exactly why I am against everyone packing guns.

Especially guys (and gals) that call their guns "weapons". To me that is a signal of a certain mindset that I am staunchly against.

It's not a "weapon" until you use it like one.