Six year old shot and killed in KY

[walton6467]

http://clarksvillenow.com/local/6-year-old-hopkinsville-girl-dies-from-gunshot/

 

This is so tragic.

 

The story relates that the child picked up a gun left out by the grandfather. I'm of the opinion the grandfather should face charges for not securing the gun. Your thoughts?

[Romad7]

Everyday I think about where my guns are and their condition. My 1 year old daughter is starting to climb things so I had to move one gun to a better spot. Even though she doesn't have the strength to rack a slide or pull a double action revolver trigger, it's my job to make sure she can never be in contact with any of my guns.

The guy in the story was responsible for the locations of all his guns but I don't think jail time can compare to what he has to now live with. Maybe he should be put on the list to not be able to own guns, I don't know...

[Dolomite`s Breezy]

I don't understand why this is still happening..

 

I know he has to live with it for the rest of his life.. but he still needs to be punished.

Being careless or ignorant about where you put your weapon is no excuse.

You HAVE to know where you gun is at all times when you have kids around.

 

So sad  but so avoidable..

[HvBikeWlTravel]

It is sad ....... and maddening, the carelessness. But I think most realize when it comes to Kids, it only takes a few seconds of distraction or forgetfulness for tragedy to strike.  More Guns, more Cars, more drug-influenced individuals equals a much more dangerous World, especially for Kids.

[Guest nra37922]

The 4 year old boy will carry this with him for the rest of his life.  Poor poor child.

[Hozzie]

He should go to jail just like anyone else directly responsible for the death of another.  Ignorance and sympathy isn't a reason not to put him in jail.  I don't care if he has to live with it or not, that's not a defense of being negligent to the point it took someone's life.

[Trekbike]

I'm of the opinion the grandfather should face charges for not securing the gun. Your thoughts?

 

 

He should go to jail just like anyone else directly responsible for the death of another.  Ignorance and sympathy isn't a reason not to put him in jail.  I don't care if he has to live with it or not, that's not a defense of being negligent to the point it took someone's life.

 

This is a very sad tragedy to say the least.  I'm asking this more as a question, is the responsibility for this tragedy really any different than say, a homeowner that has a pool and a small child drowns because of inattention?   IMO I'm not sure that there is, but there seems to be more outrage when a firearm is involved than say the pool in my example.    

[walton6467]

This is a very sad tragedy to say the least.  I'm asking this more as a question, is the responsibility for this tragedy really any different than say, a homeowner that has a pool and a small child drowns because of inattention?   IMO I'm not sure that there is, but there seems to be more outrage when a firearm is involved than say the pool in my example.    

No difference, and doesn't change my mind. Inattention is inattention. If you lock and fence your pool and pay attention, people don't drown. If you secure your guns and pay attention, children don't get shot.  

[Dennis1209]

When a family accidental looses a child due to careless storage of a firearm, poison, etc. Does it really do any good to the grieving family to prosecute bad judgment?

[GlockSpock]

I suppose the question is what do you attempt to accomplish by prosecuting. Are we trying to punish negligence or deter negligence? 

 

When I was a kid I was waiting in the car to go someone with my Dad. I thought it'd be cool to try and shift the gears in the car (key was in the ignition but was not started). I put it in neutral, and the vehicle started rolling backwards down the hill. By father caught on very quickly (he was inside but heard me yell). He caught up to the vehicle and managed to apply the brake. However, what if he was inside and could not hear me and the car rolled all the way down the hill. Now, it'd be a long shot but in certain scenarios either myself or someone else could have died. Should we punish father's who leave their 5 year old kids in the cars for 5 minutes before a trip in that scenario? Where do we draw the line between negligence that can be prosecuted and negligence that is considered an accident? Knives left on the counter? Bathtubs left unlocked? Toys that present choking hazards kept unlocked?

 

If you are trying to deter negligence, well if the thought of loosing a precious child does not cause someone to keep guns out of reach from their children, do you think that criminal actions would? Perhaps, but to me the though of a loved one accidentally dying because of my negligence is scarier than the though that I might serve jail time.

 

Also, charging an adult for leaving a gun out and a child dying isn't too far off from charging an adult for "allowing thieves access" to a gun in their house or car.

[Volzfan]

What a shame.

[RED333]

My prays to the family.

[Pcdokk]

Such a tragedy, and as others have said punishing the grandfather for leaving a weapon accessible makes as much sense as punishing someone who owns a pool where a drowning occurred. Everyone involved in this sad event will carry this with them to their grave. I can't think of a punishment any more severe than that.

[peejman]

I think he should be charged, but prison isn't going to accomplish anything.  Sentence him to community service.  Make him become a speaker and tell this story and (hopefully) educate and inform others to they might learn from his mistakes.  An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of detection. 

 

 

I suppose the question is what do you attempt to accomplish by prosecuting. Are we trying to punish negligence or deter negligence? 

 

When I was a kid I was waiting in the car to go someone with my Dad. I thought it'd be cool to try and shift the gears in the car (key was in the ignition but was not started). I put it in neutral, and the vehicle started rolling backwards down the hill. By father caught on very quickly (he was inside but heard me yell). He caught up to the vehicle and managed to apply the brake. However, what if he was inside and could not hear me and the car rolled all the way down the hill. Now, it'd be a long shot but in certain scenarios either myself or someone else could have died. Should we punish father's who leave their 5 year old kids in the cars for 5 minutes before a trip in that scenario? Where do we draw the line between negligence that can be prosecuted and negligence that is considered an accident? Knives left on the counter? Bathtubs left unlocked? Toys that present choking hazards kept unlocked?

 

 

This exact thing happened when I was a kid.  A neighbor boy was playing in his Dad's car.  He knocked it out of gear and the car rolled down the driveway, across the street, and into our driveway where it hit my Dad's truck.  The damage to the vehicles was minor, but had a child been in the middle he/she surely would've been killed. 

[battleop]

http://clarksvillenow.com/local/6-year-old-hopkinsville-girl-dies-from-gunshot/

 

This is so tragic.

 

The story relates that the child picked up a gun left out by the grandfather. I'm of the opinion the grandfather should face charges for not securing the gun. Your thoughts?

 

If more people were punished for carelessly leaving guns laying around more people would probably think again about not securing their guns.

[VERO1]

Having moved here from Florida, this person would be charged. The stores are required to furnish a lock with each gun purchase. It is your responsibility to make sure little hands donot have access to your firearm. No sympathy for Grandpa here, he was an idiot! Would you leave the child unattended with a running lawnmower?

[Oh Shoot]

Having moved here from Florida, this person would be charged. The stores are required to furnish a lock with each gun purchase. It is your responsibility to make sure little hands donot have access to your firearm. No sympathy for Grandpa here, he was an idiot! Would you leave the child unattended with a running lawnmower?

 

Yeah, FL is one of 10 or 12 states where having unsecured firearms can be a criminal offense.

 

Who knows if they actually help or not, though, as seems stats to compare would be pretty much impossible to compile, since even if you had every incidence of this kind of thing, you'd also have to consider gun ownership % vs population of each state too. Would be highly iffy at best, I'd think.

 

- OS

Edited July 2, 2013 by Oh Shoot