3-year-old boy fatally shot in the head after finding pink gun

[Robb]

GREENVILLE, S.C. -- The Greenville Police responded to a shooting at Haywood Plantation Apartments around 7:30 p.m. on Friday night.

A 3-year-old boy named Tmorej Smith was found dead with a single gunshot wound to the head.

Investigators say the child and a 7-year-old sibling were playing with a pink handgun that they thought was a toy when the gun went off.

The shooting has been ruled as accidental. No charges have been filed at this time and the investigation continues.

Read More: http://www2.wbtw.com/news/2013/feb/04/3/sc-3-year-old-shoots-himself-head-after-finding-pi-ar-5520710/

A pink handgun. For fuck's sake.

[ProdigalJunkMail]

1. i honestly don't know

but are there no laws about securing weapons in your home? wouldn't at the very least a criminal negligence charge be leveled at the owner of the weapon?

sP

[michreject]

137. I don't know about state laws

but even if there were, and got convicted, they could appeal the conviction.

In the Supreme Courts Heller decision, one of the Justices said that securing a gun was an undue burden as it took to long to bring into action. He joked about having to put on his glasses first then unlock the gun. It was too time consuming. (his words, not mine)

[ProdigalJunkMail]

139. wow...did not know that

I would be considered a gun-nut by a good portion of the people on this board, but all of my guns are locked securely in a fingerprint access safe...

sP

[slackmaster]

2. Basic gun safety should be taught in public schools

Anyone who is old enough to reproduce should have already been taught the importance of safe gun storage.

[Robb]

5. People who know better are a huge part of the problem.

Police, firearms instructors, former military. Training doesn't in any way guarantee people will behave in the safe ways their training told them to. It seems to matter not a whit.

I used to live in avalanche country, and we talked all the time about how so many of the people who were killed in avalanches were people with training, beacons, plans etc. But that day, or on several days but it caught up with them, they were in the wrong place and should have known better.

But those people really only killed themselves. These kids didn't deserve this.

[slackmaster]

6. If stupid people didn't reproduce, that would prevent their children from dying needlessly.

[Paladin]

12. Give It A Rest, Slack. (nt)

[slackmaster]

13. I haven't finished pissing you off yet, Paladin

[blue neen]

87. If stupid people didn't reproduce, that would prevent us from the plague of Wayne LaPierre.

[Walk away]

131. If stupid people didn't have access to guns....

maybe we should have a gun IQ test as well as background checks.

[Tempest]

9. A lot of fucking good it would have done here

How many 3 year olds do you know who are in school?

And how many 7 year olds do you know who would understand what they were being taught?

[SecularMotion]

82. You're talking to a spambot

http://www.google.com/search?q=%22Basic+gun+safety+should+be+taught+in+public+schools%22&sitesearch=democraticunderground.com

[Ed Suspicious]

101. Holy cows. That's pretty revealing. Thank you for posting. n/t

[aikoaiko]

107. Its a message that bears repeating.

[Chorophyll]

116. Wow.

Now I know. Thanks.

[MH1]

30. Maybe people who are too stupid to properly store a gun

shouldn't be allowed to own one.



Ok I'm really just throwing chum in the water here. I don't want to think about how THAT list would be made up.

I guess there could be a test before being allowed to purchase. Kind of like being tested for a driver's license.

Ok, now I'm running for the hills ...

[BlueStreak]

61. Maybe people who don't store guns safely should be held accountable for their crimes

When was the last time an irresponsible gun owner went to prison for this sort of thing?

It is like drunk driving. If people don't think there will be consequences, some people just won't do the right thing.

Let's see some consequences. Where are all the Paul Ryans now talking about "we just need to enforce the laws that are already on the books"? OK. Then do it.

[JI7]

115. don't they charge parents who leave their kids in a hot car ?

they should charge parents and other adults who leave their gun out in a way that results in the story in the OP.

[BlueStreak]

138. 'deed they do. And don't we require every car owner to hold an active insurance policy?

That should be an absolute minimum requirement for anybody who wants us to trust them with a firearm.

[Chorophyll]

56. Some of us who are old enough to reproduce don't keep guns around.

So there's that.

[LondonReign2]

63. "Basic gun safety should be taught in public schools"

No. Just no.

Setting aside that that this was 3 year old and your suggestion would be beyond useless, it is the gun owners who are responsible.

Prospective gun owners should have to complete a gun safety class before being allowed to acquire a gun (just like getting your driver's license).

Prospective gun owners should pay a meaningful fee to license their gun (just like registering your car).

Gun owners should have to pay a meaningful annual fee to renew their license (just like car owners), on a per gun basis (just like car owners).

Gun owners should be required to bring in their guns once per year to have them inspected to ensure they are still in safe working order, and pay a fee for this inspection (just like car owners getting their emmissions checked).

Gun owners should be required to purchase insurance to cover accidental mishaps (just like car owners).

Gun owners should have to renew their gun ownership license on a periodic basis, proving they are still capable of safely owning and operating the weapon (just like drivers licenses).

But fuck it, right? The answer is more guns and more guns and putting the burden on requiring school teachers to take time away from actual subjects so gun owners can feel better about their preciouses.

[slackmaster]

66. My suggestion was that the parents should have been taught basic gun safety

When they were in school.

Prospective gun owners should pay a meaningful fee to license their gun (just like registering your car).

Fuck that noise. The license fee for a vehicle entitles the owner to drive it on public roads, not to own it.

Gun owners should have to pay a meaningful annual fee to renew their license (just like car owners), on a per gun basis (just like car owners).

That's ridiculous.

Gun owners should be required to purchase insurance to cover accidental mishaps (just like car owners).

Most homeowners and many renters already have liability insurance. I do.

But fuck it, right? The answer is more guns and more guns and putting the burden on requiring school teachers to take time away from actual subjects so gun owners can feel better about their preciouses.

The answer is to stop spewing out lame ideas that are concocted with punitive intent rather than a real concern for public safety.

[LondonReign2]

75. Your suggestion is silly

>My suggestion was that the parents should have been taught basic gun safety When they were in school.

Those are public resources. Are you willing to pay additional taxes for this? And are you willing to pay additional taxes on top of that to provide safety classes to 1) people who did not go to public school, and 2) People no longer in school? Because if not, if you are not willing to mandate this and support in through taxes, you suggestion is as useful as the "voluntary pollution control" espoused by Bush.

>Fuck that noise. The license fee for a vehicle entitles the owner to drive it on public roads, not to own it.

Yes, the license fee entitles you to use the vehicle. Likewise, the gun license fee entitles you to use the gun. You just want to own it and not use it? Fine then, you do not have to pay the fee if you bring in the gun so the firing mechanism can be disabled. Should you decide later you want to use the gun, just bring it back and you can pay to have it put back in to working order.

>That's ridiculous.

Really? While "that's ridiculous" is certainly a powerful argument, perhaps you'd like to specify exactly why it is ridiculous to have to license a gun just as you do a motor vehicle.

>Most homeowners and many renters already have liability insurance. I do.

"Most" and "many" are not all. When I take my car in for service I am required to provide proof of insurance. Why shouldn't it be the same for guns?

>The answer is to stop spewing out lame ideas that are concocted with punitive intent rather than a real concern for public safety.

The requirements would strongly parallel those for owning and operating cars. Are vehicle registration laws punitive?

[slackmaster]

79. Your ideas are authoritarian

You just want to own it and not use it? Fine then, you do not have to pay the fee if you bring in the gun so the firing mechanism can be disabled.

Yet another reason to oppose gun registration. If you and your brown-shirted thugs don't know where they are, you can't force people to disable their weapons.

[LondonReign2]

85. LOL

Yeah, me and the other brown-shirted thugs down at the Department of Motor Vehicles just want to steal your precious, that's it.

Do you think motor vehicles laws are authoritarian? Or do you think, just maybe, they were put in place for, as you put it, "a real concern for public safety"?

The suggestions are eminently reasonable and have been in effect for a long time for motor vehicles. You don't see anyone screaming and getting the vapors and because they have to go through the registration process for their car.

All your 2nd Amendment rights are protected. You get to keep your precious. You can have as many as you want. You can buy as much ammunition as you want. You can shoot it as frequently or infrequently as you'd like. For public safety reasons, you just need to show that you are a responsible and safe gun owner.

Fact is, you really can't address any of the suggestions beyond "I don't want to!"

[slackmaster]

86. Once you start requiring a license in order to own something, owning it is no longer a right

It's a privilege.

Fact is, you really can't address any of the suggestions beyond "I don't want to!"

My position is far beyond not wanting to. I would refuse to, and I will fight your crazy ideas at every opportunity.

[LondonReign2]

88. It doesn't infringe on your rights whatsoever

Show me how any of the requirements would conflict with the wording of the 2nd Amendment.

These "crazy ideas" are already in place for vehicles. Nobody thinks they are crazy. Gun nuts just don't like the "well regulated" part of the 2nd.

[LondonReign2]

91. It doesn't answer the question

The proposals would in no way infringe upon your enumerated right to own and operate a gun. Which of the proposals conflict with your rights and in what way?


>Your intent is pure evil. I'll have nothing to do with your insane plan.

LOL, you have an interesting definition of "pure evil". Columbine was pure evil. Aurora was pure evil. Newtown was pure evil. Modest proposals to incrementally increase public safety and decrease gun violence don't quite measure up IMHO.

[apocalypsehow]

94. "Your intent is pure evil" - There you have it, fellow DU'ers: sensible gun legislation is "pure

evil." Straight from the keyboard of one of our "pro gun progressives."*

Note, too, the use of the NRA talking point about an "enumerated right." I would ask you, my fellow DU'ers, to Google that phrase + the term "gun," "gun rights," or "firearms" and see what kind of websites come up. It will be an eye-opener. And quite telling about this "pro gun progressive"** we have here on DU talking about how the kinds of legislation President Obama supports, among other liberals and progressives***, is "pure evil."



*( )

**( )

***( Genuine liberals and progressives, that is...)

[Ed Suspicious]

104. Hyperbole much? Your obsession with firearms is pure psychosis. nt

[frylock]

90. give me convenience, or give me death

keep digging, dude.

[BainsBane]

118. You call a license evil

but think nothing of promoting gun proliferation in schools, something that will inevitably lead to huge numbers of deaths. Your moral compass long ago went off its course.

Moreover, your argument doesn't hold water. Media outlets need licenses. That doesn't mean their right to free speech is henceforth a privilege. You refuse to consider basic competency for gun owners but insist tax dollars should be spent teaching children how to kill? At what point, if ever, do you consider basic humanity?

[Sancho]

93. slackmaster, you are simply wrong...

"those convinced against their will are of the same opinion still".

There is nothing authoritarian about reasonable rules, laws, and regulations for a dangerous product that is killing people.

I'm sure you won't likely change your stance, but it's time to get control of guns. Your emotional and irrational arguments are scary to me.

[energumen]

125. The license fee allows me to use my vehicle on public access roads

I am allowed to use my vehicle on personal property with no additional fees, insurance or licensing of any type.

I also find the idea of a paying a fee to exercise what is currently interpreted as a constitutional right somewhat troublesome. And by fee I am referring to a continuing tax to be allowed to maintain that right, not the reasonable fee for the background check.

[logosoco]

77. Actually, in my state, Missouri, there is a personal property tax

paid annually on any car or vehicle or mobile home titled in owners name. You could own a car and not drive it but you are still liable for the personal property tax. It does go down as the value of the vehicle goes down.

I know every state varies on how they tax people, but this is how it is in Mo.

[slackmaster]

80. Some states charge sales tax on food

That doesn't make it right.

[Ed Suspicious]

106. But there is no enumerated right in the constitution that guarantees you affordable food.

:snarkasm:

[Sancho]

92. Exactly...

[energumen]

130. I really dont understand the objection to basic gun safety for children.

Children do not need to be told how to use a weapon or that they are good or bad. Just education of the "don't touch it, don't be around anyone touching it, tell someone" variety. It would be not different in that respect from sexual abuse, drug abuse, or contraceptive education. Something designed to prevent harm to our children.

[Logical]

65. Only voluntary after school IMO. n-t

[BainsBane]

120. guns should be no where near schools

And what do you propose to eliminate in order to fund murder training for children? Math, science, athletics, art, music? Why not give up the pretense of education at all and just send babies straight to the military?

[Logical]

121. LOL, over the top much. n-t

[BainsBane]

123. How is it over the top?

The fetish you people have for guns is bad enough. But when you want to spread it to the nation's children, that is beyond the pale.

You haven't said what you would cut to pay for it. And how about the exponential increase in gun deaths and injuries that would result? This is beyond your idea of "rights." This is promoting policies that will only lead to more deaths. There is nothing funny about any of this. It's a deadly matter.

[Logical]

126. The anti-gun rants are as nutty as the gun rants at times. n-t

[BainsBane]

127. my rants don't lead to deaths

and there is nothing nutty about them. Your effort to establish a false equivalency is absurd. Promoting gun proliferation in schools will lead to more dead children. That is a fact. I am not the radical here. You are supporting a policy far to the right of anything the NRA has proposed.

[Logical]

133. Telling kids to stay away from guns they see in a friends house or a uncles house is not stupid....

and might save some kids. People have guns, fact. And I said after school and voluntary.

[Ganja Ninja]

72. I think it's just plain old laziness.

People know better but they're just too fucking lazy to unload the gun and put it away. Either that or they lack the common sense to responsibly own a gun. This is not an accident it's manslaughter. The person responsible for that gun should go to jail.

[JI7]

113. anyone who needs to be taught in a class to know not to leave a gun with a 3 year old

shouldn't have a gun at all.

[Phillip McCleod]

134. that gets to the heart of it.

[BainsBane]

117. in schools? That is completely twisted

That is absolutely perverse. We can't afford basic education in math, reading, and the arts and you want to teach children how to kill. All we need is to further institutionalize that disgusting level of violence.

How about restoring our First Amendment rights so gun companies can be sued for manufacturing guns that look like toys and make them subject to the same liability laws every other business is.


That is the sickest post I have ever seen on this website.

[ManiacJoe]

119. You have an odd sense of what gun safety is.

> and you want to teach children how to kill.

Gun safety is all about how NOT to kill.

[BainsBane]

122. Guns kill

That is their purpose and the reason for their design. They have no other function. If your intent is something else, you're using the wrong instrument. Gun safety should indeed be a requirement for gun owners, for ADULTS. But to federalize teaching children to shoot is repulsive. Your efforts to evangelize gun culture are not acceptable.

Spare your face palm. The idea that you people would propose such a thing makes me physically ill. It's not enough we have the highest murder rate in the industrialized world and that more pre-school age children die from guns than police on active duty. You insist on further gun proliferation, promoting policies that can only lead to more deaths of children. Is it completely impossible to get past your fetish for guns long enough to think about children's lives? Not everyone wants their children to lead a life that revolves around violence. We have a right for our children to learn in a safe environment, not one filled with guns to satisfy the bloodlust of the gun lobby.

[ManiacJoe]

135. You still don't get it.

> But to federalize teaching children to shoot is repulsive.

Gun safety and marksmanship are two different things. You seem confused.

> Is it completely impossible to get past your fetish for guns long enough to think
> about children's lives? Not everyone wants their children to lead a life that revolves around violence.

This is the purpose of gun safety. Sounds like you want to join the cause.

[Squinch]

129. If you need schooling to tell you not to leave a pink gun, that looks like a toy, in a place

that is accessible to a 3-year-old, you are too stupid to be trusted with a gun.

If you need schooling to tell you not to leave ANY gun where a 3-year-old can get at it, you are too stupid to be trusted with a gun.

[Arkansas Granny]

3. Not just a pink handgun, but a *loaded* pink handgun which was accessible to children.

Irresponsible gun owners should be charged for the deaths or injuries caused by their negligence.

[proud2BlibKansan]

55. They should be fined and their guns should be taken away

If you aren't smart enough to keep your gun away from a kid, you shouldn't be allowed to own a gun.

[Arkansas Granny]

67. When their negligence results in the death or injury of a child, or anyone else for that matter,

there should be jail time involved, not just a fine.

[libtodeath]

4. I don`t give a crap what anyone thinks,there is no reason to make a real gun to appear

in any way to be a toy,that is just sadistic and not only should they be illegal whoever made this one should face criminal negligence charges.
Unfucking believable.

[Auntie Bush]

99. So should the mother. I'm sure the pink gun belonged to her.

Why isn't she charged with manslaughter? If someone kills someone accidentally in a car...they are charged with manslaughter...why not this women?

[libtodeath]

105. Exactly,the same should apply in every incident like this when a gun is not locked up.

[davsand]

7. I had to go look for images for this story. Who the hell NEEDS a pink gun???

It looks like a freaking toy to me--and I'm adult! I have no idea how those kids got access to it, but I'm not surprised they thought it was something to play with!






Laura

[slackmaster]

8. A serious answer for your cogitation

Firearm instructors use brightly colored MOCK weapons for training purposes.



A real, working firearm in an unconventional color is a fashion accessory.

[davsand]

10. Makes sense to have non-functional mock-ups for training.

Makes NO sense to me to have colored guns as a stupid fashion statement. WHO DOES that? Seriously...





Laura

[slackmaster]

11. I think people who do that are trying to express their individuality

Just like everyone else.

[Paladin]

15. Give It A Rest, Slack. (nt)

[Chorophyll]

58. +100 nt

[jmg257]

19. Sure expressed their individuality well - we all know it was THEIR kid that got shot.

Dumbasses.

[EOTE]

69. Yeah, I can hardly think of a better way to say "I'm a criminally negligent asshole." than owning

one of those. God bless that rugged individualism.

[LanternWaste]

71. There may be almost as many people who would attempt to rationale it...

I imagine there are indeed, a handful of individuals who are unable to express the fact they are individuals unless they posses a uniquely colored firearm.

There may be almost as many people who would attempt to rationale it.

[jberryhill]

14. Ah, you have not seen the Hello Kitty AR-15 mod

The Second Commandment of the Constitution of the United States of Jesus requires them.

[davsand]

18. And some of us wonder how the gun culture got so f**ked up...

Cartoon guns--with scopes, I might add--and fashion accessory pink handguns! Geesh.

I grew up with guns, I have a brother who is an NRA member, weapons safety instructor, and marksman--and even I am appalled at this. I have always fallen outside the mainstream Progressives because I did support the idea of gun ownership. Still do--within reason.

Having SAID that, I am just nauseated by this kind of crap. Guns are not like shoes or jewelry--they are a serious weapon with a deadly purpose. You don't give them to kids, and you don't just leave them laying around like a pair of old socks or pantyhose. Makes no sense to me that you should be turning them into something other than what they are.





Laura

[Blue_Tires]

108. Well, from the gunmaker's standpoint:

People are going to buy, and there are a lot of competitors out there...Anything new, unique customizable or interesting that draws new buyers willing to pay a premium is good for business... Is "I want it in pink" any more or less silly than "I want it in a Navy MARPAT camouflage"?...And that's not just guns; that's almost any industry...

[DisgustipatedinCA]

112. And from a cigarette maker's standpoint, Joe Camel was great for selling smokes

But Joe isn't around anymore. Do you know why?

[Blue_Tires]

114. Yeah, I know...

I wasn't excusing anything, just trying to explain the reasoning behind custom colors and patterns...

Yeah, a kid could see a pink gun as a harmless toy, but the responsibility still falls on the assclown who didn't secure his/her instrument of death with toddlers around...

[gollygee]

16. That absolutely looks like a toy

and I can see why kids would see it and want to play with it. So much is wrong with this. It should have been locked up. It shouldn't have been loaded. It shouldn't have looked like a toy. If kids were living in a house with guns, they should have been educated about staying away from guns.

[slackmaster]

22. I don't care what it looks like. It's a deadly weapon and must be kept secured at all times.

[jberryhill]

43. Too bad that Glock's idea of a "safety" is f*cked

If it had a real safety, the odds of the child releasing it would be a lot lower. But... no.... Glock's idea of "safety" is "the gun goes off if you pull the trigger". Genius!

[Whisp]

31. the target market is women.

sell sell sell and unfortunately there are also some really stupid dumbass women in this world that would leave a pink loaded gun with kids around and buy into the NRA fear.

fucking crazy world.

[michreject]

136. I shoot with a lady friend

She has a pink gun, pink holster, pink range bag and a pink magazine.

It's not my taste.

[Lizzie Poppet]

17. This is why I've always thought "toy colored" guns are a bad idea.

Yes, I chuckled the first time I saw a Hello Kitty modded AR15...but then it occurred to me that a little kid would very likely assume it was a toy gun, not a real one. No big deal if properly secured - or there aren't kids around - but not enough people properly secure their firearms (a pet peeve of mine among my fellow gun owners...).

[Initech]

132. Absolutely without question.

I don't want to nitpick the second amendment - I've done that enough already - but I absolutely do think that any weapon that could be mistaken for a toy can and should be banned- zero tolerance.

[HockeyMom]

20. Maybe we need universal IQ TESTS

besides a Background Tests. This woman was a MOTHER? She never set foot in a TOY STORE and saw all the PINK Little Girls toys? Just a regular real black LOADED gun accessable to a child is a accident waiting to happen, but a PINK one which looks even MORE like a toy?

Parents who do this should not only have their guns taken away, they should be prosecuted.

[leftynyc]

21. This is where the law needs to change

A gun was left where children could get to it and get shot and nobody gets charged? Accidental shooting? That's bullshit. Time to charge whoever left the gun around and take away any other children they may have as they are obviously shitty parents.

[HockeyMom]

35. It probably could be under Criminally Negligent Homicide

and it SHOULD be. They probably don't want to bring charges though. Upset too many gun owners. Look how they fought against mandated gunlocks?

[NCTraveler]

96. I believe that this probably is illegal.

The prosecutor must decide if they can successfully press charges. They have to determine if a jury will find them guilty of criminally negligent homicide. While the reasons for the charge can legally be met, the defense will be able to play to the jury. The parents lost their child and now you people are going to send them to jail.

But to go to the begin inning, I do believe this meets the threshold for criminally negligent homicide.

[leftynyc]

109. That's the jury's problem

We can only ask they be tried for their crimes. I would also take any other children away from them.

[NCTraveler]

110. When determining to press charges or not it is the prosecutors problem.

They have limited resources and must act accordingly. I do think the environment in the home should be looked at by the state with respect to the children. I am sure a state worker will pay them a visit.

[Recursion]

23. I've seen dozens of posts on DU suggesting guns should be required to be pink

That aside, this is definitely something that needs to be worked on: it should be 100% obvious at first glance whether an object is an actual firearm or a toy/replica. This is well within Congress's regulatory power.

[Robb]

24. The color is appalling, but really not the problem.

Kids don't care what color a gun is, they play with it anyhow.

Here's a few 3- and 4 year-olds who shot themselves in the last two weeks. No pink guns.

http://www.beaumontenterprise.com/news/crime/article/Child-fatally-shot-in-head-in-accidental-shooting-4245703.php
http://www.dodgeglobe.com/article/20130201/NEWS/130209859/-1/news
http://www.kqcd.com/News_Stories.asp?news=61842
http://www.mysuncoast.com/news/south_newsroom/father-of-boy-who-shot-himself-in-the-head-arrested/article_8b8dfcd8-665d-11e2-b94f-001a4bcf6878.html
http://www.ohio.com/news/local-news/shooting-death-of-akron-boy-4-ruled-homicide-1.367635
http://www.delmarvanow.com/article/20130124/WIC/301240040/
http://www.denverpost.com/breakingnews/ci_22438128/toddler-shot-foot-handgun-fountain
http://www.ohio.com/news/break-news/akron-man-charged-in-fatal-shooting-of-son-4-1.367287
http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/341907

[Recursion]

25. Yes, accidents with found guns are how most child firearm deaths happen

Unfortunately, the only organization with a national education program that works against this is neither Brady nor VPC, but the NRA.

[Robb]

26. How exactly does the NRA's national education program "work" to prevent this?

[Recursion]

27. By teaching kids "Don't Touch, Leave the Area, Tell an Adult Immediately"

It's called the Eddie Eagle Firearms Safety Program. It's provided for free to schools nationwide, and it's been found to be very effective.

Troublingly, VPC is actually against teaching children this.

[Robb]

28. Forgive me, but who found it to be effective?

And how is it actually helping?

[Rex]

32. You mean you never heard of Eddie the Eagle?

http://eddieeagle.nra.org/

Looks to be about as effective as when Nancy told us youngins to, 'just say no'.

[Recursion]

36. Lots of law enforcement agencies have. Academy of Pediatrics is ambivalent

And, yes, it may end up going the way of "stop drop and roll": good idea that doesn't turn into practical behavior as much as we like.

I repeat: what are Brady and VPC doing to teach children not to touch guns?

[Robb]

39. So no data, you just hear tell the NRA program is a good one.

Okey doke.

[Recursion]

42. You're right. It's stupid to teach kids not to touch guns.

It's so much better to just wish those guns would go away.

[Robb]

45. No, it's stupid to entrust our children's safety with the N fucking RA.

Which is your current best suggestion.

...Are you kidding??

[Recursion]

47. Then get one of the organizations that allegedly cares about this to do something

The NRA is doing this because VPC and Brady can't seem to be bothered to.

[Robb]

50. You think the NRA cares about our children? Really?

[Recursion]

52. Yes

I actually do. I think they're very wrong about how to achieve it in many ways, but they do want fewer people to die from gun violence than currently do.

If you can't see that, stop posting about this for a little bit until you can think more clearly.

Nobody in this debate wants children to be shot. Can you at least grasp that as a fact?

[Robb]

59. Yeah, and BP didn't want an oil spill.

But where the rubber meets the road, neither will expend any effort to prevent catastrophe if it cuts into the bottom line.

One of us isn't thinking clearly, that much is certain.

[Rex]

81. +1

BP and Halliburton were so sorry...they got caught.

[apocalypsehow]

95. It's not that they WANT them to be shot: it's that they simply don't care if in ANY WAY

those tragic deaths lead to sensible gun legislation that might infringe in the slightest way, manner, shape, or form on the deadly little hobby the nation's "RKBA enthusiasts" somehow think is their birthright to inflict on the rest of us in the civilized world.

So, no, I don't concede "Nobody in this debate wants children to be shot" when it comes to the gun lobby: not caring is the moral equivalent of the same, and the gun lobby doesn't give a damn about those innocent kids if it means some sensible action to cut down on gun-related bloodshed and carnage is undertaken legislatively.

And, oh yeah: fuck the NRA. Got it?

[MH1]

34. Funny, my PARENTS taught me that, and neither was an NRA member,

and they didn't have to pay anyone else to teach me.

Subsequently I did my military service as a good citizen and learned a few more nuances.

[Rex]

51. I just discovered on my own that firearms are dangerous.

It was kinda a no brainer...even at a very young age I knew they were used to kill people. The NRA is making money, something they love doing, off this idea of pretending children will just leave a firearm alone. Because they say so.

About as stupid as when Nancy Reagan told us all to just, 'say no'.

[Chorophyll]

60. Troublingly, if the NRA didn't see to it that so many Americans were brainwashed into thinking

they needed guns, Eddie the freaking Eagle would be completely unnecessary.

Troublingly (hm, not a real word) most schools are running low on toilet paper, textbooks, and lunch programs, but whatever.

[Rex]

29. It appears to only be offered to children from pre-k to 3rd grade.

For a nominal fee of course.

[Recursion]

33. Mmhm. And what are VPC or Brady doing to teach kids not to touch guns?

Their charter is to reduce gun deaths, yes? This is the number one gun-related killer of children.

[Rex]

38. So after 3rd grade you are on your own?

Why? Are 4th graders expected to know by then? Sounds a little like target marketing, but I'm sure that is not the goal.

[Recursion]

40. I give up. You're right. It's stupid to teach kids not to touch guns

I swear this board's brains shut off when guns are involved.

[Rex]

44. Why? You don't like what I point out so you 'give up'?

Fine. I don't care really. Pretend that is what they are doing all you want to. Seems no one is buying what you are selling.

[libtodeath]

49. No,just bs is called bs when it is posted

[Chorophyll]

62. No, but it's stupid to invite the NRA in to do it.

Fortunately, my parents believed that only idiots kept guns around their children, so I was ahead of the game.

Hey, maybe now that they've cut the algebra requirement for public schools in California, they can teach them DON'T TOUCH THE GUN instead. Because schools have nothing better to do.

[Robb]

41. Please see the chart below; accidents are not "the number one gun-related killer of children."

[Robb]

37. Also, accidents are terrible, but they are not "most" deaths for children

...of any age group.

[Recursion]

46. Thank you. I misremembered. *obviously* it's OK for only 3000 children to die by firearm accident

I don't know why I thought that TEACHING CHILDREN NOT TO TOUCH FIREARMS THEY FIND could even possibly be a good thing.

[Hoyt]

48. The Eddie Eagle "Safety" Program is just more NRA lobbying/promotional BS.

"Rather than recognizing the inherent danger firearms in the home pose to children, and the often irresponsible firearms storage behavior of adults, the Eddie Eagle program places the onus of safety and responsibility on the children themselves."

"The primary goal of the National Rifle Association's Eddie Eagle program is not to safeguard children, but to protect the interests of the NRA and the firearms industry by making guns more acceptable to children and youth. The Eddie Eagle program employs strategies similar to those utilized by America's tobacco industry—from youth "educational" programs that are in fact marketing tools to the use of appealing cartoon characters that aim to put a friendly face on a hazardous product. The hoped-for result is new customers for the industry and new members for the NRA."

See more at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/paul-helmke/nras-eddie-eagle-doesnt-f_b_572285.html

http://www.vpc.org/fact_sht/eddiekey.htm

How about we put programs in schools that helps the next generation understand guns are bad for society.

[Rex]

54. You know...all that talk about guns and yet

not to have one or be around one or have even a fake one on Eddie the Eagle...gee I hope the kids don't get curious. Kinda defeats the purpose imo. More NRA propaganda imo, has nothing to do with saving children.

[LanternWaste]

73. I was under the impression Project ChildSafe is neither sponsored by, not affiliated with the NRA

I was under the impression Project ChildSafe is neither sponsored by, not affiliated with the RW political action committee known as the NRA, but by a Sports Shooting organization instead...

However, I do realize we often only see that which better validates our world-views; it's a human trait...

[Rex]

74. We are all egocentric to some extent.

Some more than others.

[Recursion]

76. Cool, didn't know about that one

Thanks!

[LanternWaste]

100. Often, when I lack absolute information on a thing

Often, when I lack absolute information on a thing, I try not to base any emphatic statements (like "X is the only...&quot on that lack of knowledge so as I don't look like an idiot with an agenda...

[Robb]

78. The National Shooting Sports Foundation is also a RW political action committee.

Its history of supporting right-wing legislation is widely known. Pretending otherwise is dishonest.

[LanternWaste]

98. My only point being that the NRA is not indeed the only national education program for firearm safet

My only point being that the NRA is not indeed the only national education program for firearm safety training.

Inferring that someone pretended to know or not know a thing is also somewhat disingenuous... or simply an idiotic presumption.

Your little reverse Fonzie thingy is cool. You've got that going for you...

[SheilaT]

53. To all of the responders who were so upset that this gun was pink:

It's not as though regular black guns are so obviously real that little children automatically leave them alone and that no child is ever "accidentally" killed by a regular black gun.

Once again, if a gun were not in the household, this couldn't have happened. Period.

[joeybee12]

57. Remember when Asshat Nancy reagan revealed she carried a gun?

It was a "teeny little thing" she claimed, with a pearl handle. What an asshat.

[valerief]

64. NO CHARGES???? Didn't it belong to someone who made it available to kids???? nt

[kestrel91316]

68. The gun's owner, if s/he can be found, needs to be charged with

negligent homicide at the very LEAST.

But it seems like we give negligent, irresponsible gun owners a complete pass in the US.

But boy, we sure do teach those casual pot smokers a lesson.

[rightsideout]

70. Ya-da-ya-da-ya-da

Since American society is so freakin' into their guns, stories like this are just going to happen over and over. It's getting to be a bore. Yawn.

If gun fanatics insist on arming America to the hilt then these things will happen . . . everyday.

So why get so upset and shocked about it.

As a matter of fact, it's time to be submissive to the gun fanatics and let them have their way and live with the resulting carnage. They won. They've flooded the US with so many guns there's nothing that can be done about it now. Let them be their manly man macho selves swaggering around packing heat like they own the place. The carrying white male is all knowing. He's the All American gun hero. We should bow down before him and worship his precious guns. He's our protector. If something happens that's just collateral damage to protect our freedoms.

If you accept that then incidents like this won't matter. It's probably what God intended anyway.

[libodem]

83. Tell me again what part

Of a well regulated militia pink guns and three year olds, belong to?

[Tanuki]

84. And in Florida, it would have been illegal for this family's pediatrician

to ask whether there were guns in the home and discuss gun safety as a public health issue. I don't know whether S.C, where this tragic story occurred, has similar NRA-drafted laws, but I agree with others who have said there need to be stiff penalties on adults who leaved unsecured weapons where children can access them. How incredibly irresponsible to have left something so lethal that looked like a plaything lying around. In my area, there was a great hue and cry (as well there should have been) a couple of years ago in the media over novelty cigarette lighters that looked like toys. This was a tragedy waiting to happen and I hope something good can come of it by raising the awareness of others.

[Ilsa]

111. I know doctors in FL can't ask, but can they

Give a short lecture which would include some statistics on the number of children accidentally killed by their relative's guns? They wouldn't be gathering data, just giving a good warning, like what happens when you dont vaccinate, etc.

[LeftInTX]

97. It would be nice if there were televised PSAs about gun safety

In the same manner that the Ad Council has Drug Free.org ads.

The ads could be short sweet and effective.

Unfortunately, the NRA would fight it.

[Nye Bevan]

102. Whoever left that gun out should go to prison for manslaughter (nt)

[Glimmer of Hope]

124. Yep. And the manufacturer needs to be sued for making a lethal weapon that looks like a toy.

[AndyA]

128. Another tragedy brought to you by a responsible gun owner

Who just left their pink gun within reach of children in the house.

Seriously, if they are that stupid after all the children who've been killed because someone left a gun where they could get to it, they should have their guns taken away from them forever. They are too STUPID to own a gun.

Edit to add: I feel bad that the kid won't have the chance to live their life, and I hope the friend will be able to get past the memory of seeing a friend kill himself.