"He never imagined his .38 caliber gun would get anywhere close to his two sons."

[Robb]

Four-year-old shot in Tuckahoe, family speaks

HENRICO, VA (WWBT) - A four-year-old boy is recovering after he was accidentally shot inside his Tuckahoe home Saturday morning. Police were called to the home on Rolando drive off Patterson Avenue around 7:00 a.m.

The child's father, Willie Alley, says he always keeps his gun locked away. Now, he has a message for all parents who own a gun and have children in their home.

"Think twice about buying guns, I have," said Alley.

Alley says he never imagined his .38 caliber gun would get anywhere close to his two sons. He says his wife was home with the kids, ages four and 10. Somehow that gun went off and his four year old was shot in the leg.

Read More: http://www.nbc12.com/story/22095720/juvenile-shot-in-tuckahoe-believed-accidental

I've said it before: it is difficult for gun owners to imagine their guns doing anything wrong. Everyone thinks of themselves as a responsible gun owner. And many of them are. And many of them are not. And they all still think they are.

Until.

[malaise]

1. If parents can't hide Christmas presents from children

how the fuck can they hide guns. Keep guns away from children - stay away from guns.

[Warpy]

3. Kids are smart enough to pick simple locks

but they're not smart enough to be around any loaded gun without very close adult supervision.

Kids are magical thinkers who think life is like the cartoons. You can blow somebody away and they'll get up in the next scene, good as new.

[onehandle]

2. Guns doing what they do best. nt

[JI7]

4. i don't have kids but i use to be one and have been around a lot of kids

so i don't know how anyone can be surprised by this. kids like to play around and go everywhere. they are curious.

[Electric Monk]

5. Dunning–Kruger effect

re: Everyone thinks of themselves as a responsible gun owner. Many are, many are not ,and they all still think they are.

The Dunning–Kruger effect is a cognitive bias in which unskilled individuals suffer from illusory superiority, mistakenly rating their ability much higher than average. This bias is attributed to a metacognitive inability of the unskilled to recognize their mistakes.

Actual competence may weaken self-confidence, as competent individuals may falsely assume that others have an equivalent understanding. David Dunning and Justin Kruger of Cornell University conclude, "the miscalibration of the incompetent stems from an error about the self, whereas the miscalibration of the highly competent stems from an error about others".

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunning%E2%80%93Kruger_effect

[discntnt_irny_srcsm]

14. I have to agree with you here EM n/t

[TheCowsCameHome]

6. Guns in the home make everyone safer.

..or so some people claim.

[Robb]

7. Well, statistically, 75% of that household has never shot themselves.

I swear, some people are totally glass empty on this.

[Skittles]

8. it's like people who think they can text and drive

and they can.......until they can't

[SwissTony]

9. and "my dog wouldn't bite a child" people

and they don't...until they do.

PS I'm very much a dog person and owner of the most gentle, placid Dobie.

[Skittles]

13. awwwwww

I LOVE DOBIES!!!

http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/lifestyle/2013/04/pet-doberman-and-baby-girl-play-together/

[bunnies]

10. Im sorry but... This guy is a complete idiot.

First of all - the gun is obviously NOT "always" locked away as he admits that its been out of the safe for months. And secondly - he has no idea how a four year old could know how to use it?! Seriously?! Right. Because he certainly never could have seen it done. Not even on the teevee. Idiot.

[Orsino]

11. He wanted to believe the best of his loved one.

It's his family who can't be trusted, apparently.

The "somehow" just screams in this tale, doesn't it? Who was holding the fucking gun might be considered an important point.

[Generic Other]

12. At least he learned from his mistake

I respect that. He made the right call.