Sheriff: Father said he was trying to make gun safe when he shot toddler daughters

[billh58]

COLUMBIA, S.C. -- A South Carolina sheriff says a father told deputies he was trying to make sure a gun was safe when he accidentally fired the weapon, killing his 2-year-old daughter and wounding her 4-year-old sister.

Richland County Sheriff Leon Lott said in a news release Friday that the man also shot himself in the hand during the incident at a Columbia townhome around 6:30 p.m. Thursday. The weapon that fired was a handgun, sheriff’s officials told CBS affiliate WLTX.

Richland County Coroner Gary Watts says Heaven Miller died from a gunshot to her upper body. The other child suffered non-life-threatening injuries, officials told the station.

Lott says the shooting appears to be an accident, but his deputies are continuing to investigate.

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/toddlers-shot-south-carolina-father-said-he-was-trying-to-make-gun-safe-when-he-shot-toddler-daughters/

Appears to be an accident...? Accidental discharge...? Responsible gun owner...? No words...

[3catwoman3]

1. Why the bloody bleeping hell...

...would he be doing anything with his gun while he was near his daughters?!

Damn it all to hell, these stories infuriate me. Accident my ass. This is negligence, pure and simple.

[demigoddess]

6. [phone]

he was more interested in the gun that taking care of his children. Like playing with an atom bomb in the middle of a playground with kids present.

[longship]

3. We was just playing. I went "bang-bang" and the gun went BANG!

[kacekwl]

4. So sad

These idiots NEVER learn.

[johnp3907]

5. "The weapon that fired..."

How about "The weapon that HE fired...." or "The weapon that WAS fired...? After all, guns don't kill people, right?

[struggle4progress]

7. No more worrying that the gun could injure the toddler

[guillaumeb]

8. The argument is that most gun owners are responsible.

But when they are not, the consequences can be fatal.

[billh58]

10. Statistics on Guns in the Home & Safe Storage

Unsafe storage practices are also a key contributor to gun violence death and injury, particularly among vulnerable populations like children. A study published in the Journal of Pediatrics regarding adult firearm storage practices found that over 1.69 million American children and minors are living in homes with loaded and unlocked firearms. Another study similarly reported that “of the homes with children and firearms, 55% were reported to have one or more firearms in an unlocked place,” and 43% reported keeping guns without a trigger lock in an unlocked place.
http://smartgunlaws.org/guns-in-the-homesafe-storage-statistics/

"Most gun owners are responsible"...?

I believe the better (more charitable) way to say that is "many gun owners are responsible, but not nearly enough."

[guillaumeb]

11. Very charitable.

Only 1.69 million children?

How many of these children contribute to political campaigns?

[drray23]

9. its not an accident.

If you are stupid enough to point your gun in the direction of another person, let alone toddlers when you are trying to make it "safe", you should be charged for involuntary manslaughter at least.