South Carolina girl, 8, dies after two shots to head

[onehandle]

Source: AP

CHESNEE, S.C. – A man put an 8-year-old girl in a headlock Wednesday and shot her to death, then shot himself in the stomach, authorities said.

The girl's father is dating Ricky Lee Blackwell's estranged wife. Spartanburg County deputies said Blackwell shot the girl twice in the driveway of a home where he had taken her and his estranged wife to swim and play. The home is in Chesnee, about 60 miles southwest of Charlotte, N.C.

Several adults and children saw the shooting and pointed officers toward Blackwell, investigators said.

Blackwell shot himself as police closed in. He was taken to a hospital but his condition wasn't released.

Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090709/ap_on_re_us/us_sc_girl_shot

[SkyDaddy7]

1. This is sick!

I am not for the death penalty but sometimes crap like this makes me want to reconsider. An 8yr old? WTF!

[zbdent]

2. he should have started with himself ...

[happygoluckytoyou]

13. ALL murder-suicides should start as suicide-murders.... it works out better for everyone !

[JayMusgrove]

70. Agreed, it's the proper way to go...if you want to go that way.

[bluestateguy]

3. This killer is going to get free health care

But a worker who obey's the law could be bankrupted by the same treatment.

[YOY]

6. Don't give them any ideas...

They'll take away the prisoners healthcare if given the chance.

[DrDan]

4. "more guns!!!" "less gun control!!"

wonder how that little 8-year old feels about that.

[Mad_Dem_X]

7. Jeez, if only the 8-year-old had had a gun

she could have defended herself. :sarcasm:

If this monster lives, he should be given the death penalty.

[hack89]

10. Since he could not legally own a gun due to his criminal record

what law do you propose that you think he would have obeyed?

[DrDan]

16. someone sold the gun to him

or he came into possession of it somehow

we need some control over these instruments of death

[winter999]

18. There's a nice, big Black Market for illegal arms and munitions.

This psycho could and did get a gun illegally. When Government controls/prohibits something, it only drives that something to the criminal underground. Just take Prohibition as an example. You only empower the criminal element (and enforcement).

I person determined to kill will find a way, no matter what. The gun was just a tool. If he hadn't had a gun, it probably would've used a knife or even bare hands.

[DrDan]

20. well rather than just accepting the fact that if someone wants to kill

they will find a way to do so (I am not convinced that is the case here) - then lets begin work to remove at least one way from the hands of these idiots. Perhaps that would save a few lives anyway.

To simply state that there are already many laws on the books and that one more will not do any good, why don't we work to get GOOD laws on the books.

Its long past time to look at the lack of control in this country.

[iverglas]

85. sadly, you don't understand (ed)

These murdered women and children - the usual victims in murder-suicides - are "collateral damage" / "fallout" from the "right" whose exercise the gun militants assert must not be interfered in.

Search this forum for those terms, and your stomach will turn.


edit: a sample from less than an hour ago:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=118&topic_id=237297&mesg_id=237530

[hack89]

19. So how do you control them

without infringing on the civil rights of responsible gun owners? Any specifics you might want to propose?

And why are you so sure that present gun laws are inadequate - have you considered that the lack of rigorous enforcement is the real problem here?

[DrDan]

22. I don't have the answer. Perhaps rigorous enforcement is the answer - I don't know

I just know that a less control (as condoned by NRA and many other gun-supporters) is not the answer.

I also know there is a dead 8-year old.

[hack89]

24. The NRA and most gun-supporters

are happy with present gun laws - the NRA, for example, supported strengthened NICS checks after the Va Tec shooting:

Senior Democrats have reached agreement with the National Rifle Association on what could be the first federal gun-control legislation since 1994, a measure to significantly strengthen the national system that checks the backgrounds of gun buyers.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/06/09/AR2007060901080.html

[DrDan]

25. of course they are - why would they not be

you can carry nearly anywhere - they are in old-west heaven

[hack89]

27. And the funny thing is

as gun ownership has skyrocketed the violent crime rate in America has gone down. Sound like the NRA is on the right track here.

[DrDan]

26. first gun-control legislation since 1994 - 15 years with no gun-control legislation

pretty telling - and sure was nice of the NRA to allow those more stringent checks to go forward. How many gun deaths/injuries were there in those 15 years that could have been prevented with some rational control.

[hack89]

28. That's Federal legislation

you are aware, aren't you, of the tens of thousands of local and state regulations?

Until you actually tell me what "rational control" means, I can't answer your question. What legislation do you want?

[DrDan]

30. some that work and prevent needless deaths like this one

I am not willing to accept some number of child deaths as a price to pay so insecure adults can have their guns via the cover of the 2nd amendment.

[hack89]

31. If you can't come up with a solution

why are you so sure that someone else can? You don't like guns - got it. You don't have a specific solution - got it.

Gun ownership in America is a civil right - that's what the "rights" in Bill of Rights is all about. Give me a solution that respects the Constitutional rights of responsible gun owners and I can take you seriously. If you are proposing a liberal Patriot Act to make me "safe" than I want nothing to do with you.

So, what legislation do you want?

[DrDan]

33. some that works and prevents these deaths

that is what I want.

I find it truly sad that gun-promoters are so willing to allow to happen and accept it as "the price we have to pay" - just so they can have their guns.

What are you willing to do to help prevent these deaths? Are you suggesting that they cannot be prevented?

[hack89]

35. It is hard to imagine how they can be prevented

when even an ardent gun regulator like yourself has no actual solution.

I am willing to lock away criminals with guns for a very long time as a deterrent. Isn't that the real problem here - criminals ignoring gun control laws?

[DrDan]

39. I think that is a great place to start - those that break the laws pay the price

I think it is in the wrong direction to expand where guns can be carried - ie Nat'l Parks.

and for states to allow concealed weapons without a permit.

[Fire_Medic_Dave]

42. Concealed carry permit holders are among the most law abiding citizens in the country.

They aren't the problem, even in a National Park or a bar.

[DrDan]

44. so why object to a permit?

[Fire_Medic_Dave]

46. I don't. What state is allowing that?

[DrDan]

49. Vermont and Alaska

[Fire_Medic_Dave]

53. I don't think that's a good idea, but I don't live in either place.

[DrDan]

55. nor do I

[Fire_Medic_Dave]

41. How about enforcing the current laws?

How about making it a mandatory 10 year sentence to be served consecutively with any other sentence day for day for a felon to be in possession of a firearm? How about aggressively prosecuting straw purchasers? How about improving the mental health care system in this country? Just a few of my thoughts.

David

[DrDan]

48. why limit it to felons? why not expand it to anyone selling to a felon?

and why the objection to gun registration? We register cars, pets and even bikes in some areas. Why not guns - they are much more worthy of tracking.

[slackmaster]

50. It's already illegal for any person to provide a gun to a person with a felony conviction

http://www4.law.cornell.edu/uscode/html/uscode18/usc_sec_18_00000922----000-.html

Scroll down to paragraph (d) and read.

[DrDan]

54. 39 states do not require backgound checks for private sales

As of 2009, 11 states require background checks on private sales at gun shows, or require that all sales be performed through a licensed dealer, who would be required to do a background check. There are 39 states that do not restrict private, intrastate sales

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gun_show

[slackmaster]

59. That is true

And the federal government has no authority to directly do anything about it. It could make the federal background check system (NICS) available to licensed collectors like me, and to private individuals who have used firearms to sell. Provisions to prevent misuse of the system would be needed, but it would help.

[Fire_Medic_Dave]

52. I mentioned straw purchasers. Anyone knowingly selling to a felon is already breaking the law.

I have no problem giving them very long mandatory sentences also. Guns that can be traced are easily traced now. Gun registration will never get through Congress and attaching it to a useful bill would kill that bill.

David

[DrDan]

58. absolutely - same problem we are facing with healthcare

the lobbyists are running the show

[Fire_Medic_Dave]

62. How are they running the show?

The NRA supported the NICS system.

[DrDan]

65. gun registration is impossible to pass - because the NRA is against it

[Fire_Medic_Dave]

66. The NRA would happily support the increased prison sentences lets get that done.

[DrDan]

67. that would be a start in the right direction

[slackmaster]

68. NRA is only about 3 million people

Gun registration is impossible to pass because a majority of the people are against it.

[DrDan]

72. 3 million of a population of 250 million - that's about 1%

[paulsby]

83. drowning

far more kids die from drowning (mostly in backyard pools and in bathtubs) than from firearms. and having a bathtub, swimming, and pools aren't a civil right. why are we willing to pay the price of all these drownings? ban pools and bathtubs. criminalize swimming by minors or allowing a minor to swim.

[villager]

69. The NRA is happy with most present gun laws? That's why they're suing to overturn them?

n/t

[hack89]

71. They are happy with Federal laws

they are suing those local governments that illegally restrict constitutional rights. Once the 2nd Amendment is incorporated these lawsuits will go away as they will be unnecessary.

[villager]

73. Except the ones, of course, they're not happy with, lobby against, etc.

n/t

[Fire_Medic_Dave]

79. Which current Federal laws are they seeking to have overturned?

[slackmaster]

36. It seems obvious to me that the problem was allowing a person with an extensive criminal record

To live outside of a prison.

[Fire_Medic_Dave]

37. Please educate yourself before posting.

[DrDan]

43. and your learned answer to this conundrum is . . .

more guns? less regulation?

[Fire_Medic_Dave]

51. Guns for the law abiding that want them. No guns for criminals and very long prison terms....

for criminals that choose to carry and use firearms. They account for the overwhelming majority of gun crime in general and gun homicides in particular. Better mental health care would be a big help. Allowing private sellers to use the NICS. Those would be a great start.

David

[DrDan]

57. how about guidelines (ie legislations) for how guns are to be stored in the homes

locked up, unloaded, trigger locks

[Fire_Medic_Dave]

60. I'm not keeping my guns stored like that, I have no reason to.

[slackmaster]

61. Heller v. DC pretty well nixed that idea

:D

[proteus_lives]

88. Pointless.

People wouldn't do it, I wouldn't use trigger locks or other such nonsense.

[Fire_Medic_Dave]

38. Self Delete.

[snooper2]

21. just like the government controls the flow of drugs- right?

:eyes:

[DrDan]

23. of course they don't - that has never been a serious effort in this country

[pipoman]

87. Has there been a serious effort in our prison systems?

I believe there has been a serious effort to control illegal drugs, alcohol, and weapons in our federal and state prison systems, yet all three are and have always been available even in the most secure police controlled environments in the country. The control of prohibited substances and objects can't be thwarted in these conditions, how can they be controlled in a free society? Answer...they can't.

This murder is a heinous act as is every child murder regardless the instrument. Children die at the hands of adults wielding knives, fists, blunt objects, shaking, etc...all are tragic. Accidental child shootings are very tragic. Accidental child drownings are also very tragic. Accidental child ATV fatalities are very tragic. Accidental child falls are very tragic. Accidental vehicle collisions resulting in child deaths are tragic.

Child gun deaths have declined dramatically over the past 3 decades even though the number of guns goes up every single year...guns are not made of milk, they don't spoil, they are durable and last many generations thus every year there are more guns than the previous year. How is it possible that gun deaths have declined with the ever increasing number of guns? Answer, the number has little to do with the statistics. Education has much to do with statistics. Who provides more gun safety education than any other organization on the planet? The NRA, hands down.

[HiDemGunOwner]

93. Huh?

Maybe I misunderstood your reply, but are you saying that currently there is no "serious effort" to control illegal drugs coming into this country, or that there are no "serious efforts" to control illegal drugs, or drug use, in the US?

If so, I think you are wrong. The US spends billions every year on interdiction efforts, with ever increasing sizes of seizures, yet that doesn't seem to stop either the use of drugs (i.e. the demand) or the number of seizures.

http://www.drugsense.org/wodclock.htm

http://www.drugpolicy.org/library/factsheets/economiccons/fact_economic.cfm

https://www.piersystem.com/go/doc/786/184995/

http://www.txdps.state.tx.us/director_staff/public_information/publications/chaparral/chap0707.pdf

Like the "war on drugs" the effort to prohibit the law-abiding citizen from owning a gun is destined to fail.

The one aspect of the gun-ban issue I fail to see addressed in this discussion is that of who is then responsible for a citizen's safety should a total gun prohibition be enacted? Since many guns (at least handguns) are for self defense purpose, what types of assurances for their safety would you suggest to those forced to give up their preferred means of self-defense? Will the "government" become responsible for my safety? Will they be held negligent if I am assaulted by a criminal who fails to turn in their gun and subsequently uses that illegal gun to harm me?

[eqfan592]

92. yeah, because those same controls....

...work so well with drugs, right?

Give me a break.

[mwb970]

5. This on top of the serial killer they just caught up with in SC.

I'm sorry, but it is impossible to avoid getting the impression that South Carolina is a horrifying cesspool of violent yahoos, ignorant religious wingnuts, gun nuts, and inbred hillbillies. It's time for you SC DUers to get on here and remind us that there is something decent about this God-forsaken hellhole. (If there is anything decent about it, that is.)

[AlexDeLarge]

8. Sorry, I;m not here to refute your statement. I want to add to it.

Isn't SC the state/place that the wacky overzealous Domino's CEO wanted to build his Christian mecca retreat/wonderland/...?

[Akoto]

34. Could be mistaken, but I think that's Florida.

I only remember because I'm unfortunate enough to live here. :P

[DrDan]

9. it's just their time in the spotlight

sometimes it's Florida, other times it's Georgia.

Let's not resort to these ridiculous generalizations.

There are plenty of the cretins to go around - in every state.

[izquierdista]

11. I couldn't tell you

I had to live there for 7 years, and aside from the beaches near Charleston, there's not much to see. Your impression will keep you out of a lot of trouble, as you won't be tempted to drive down a dirt road and see who lives in the trailer over yonder.

[Alcibiades]

12. The beaches are some of the best in the world

I like the seafood: Carolina shrimp tastes the best. Stephen Colbert is from Charleston. South Carolina also has some of the most lenient fireworks laws in the country, which I like personally, but is also a bit redneck. I like the food, but I grew up with it.

Also, please don't insult hill folk. In the first place, very little South Carolina is actually in Appalachia. Much of what is reprehensible about South Carolina is to be found in the Midlands and the Low Country. Hillbillies are actually more progressive than those folks.

All in all, though, South Carolina is a godforsaken place. Anyone with brains who is not tied there somehow leaves.

[Lucky Luciano]

17. I like Charleston a lot - you know - the historic district.

That historic district is so gorgeous and refreshing. There were some very nice restuarants there too - and they let my dog join my girlfriend and I in many of the ones with outdoor seating! I did notice that outside of the historic district in Charleston was not so nice. I drove back home to NYC by way of Route 17 near the coast to get a better look at the state - Not particularly scenic, but I like to explore every little detail of the US (and the world for that matter). Taking such long drives away from the interstate has given me so much perspective about so many places - if one has the time, it beats driving down the interstate and missing the whole country as it passes by.

[raccoon]

14. Well, there's me. And some other SC Du'ers. LOL :silly:

"there is something decent about this God-forsaken hellhole."

There has been more in the news lately about whackjobs in SC, however.



edited to add 2nd sentence.

[xchrom]

15. is south carolina the new florida?

my god what a horrifying thing to have happen. horrifying.

[Mopar151]

29. Same all over

Wherever poverty, ignorance, alcahol, and firearms collide.

[slackmaster]

32. Sheriff Wright said "I'd heard that boy's name before."

Would anyone care to take a wild guess as to Mr. Blackwell's skin tone?

[Name removed]

86. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[wizstars]

40. This murder brought to you by the NRA and its Congressional friends.....

WHEN ARE WE GOING TO GET SENSIBLE GUN CONTROL LAWS IN THIS COUNTRY?????:mad: :mad: :mad:

[Fire_Medic_Dave]

45. He was breaking the sensible gun control laws we already have.

He was a felon in possession of a firearm, that's already illegal.

David

[Doctor_J]

76. and obviously that particular law is impossible to enforce

because of all the loopholes, concessions, and so forth requested by the NRA and granted by the congresslobs

[Fire_Medic_Dave]

80. It's not impossible to enforce, it is rarely prosecuted.

The NRA supports the law that prevents felons from possessing firearms. The NRA supported the NICS that allows for instant background checks. Unless you have some specific information about this case then you have no more idea about where this felon got his gun than anyone other member of the general public. If you do have specific information then you should notify the authorities.


David

[slackmaster]

47. No, it was brought to you by a criminal justice system that doesn't keep violent criminals locked up

:hi:

If you have a specific suggestion for a gun control law that could have prevented this incident, let's see it.

[wizstars]

77. BAN 'em. Period.

Turn 'em in tomorrow. If you're caught with one after that, you hang. End of discussion, end of problem.

[slackmaster]

78. If you mean ban violent criminals, I'm in complete agreement

:toast:

OTOH if you mean ban all guns (except of course for ones in the hands of the government), you are misguided.

[Fire_Medic_Dave]

81. I see you aren't a fan of just about any of our Constitutional rights.

[Deadric Damodred]

82. Go ahead and try that.

"Turn'em in tomorrow. If you're caught with one after that, you hang..."

Try going door-to-door demanding people hand over their legally bought firearms that they purchaed with their hard earned money and see how well that works out for you; you'd be starting the next American Civil War with your confiscation ATTEMPT (that's all it would be is an Attempt because you'd be picking a fight with a 100 million gun owners). Go ahead and try and take people's guns by force; we'll see who will be the last man standing.

[proteus_lives]

89. So you're a Fascist.

Thanks for letting us know.

[rd_kent]

75. We already have them

Criminals will get their hands on a gun no matter what.

[DonP]

91. Can you back any of that shouting crap up?

Do you have even one example of the NRA supporting the "guns for criminals and children" bullshit?

Go to their website and come back with a cite or two of their "unreasonable" stand for "guns for everyone". Or are you going by what you heard somewhere about what some ignorant person "thinks" they stand for?

We already have over 20,000 federal, state and local gun laws in place. Which ones would you add that would magically take guns out of the hands of felons and the insane?

If you support strict enforcement and long prison sentences for felons that commit gun crimes you're right in step with the NRA's position.

The NRA membership is now pushing 5 million members that pay $35 a year. Can you tell us about any other grass roots supported group that even comes close to that kind of public support, membership or level of political action?

[truthisfreedom]

56. Guns suck.

No excuse.

[slackmaster]

63. What's your position on allowing known violent criminals to go free?

Has it occurred to you that letting them loose might be an issue?

[Fire_Medic_Dave]

64. Criminals suck. Criminals that have illegal weapons and kill little girls with them really suck.

[rd_kent]

74. No, people who wrongly use guns suck

Guns are inanimate objects that do not function without input from a user. Had he used a knife or a stck, would you say the same thing about a knife or a stick?

[iverglas]

84. what kind of mind does it take

to "unrecommend" a report about a murdered child?

[proteus_lives]

90. How awful.

What a sick monster!