Ten year-old hospitalized in accidental shooting

[onehandle]

A 10-year-old boy was injured in an accidental shooting in Graniteville Saturday night.

It happened in a home on McHugh Road around 6 p.m. Police say the boy was lying on a bed while his 14-year-old friend was checking the gun to see if it was loaded. The gun went off, hitting the 10-year-old in the hand and face.

http://www.wcax.com/global/story.asp?s=11910504

[MercutioATC]

1. Safety training exists for a reason.

When I taught my son (then 15) to shoot, I told him that every time a gun left his hand it loaded itself.

We spent some time before every shooting session handing the gun back and forth and drilling into his head that EVERY time he picked up a weapon, it was loaded...even if he has checked it 10 seconds ago.

He never fails to check the chamber whenever he picks up a firearm.

[onehandle]

2. Smart. That's the way to do it. nt

[Tim01]

15. I've dispensed with all of that .

We don't point guns at each other, ever. Loaded, unloaded, whatever, it doesn't matter. We don't sweep each other with muzzles by accident or any of that. Not even with the BB guns. And if we make a mistake we correct each other. Mistakes are pretty rare.

If you don't point your gun AT another person, it is really really difficult to shoot that person by accident.

[safeinOhio]

3. I ran into an old guy at a flea market about 5 years ago

He had a cast on his left hand and I ask what happened. He said he was cleaning his pistol and it went off. Then he told me he had been a NRA safety instructor for 36 years.

[Fire_Medic_Dave]

6. Complacency bites many an expert.

[Tim01]

16. Aint that the truth. nt

[Tim01]

17. Hey Dave, you want to hear something scary?

"Don't worry, it's not loaded."

[SteveM]

4. Very sad. Fortunately, this kind of thing is on the decline. nt

[sharesunited]

5. Guns are dangerous to children and other living things.

[Fire_Medic_Dave]

7. Fortunately not as dangerous as cars, bicycles and swimming pools.

[sharesunited]

8. Ah, but so much less excusable as pure hazards.

[Fire_Medic_Dave]

9. Fortunately we don't need an excuse.

[Tim01]

13. Only because you like all the other stuff that kills and maimes children.

Are pools excusable? They are entertainment items that kill children. Is alcohol excusable? It is a legal drug that kills children.


But you don't have a problem with pools or booze do you? How many dead children is an acceptable number so that people can have their own cement pond? How many dead children is acceptable so that people can get shitfaced?

[rd_kent]

28. Of course. sharesunited only approves of the thing sharesunited likes, or understands.

[proteus_lives]

11. So is everything else.

Safety training in all things saves lives.

[rrneck]

14. Very true. nt

[benEzra]

23. I hope you don't own a pool or a bicycle. (n/t)

[AtheistCrusader]

24. Of course.

That's why I own them.

[rd_kent]

29. :)

[proteus_lives]

10. Safety training saves lives.

One of the best things my dad ever did for me was teach me handle handle firearms.

1. Always point a gun towards the ground when not aiming.
2. fingers outside the trigger-guard
3. Check to see if it's loaded, even if you know it's not.

[Tim01]

12. People don't let their toddler play next to the pool by himself.

That is because pools kill children. Not because pools are mean, but rather because drowning toddlers who can't swim is just what pools do. That's why people practice a reasonable level of safety with them.

Some things are dangerous, so people try to be safe with these things. Because if you are not careful your kid will swallow a bunch of poison, or cut himself to pieces, or burn the crap out of himself, or electrocute himself, or bounce himself down the stairs, or hang himself.

It's a dangerous, dangerous, dangerous world for curious kids. Parents have to be careful.

[Euromutt]

18. Gun-proofing your kids is more important than kid-proofing your guns

Not that they aren't both important, but in the event that your kid comes across a weapon that someone else has left unsecured, it helps if he or she knows how to check and clear it safely.

[AtheistCrusader]

19. Funny how so many people 'checking to see if it was loaded'

end up somehow, with 360 degrees of possibilities in 3 dimensions to discharge the weapon in, manage to end up shooting someone in the face.

Getting shot in the hand/face is what is known as a defensive wound, meaning, the victim tried to protect himself.

Someone needs to go to jail for this. Possibly multiple someones, depending on how the shooter managed to get posession of the firearm.

[pipoman]

20. I thought the same thing

I don't doubt that it was a mistake, the kid likely really did think it was unloaded yet was 'grabassing' when this 'accident' happened.

[pipoman]

21. Thank goodness that these accidents are at historic lows,

thanks in large part to NRA safe shooting programs for kids and adults..thank you NRA

I believe that safe gun handling with kids includes a responsible adult(s) constantly hammering away at gun safety while also demystifying guns by allowing kids to participate in safe shooting activities. My boys started shooting early with me, my wife, and 2 grandpas. They, like most kids, really liked target shooting. In spending time with them safely shooting they were allowed to shoot any of our guns they wanted any time they wanted as long as my wife or I were there. There was no mystification, they knew exactly what each gun was, what it's purpose was, and what the gun was capable of. After having shot high power rifles, shotguns, pistols, and low powered rifles by the time they were 7 or 8, they developed their favorites to shoot (.17hmr, .22, .410, 20ga) and really didn't even want to touch the high powered rifles, larger caliber handguns, or 12ga shotguns. Our repeated mantra was, "if there is a gun in our house it is loaded. No need to check, because it is. No touching guns ever unless mom or I are in the room and know what you are doing". Then we tested them periodically by intentionally leaving an unloaded gun unsecured and balancing a hair on it. Every time we ever did this the gun was untouched when we checked and usually one of them would come tell us that we forgot to put the gun away.

[benEzra]

22. Some perspective...

...and the accident rate has continued to decline since then. Even as the number of guns owned has increased roughly 50% over the past two decades. Looks like the current approach is working quite well.

BTW, I sure as hell hope you don't own a swimming pool...or a bicycle...

[rd_kent]

25. Very sad. The gun owner certainly is at fault for not securing the gun.

Not really a good reason to BAN guns though. Accidents happen, people are negligible. Same kind of shit happens with cars too.....

[pneutin]

26. There's gotta be more to this story

Who checks to see if a gun is loaded by pulling the trigger while pointing it at someone? Granted they are kids, but come on now. It's like saying to your friend, "Hey go stand in front of my car, while I floor the pedal to check to see if it has gas."

[Katya Mullethov]

27. Shot in hand AND face ?

Sound like someone is blowing smoke . But it doesnt really matter as this was yet another case of ignorance pawned off on poor storage , or guns as a menace in general .

You cant even talk about em , or draw a picture nowadays . Someone will get totally wrapped around the axle .