No need to charge the parents with anything. It's a terrible thing to lose a child and expotentially worse when you know its your fault.

I've never had a gun in my home and I never will.

This is a terrible, avoidable tragedy.

 

I hate to use this as an example of my thoughts on gun control, but I have often said I'm not against guns, or the ownership of such. But one should have to pass a saftey course/test before ownership is granted, IMO. And the laws should be such that irresponsible ownership bears consequences. Yes, the loss of the child is a consequence, and a terrible one. But, what if it hadn't been their own child? Or what if the child had shot another child?

...one should have to pass a saftey course/test before ownership is granted, IMO. And the laws should be such that irresponsible ownership bears consequences. Yes, the loss of the child is a consequence, and a terrible one. But, what if it hadn't been their own child? Or what if the child had shot another child?

:thumb:

This has nothing to do with watching a 3-yr-old. This is about criminal negligence in storing their firearm. The gun should have been locked in an unloaded and inoperable position and stored separately from the ammunition. It also should have been in a gun safe, or the very least, kept where a child couldn't get to it.

 

I keep a loaded gun in my night stand for mine and my family's protection at night. Am I criminally negligent for the storing of my gun? I think not, the 2nd Amendment gives me the right to keep and bear arms.

 

Again this is a tragic story but no crime here.

Driving drunk and killing someone is a terrible accident also. But its still a crime.

 

But there is a law against that, there are no laws about how to store a gun, nor would I support any.

 

People who leave their kids in a car in blazing hot temperatures don't intend for their children to die either, but they are still at fault.

 

Again thats a different crime, there are no laws against how to store a fire arm. It also isn't comparable one is visible risk. You can see how harm could come to a child left in a car in hot temperatures. More times than not a child will be hurt in that instances. Just have a loaded gun in your bedroom doesn't mean that more times than not a child will shoot themselves.

I keep a loaded gun in my night stand for mine and my family's protection at night. Am I criminally negligent for the storing of my gun?

 

 

As soundly as I sleep, keeping a loaded gun on the nightstand would only provide the intruders a weapon to shoot me with.

 

HT721, if you have small children around the home, remember that young ones love to come in to the parent's bedroom after a nightmare or if not feeling well. Are you sure you will awaken before she can get to your gun?

 

For perspective, I am pro gun ownership. I have several. None are kept loaded nor with the ammo in the same drawer.

But there is a law against that, there are no laws about how to store a gun, nor would I support any.

 

 

 

Again thats a different crime, there are no laws against how to store a fire arm. It also isn't comparable one is visible risk. You can see how harm could come to a child left in a car in hot temperatures. More times than not a child will be hurt in that instances. Just have a loaded gun in your bedroom doesn't mean that more times than not a child will shoot themselves.

 

I can't quote statistics here, but I'm thinking that if a three year old comes upon a loaded gun and if nobody intervenes in time, more times than not, a similar tragedy will occur. To a three year old, a gun could easily be mistaken for a fun new toy.

 

Also, while there may not be a law that says you must keep firearms unloaded and locked up, I would definitely support it if lives can be saved. Law or not, it just seems common sense to take the necessary precautions to avoid senseless tragedies such as this.

I keep a loaded gun in my night stand for mine and my family's protection at night. Am I criminally negligent for the storing of my gun? I think not, the 2nd Amendment gives me the right to keep and bear arms.

Yes, you most certainly are! The 2nd ammendment doesn't give you thr "right" to endanger your children by your own negligence. With every right comes an equal amount of responsibility.

...there are no laws about how to store a gun, nor would I support any.

Not sure about Kentucky; however most states do have these laws. But frankly, a law shouldn't be needed for what is just common sense.

I wonder if a intruder come's into your house an intends on doing you harm, would they wait while you unlock your gun an load it so that you could defend your self. I don't think so. I don't think to have a gun an put it under lock an key with the shells in another place all to gether is the best thing, I just think you should have it in a place where kids can not get there hands on it.

We do not punish people criminally in this country for acts of negligence. If it rises to the level of recklessness, then it might be punishable criminally. Civil, yes. Criminal, no.

 

I'm with Dad, these people screwed up, they have to live with it, there is no need to send them to jail too.

 

It may very well be that in Detroit, you keep a loaded gun. Putting a handgun in a "gun safe" doesn't do you much good when an intruder is upon you in the middle of the night.

 

Terrible tragedy and I hope the hand of God is on the child, the parents, and the doctors treating her.

This has nothing to do with watching a 3-yr-old. This is about criminal negligence in storing their firearm. The gun should have been locked in an unloaded and inoperable position and stored separately from the ammunition. It also should have been in a gun safe, or the very least, kept where a child couldn't get to it.

 

A weapon should be safely stored where it cannot be accessed by a child, absolutely. But to say that it must be stored in the condition you decribe - unloaded, inoperable, separate from ammo, and inside a safe - is not reasonable for an individual who keeps a firearm in his home for protection.

 

I carry a weapon for my job. When I come home, it is put fully loaded and operable into a safe in my bedroom that is specifically designated for this weapon only. It only takes me a few seconds to open this safe and I am the only one with the combination. If I did not have a safe, I would place a trigger lock on it and store it somewhere I did not feel my children could access, but that I could get to if needed in an emergency. Bottomline - buy a safe. They aren't that expensive.

 

The parents were negligible, I agree. Their lives are devastated and forever impacted. I don't see the value in punishing them further. Had the tragedy affected another child outside their family, then it would probably be necessary.

 

Small sidenote: You hear occasional stories about very young kids shooting themselves in the head. The reason that this is so is because they don't have the finger strength to pull the trigger, so they turn it around (barrel facing their face) and use both thumbs to push back on the trigger.

No need to charge the parents with anything. It's a terrible thing to lose a child and expotentially worse when you know its your fault.

 

We do not punish people criminally in this country for acts of negligence. If it rises to the level of recklessness, then it might be punishable criminally. Civil, yes. Criminal, no.

 

I'm with Dad, these people screwed up, they have to live with it, there is no need to send them to jail too.

 

It may very well be that in Detroit, you keep a loaded gun. Putting a handgun in a "gun safe" doesn't do you much good when an intruder is upon you in the middle of the night.

 

Terrible tragedy and I hope the hand of God is on the child, the parents, and the doctors treating her.

 

A weapon should be safely stored where it cannot be accessed by a child, absolutely. But to say that it must be stored in the condition you decribe - unloaded, inoperable, separate from ammo, and inside a safe - is not reasonable for an individual who keeps a firearm in his home for protection.

 

I carry a weapon for my job. When I come home, it is put fully loaded and operable into a safe in my bedroom that is specifically designated for this weapon only. It only takes me a few seconds to open this safe and I am the only one with the combination. If I did not have a safe, I would place a trigger lock on it and store it somewhere I did not feel my children could access, but that I could get to if needed in an emergency. Bottomline - buy a safe. They aren't that expensive.

 

The parents were negligible, I agree. Their lives are devastated and forever impacted. I don't see the value in punishing them further. Had the tragedy affected another child outside their family, then it would probably be necessary.

 

Small sidenote: You hear occasional stories about very young kids shooting themselves in the head. The reason that this is so is because they don't have the finger strength to pull the trigger, so they turn it around (barrel facing their face) and use both thumbs to push back on the trigger.

I'm with the three of you on this.

A weapon should be safely stored where it cannot be accessed by a child, absolutely. But to say that it must be stored in the condition you decribe - unloaded, inoperable, separate from ammo, and inside a safe - is not reasonable for an individual who keeps a firearm in his home for protection.

 

I carry a weapon for my job. When I come home, it is put fully loaded and operable into a safe in my bedroom that is specifically designated for this weapon only. It only takes me a few seconds to open this safe and I am the only one with the combination. If I did not have a safe, I would place a trigger lock on it and store it somewhere I did not feel my children could access, but that I could get to if needed in an emergency. Bottomline - buy a safe. They aren't that expensive..

This was my whole point. The condition I described is that which is recommended by gun safety experts. But the real point is that it needs to be in EITHER a condition OR a place that completely prevents a child from getting to it and use it on themselves or someone else. Having it by your bedside, loaded, and easily accessible should be a crime punishable to the highest order.