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Senseless tragedy
Posted: Dec 27, 2010
Two 12 year old boys in our community were playing with a gun belonging to the father of one of them, not knowing it was loaded, and it went off, killing one of them two days before Christmas. His funeral is tomorrow. I don't know either of the families, and yet I feel the loss in the community, in the air of sorrow that's settled over the city.
I am overwhelmed by the senselessness of it all! This poor child will have to live the rest of his life knowing he killed his friend. The deceased's parents will never have another happy Christmas, I'm sure. The investigation is still ongoing so they haven't said if the gun owner will be charged, but it seems impossible that there was no culpability there.
And then I think of how many times during my children's growing up years they went to someone's house and never once did I ask the parents if they kept guns in the house and if so what safeguards did they have in place. There but for the grace of God go millions of other children.
I have no questions, ask no advice, but couldn't work with this swirling around in my head.
No
;
sad, yes... - rejoyce
[ In Reply To ..]God can heal all things over time. It will take time, but God will comfort them and you too. Sorry for your pain.
That is horrible - see message
[ In Reply To ..]When something like this happens the way I get through it is to say that this child was saved from something worse that would have happened to them later down the road.
The question I would ask when my kids are playing at someone else's house is not if they have guns in the house but rather if they have "loaded" weapons in the house and if they are away from childrens reach. I would also tell my child never touch a gun unless an adult is in the room.
There is no reason I can think of why anyone should have a loaded weapon in the house. Guns/weapons are good...just not loaded and in reach of children.
guns - mt
[ In Reply To ..]You wrote, "When something like this happens the way I get through it is to say that this child was saved from something worse that would have happened to them later down the road." I don't understand that statement. How do you know something worse would have happened to them?
This happened in our town last year. Two kids playing with loaded gun in a bedroom, gun went off killing one of the boys. The shooter got 6 months in a juvenile detention facility. All of it completely senseless.
Here's how - see message
[ In Reply To ..]You don't know something worse would have happened to them but it's such a tragedy and there is no way to understand why these things happen. The only way I get through this is I believe that the good Lord took them before something worse could have happened to them. Of course maybe nothing would have happened to them but it's my way of believing they were saved from an even worse tragedy.
Senseless tragedy - sm
[ In Reply To ..]A few weeks ago, I was running the sweeper and came across a plastic case under my husband's dresser. I pulled it out and opened to find a pistol. I immediately called my husband in the room and asked him why this was on the floor under his dresser and not in the gun safe. He said it was for protection. I said from what? He said in case of a home invasion or something.
I was so infuriated. I told him if someone invaded our home, they would kill us before he even had a chance to get this out. I further told him the likelihood of a our home invasion in our area was pretty slim, but with 3 boys in our home, the chances were good 1 of them would find this gun and open it up.
Of course he said the bullets were in the dresser drawer, but that made me feel no better. I told him to lock that thing up in the gunsafe now. I stood and watched as he did so. I then went on to lecture him about the number of kids that die senselessly from unlocked guns.
In the end, he agreed it was pretty stupid of him not to lock it up. Our kids are smart, but they are kids. The only good that can come out of your situation is that another parent will see it and realize that they should keep their guns locked up.
I'm sorry for your loss.
my thoughts - alias
[ In Reply To ..]These are my thoughts on the gun subject. Your husband mentioned having the gun for protection against home invasion. Well, I just experienced a home invasion scenario less than two weeks ago! Trust me, even if the gun was "out" and not locked up, he would never in a million years have time or opportunity to retrieve it. This new problem of home invasion happens so quickly and so fast, one has no time to even think about retrieving a gun from somewhere in the house for protection. The only way a gun would be of benefit in this type of situation is to be wearing it in a holster on your hip at all times. Think about this...your doorbell rings at an unexpected time. Mine was at 7:30 at night. You are not expecting anyone. You go to the door, turn on your outside lights, as well as your indoor hall light, peek out your peephole and see nothing. You open your inside door, and that is all the time you have! A stranger dressed in black with black ski mask on covering all but those hateful eyes, forces his way inside your home! You are so stunned by the arrogance of these intruders that you do not have time to think about getting a weapon of any type. You struggle with the intruder. You are hit over the head with a hard object, and that is the end of it. They do what they want (there are usually more than one) and you are helpless to withstand the onslought. Trust me, I had thoughts of obtaining a gun after this scenario two weeks ago myself, but I have sense enough to know that even with a gun in the house, there would be no time whatsoever to get it, load it, and use it. Do not fool yourselves into thinking a gun is the answer, because it is not. Open your door to nobody and keep your storm door locked at all times. Even that will not stop them if they want in badly enough. Just sharing my experience. Think wisely and ahead of time, not as it happens to you.
Update - So very sad
[ In Reply To ..]I just read that the shooter is being charged with manslaughter and the father with child endangerment. Evidently the gun was not loaded and the kids sought out the gun and the ammunition, which he had hidden under clothes in separate drawers.
I would not want to be the mother of either of those boys!
Parents at fault - Anon
[ In Reply To ..]I'm glad the father is facing charges. Parents need to take responsibility. These kids were obviously not educated about the danger of guns.
I disagree... - Kendra
[ In Reply To ..]What could possibly be constructive about putting the father in prison? Or the other boy? A friend of mine was killed while he and some friends were playing with a gun at a party when he was 18. Believe me, anyone involved is being punished enough already and I don't really think that the father was at fault. We always had loaded guns in the house growing up and nobody was ever killed.
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