Irresponsible Gun Owners of America 1.15.16

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For many people, discussions of gun violence in the United States bring to mind the recent terrorist attacks in Colorado Springs or San Bernardino.  Incidents of deadly gun violence perpetrated by radicalized zealots who, acting upon their extremist ideologies, seek to instill terror in communities. These are horrific tragedies indeed, but they are merely the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the off-the-charts gun violence that continues to grip the United States. On a smaller scale, one that doesn’t typically capture the attention of the national media, there are innumerable examples of gun violence. These acts, which occur on a depressingly regular basis, are sometimes carried out by individuals in the midst of emotional turmoil who possess poor impulse control and/or godawful anger management skills. Some of these examples are carried out by innocents who have unfortunately gained access to firearms that were incorrectly stored by their owners. Some are accidental discharges resulting from the improper handling of a firearm while other tragedies are the result of the use of a firearm while under the influence of a mind-altering substance. These examples do not cover all instances of gun violence, but they do highlight a significant problem of our gun culture–people using guns under the wrong conditions for the wrong reasons. In other words…irresponsible gun owners. Here are five examples:

Police: Daughter accidentally shot by mother was visiting from out of state for the holidays

A woman fatally shot by her mother in central Florida after being mistaken for an intruder had been visiting for the holidays, police said Wednesday.

The mother was asleep when she heard someone enter her home late Tuesday, St. Cloud police Sgt. Denise Roberts said Wednesday. The mother told police she heard footsteps approaching quickly so she fired a single shot.

She then discovered the person was her 27-year-old daughter, according to a news release from police. The daughter had been visiting from North Carolina and didn’t live in the home, Roberts said.

The daughter was taken to a hospital where she died. The mother also was taken to a hospital for treatment.

St. Cloud police officials said the mother is a 911 dispatcher for Osceola County and her husband is a St. Cloud police corporal. The Associated Press isn’t naming the family members because of the husband’s past work as an undercover narcotics officer, as well as the fact that no criminal charges have been filed.

I worked with this guy one time, let’s call him A. One day A told me that several disturbances had occurred in his neighborhood-disturbances that left some residents uneasy. At the time, A’s girlfriend was due to give birth any day to their child. Worried that the three of them wouldn’t have protection from crime in the area (and unable to move to a better location), A decided to buy a guy to protect his family. When he told me this, stories like the above immediately sprung to mind. One of the first things I told him was that while many people think having a gun in the home will offer protection, in reality, it increases the risk of homicide or suicide for those living in the home. I tried to impress upon him that family members have often shot their loved ones in their homes, mistaking them for intruders. While part of me hoped to dissuade him from buying a gun, I knew-deep down-that I had little hope of swaying him. The most I could hope for was that he’d keep the knowledge I’d imparted in the back of his mind. And maybe, just maybe, he’d recall out conversation in the future if he ever found himself thinking about using his gun in his home. Because too many people lose their lives in their own homes at the hands of family members who think they are intruders.  And it is always so sad to read stories like that, in part bc the person who originally bought the gun likely did so to protect their family.

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12-year-old accused of shooting, killing fellow student in Estill Springs

According to police, North Middle School student Sienna Dusk Owens was shot in the back around 6:30 p.m. Saturday.

Police said the accused shooter, a 12-year-old boy, is the victim’s classmate at North Middle School.

Sienna was taken to Southern Tennessee Medical Center, where she was pronounced dead on arrival.

Police have not said whether they think the shooting was an accident or intentional. The district attorney’s office will determine if charges will be filed.

A 12-year-old should not have a gun. They should not have access to a gun. Whomever the gun owner was was not a responsible gun owner. And now a young girl is dead bc of someone irresponsibility.

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3-year-old injured after accidentally shooting himself

Police say a toddler accidentally shot himself in the arm at his south Nashville home on Monday night.

The 3-year-old was by himself inside his parents’ bedroom on Whitsett Road when he reportedly got out a .32-caliber revolver from a bookshelf. The weapon was in a cloth holster.

His father and 12-year-old sister were preparing dinner in the kitchen and his three other siblings were watching TV in the family room at the time of the shooting. His mother was at work.

The toddler’s family members heard the gun go off and found him in the bedroom with a gunshot wound to his left upper arm, according to police.

The toddler is being treated at the Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital.

Police said no charges have been filed against the child’s parents.

Charges should be filed. Every gun owner should be legally required to store their guns in a safe, secure location. If someone is injured as a result of an improperly stored gun, the gun owner should be held legally liable. Gun owners need to get it through their heads that they must take strong measures to ensure their weapons are as safe and secure as possible. And where they don’t, they should be punished.

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Man whose gun killed 8-year-old: ‘It just slipped right out of my fingers’

Family members identified the victim as Andre Lamont O’Neal, Jr. They say he was a student at New Haven Elementary School in Jeffersonville, Ind.

“He was a good little boy. Smart and bright,” his father, Andre Lamont O’Neal, Sr., said.

Andre, Sr. says he received a call around 2 a.m. Sunday saying that his son had been taken to Kosair Children’s Hospital.

“When I went in there, they told me what had happened with my son,” Andre, Sr. said. “He had got shot, and they tried to do everything they could do, but there wasn’t nothing they could do.”

Family members say the child had been dropped off at a babysitter’s home on North 34th Street. While there at a gathering with several other kids and adults, police say the 8-year-old was somehow shot.

“We’re still in the very early stages of our investigation. We don’t know whether this was accidental or what we have,” said LMPD spokesperson Dwight Mitchell.

Elgin Anders admits it was his gun that shot the little boy. He would not say why he had his gun out, but that he was trying to put it away when it accidentally fired.

“I didn’t need it in my hand,” Anders said. “I came out to the grill. I had barbecue sauce on my fingers. I licked the sauce off my fingers. It just slipped right out of my fingers.”

This one is just fucked up. Dude was cooking bbq and tried to readjust the gun that was in his pocket and it slipped and killed a child. Like…how does that happen?! And he didn’t call an ambulance? Uh-huh. That’s kinda fishy there. But even if that’s exactly what happened, I want to know why the fuck he had a gun with him in the first place! Who the hell goes to a bbq planning on the possibility of shooting someone? Was he thinking “I’m tired of people always taking the last piece of bbq chicken, so if someone tries, I’m going to shoot them”? Or was it a case of ‘how do I let everyone know when dinner is done…oh, I know, I’ll shoot my gun!’ And after that pressing question is answered, I want to know why he just *had* to readjust the gun in his pocket. Although perhaps before that one is answered, someone will tell me why his gun was kept in his pocket. Isn’t that *not* the best proper place to store a gun? Aren’t they supposed to go in holsters or something? Someone get me some answers!

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Pryor Teen Shot While ‘Ding Dong Ditching’ In Neighborhood

A 14-year-old Pryor boy is out of surgery after being shot several times by his neighbor who has not been arrested.

Police said the teen and two of his friends were ringing doorbells and running off early New Year’s Day when the homeowner came out to his front yard and started firing.

The case has been handed over to the district attorney who is looking into whether the shooting was justified.

The call went out as a home invasion, but when police got to the scene they quickly heard a different story. Police said the three boys did not try to break into the home.

“Currently, the investigation suggests that the juveniles were engaged in neighborhood pranks and not attempting to break into the residence,” said Chief of Police Steven W. Lemmings.

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“The investigation now centers around whether the homeowner’s use of deadly force was lawful or illegal. No arrests have been made at this point,” Chief Lemmings said.

Peyton’s mom, now with her son at a Tulsa hospital, said the boys rang the doorbell earlier in the night and were coming home when the boys walked past the house again, and the shooting started.

Peyton told his mom the man yelled, “Hey,” then shot him in the back, to which he yelled to his friends, “Run!”

Peyton was also shot in the arm. The other bullet punctured his liver and went through his body.

It seriously boggles my  mind that the homeowner has not yet been arrested. The kids only rung doorbells and ran. That is not a crime. It is a prank. There is ZERO reason for the homeowner to have even grabbed his gun. The fact that he shot is simply hilariously ridiculous. What the hell was he scared of? Or was he defending his home? Whatever the case may be, he was not at all justified in shooting that young boy. This man needs to be arrested.

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Irresponsible Gun Owners of America 1.15.16
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