Irresponsible Gun Owners of America 6.27.16

The United States is saturated with guns. We have a population of more than 300 million and there are nearly enough guns in this country for every child, woman, and man. Thankfully out of that 300 million, only a minority own guns (source). Unfortunately, among

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that minority exists a number of people who are irresponsible gun owners. Whether its improperly cleaning a gun, carrying a gun into a bar, shooting someone’s pet out of anger, shooting a spouse because they don’t perform housework, or shooting someone because your religious beliefs prohibit the consumption of clamato juice, many gun owners demonstrate a lack of responsible handling of firearms. Here are five recent examples:

 Teen accidentally shot in head while target shooting dies

Nicholas Ursiny, of Leechburg died at UPMC Presbyterian Hospital Sunday afternoon, according to the medical examiner.

“I just couldn’t believe it,” said Bradyn Wesner, a friend of Ursiny’s.

Ursiny’s friends said they are still in shock after the sudden death of their friend.

“I really didn’t believe it until Bradyn sent me the picture through text and I was like how could this have happened?” said Jeff McClain, Ursiny’s friend.

Officials said the teen was target shooting with his dad in the back yard of their Melwood Road home, when Ursiny accidently shot himself in the head and collapsed.

“The father had turned his back basically to reset a target and it appeared the son was attempting to reload and discharged,” said John Fontaine, Allegheny Township police chief.

Friends and classmates told Channel 11 Ursiny was a quiet person who loved the marching band.

“He put all his hard work into marching band. He practiced every day, and he loved it and wanted to do it a lot,” said Wesner.

Ursiny would have been a sophomore at Kiski Area High School this fall.

Police said this just appears to be a tragic accident and one that they hope to never see again.

“Historically, a lot of people injured with mishandling guns and this is a prime example of how that can happen,” said Fontaine.

This, unfortunately is yet further evidence that a gun in the home increases the risk of homicide, suicide, or accidental death or injury. People think having a gun makes them safer, and it very much does not. I do not think anyone under the age of 18 should be handling guns. Hell, I don’t think anyone without proper firearm training should be handling guns. It is irresponsible and reckless to handle a firearm without the training necessary to use the weapon. They are not toys. They are deadly weapons that fire high velocity projectiles for the purpose of death or destruction.

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 Woman shoots gun during fight, hits passing car say Rutherford Co. deputies

A woman in an argument shot a gun at people and hit a passing car, according to Rutherford Co. deputies.

They say it happened on Highway 74 Business on Tuesday.

Witnesses say Sussie Ann Tipton pointed the gun at the people and fired.

The bullet hit the rear passenger door and broke the window.

The driver turned around and drove to East Quick Stop and called deputies.

The last place a gun should be is in the hands of someone who is having an argument. Thankfully no one was injured or killed by her actions. By all rights, this woman should not be allowed to possess or own a gun again.

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 Man, 69, shoots up home of woman who refused his advances

According to sheriff’s officials, deputies were called to a home in the 2500 block of Landale Loop in The Villages after dozens of gunshots were fired into the house.

Deputies said an investigation found that Sparber, who was intoxicated, shot into the residence of a neighbor with whom he had become infatuated.

Deputies said Sparber shot into the home in an attempt to gain entry, but no one was home.

During the shooting, neighbors who heard the gunshots confronted Sparber, who was still holding a Sig Sauer 9mm semiautomatic handgun, according to sheriff’s officials.

The woman said Sparber had been harassing her since November 2015 with sexual propositions, according to the Sheriff’s Office. He also previously pointed a gun at her, making her fear for her life, deputies said.

It may sound trite to some, but there is quite a bit of truth to it: men are afraid of women laughing at them. Women are afraid of men killing them. Men do not have to deal with women turning them down and being threatened with violence or death bc of that. On the other hand, women have long faced the threat of violence, or even death bc as a group, men are a bunch of entitled assholes who think they have a right to the time, body, and company of women, regardless of the wishes of women. This guy is a perfect example. Instead of accepting that the woman was not interested, Sparber has been stalking her for years, and would likely have killed her had she been home when he shot her house up.

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Woman shoots at East Stroudsburg Burger King, fires at Mount Pocono house, police say

 

A 54-year-old Mount Pocono woman fired a gun into a Burger King drive-thru window in East Stroudsburg after demanding free food because she was disgruntled over a previous order, according to police.

About an hour later, as Mary Louise Check continued a drinking binge, she opened fire in Mount Pocono on the car and the apartment of a man she was upset with, police said.

Check went to the drive-thru at the Burger King and argued over a previous order about 11 a.m. Tuesday, Stroud Area Regional police said. Check demanded free food, and as an employee spoke with her, she yelled, police said.

After several minutes, an employee saw Check pull a handgun and place it on her lap, according to police. The employee backed away and yelled to the other employees that Check had a gun, police said.

As the employees moved to the rear of the building, Check pointed the gun out her van window and shouted that she was going to shoot the employees, police said. She fired through the window, which shattered, and a bullet hit the wall behind the counter, according to police. No one was injured.

Check was arrested a short time later after another incident in Mount Pocono, police said. Police said she is being charged with attempted homicide, aggravated assault and reckless endangerment in the East Stroudsburg shooting.

In Mount Pocono, Check went to an apartment in the Cloud Crest complex and demanded that Charles Smith come out, Pocono Mountain Regional police said. When Smith refused, she fired a shot into his car’s gas tank and fired at his apartment, police said.

As Check waited outside, Smith opened the door and Check fired at him, police said. When police arrived, she hid her 9mm handgun under a vehicle parked next to hers, police said.

Check was arrested, but she fought with the officers and spit on them as they took her into custody, police said.

Pocono Mountain police charged her with attempted homicide, risking a catastophe, aggravated assault, firing into an occupied structure, carrying a firearm without a license, terroristic threats, possession of an instrument of crime, simple assault, reckless endangerment, resisiting arrest, tampering with evidence and public drunkenness.

First of, I don’t know how many times I’ve heard people (almost always white folks) say that if black people don’t want cops to use excessive or lethal force, then we should comply and not fight back. Of course that’s pure bullshit, bc cops should only use the lowest level of force necessary to resolve a conflict. In any case, I note that here, this woman was fighting with cops, yet they didn’t use excessive or lethal force. White is that, I wonder?

Regarding her irresponsible use of a gun, it shouldn’t need to be said, but if you’re drinking, you shouldn’t have access to a firearm!

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N.J. boy, 4, shot by 6-year-old brother dies, officials say 

A 6-year-old boy accidentally shot and killed his 4-year-old brother at an East Orange home Saturday, and the mother of the children faces charges in the ongoing investigation, officials said.

The younger child died around 4:25 p.m. at University Hospital in Newark, according to hospital spokeswoman Stacie Newton.

The 6-year-old was playing with his mother’s gun when he accidentally shot his younger brother in the head around 11 a.m. at the Norman Street residence, city spokeswoman Connie Jackson told NJ Advance Media. The mother was home when the shooting occurred, the spokeswoman added.

Late Saturday, Acting Essex County Prosecutor Carolyn Murray and East Orange Public Safety Director Sheilah Coley announced the mother, Itiyanah Spruill, 22, was arrested on charges of endangering the welfare of a child and a weapons violation in connection with the death. Chief Assistant Prosecutor Thomas Fennelly, of the Homicide Unit, said the shooting appeared accidental.

I’m sure it was accidental too. Thing is, if no gun had been present in the house, that child would still be alive. Unfortunately, many people think a gun in the home affords protection, and while that may be true in some cases, it has long been known that a gun in the home increases the chances of someone in that home being killed via homicide, suicide, or accident.

Looking at the charge of endangering the welfare of a child, I have to wonder-since we cannot get rid of the Second Amendment like I want (it’s an antiquated right that has no place in our culture, not now, and not for some time; it does not afford protection from government tyranny as many people think; it’s an ineffective means of self-defense; it is not a “right” that is necessary for the well-being and development of the individual; and it contributes to the culture of gun fetishization that leads to more than 30,000 people a year dying from firearms), perhaps we need stricter laws on gun ownership in homes with children. Given the greater risk a gun in the home presents on a family, it seems to me an argument could be made that having a gun in a household with children represents child endangerment.

At the very least, parents and guardians should be legally required to store their guns properly. They should take every reasonable precaution to ensure children do not get their hands on a firearm. I realize that it is not possible to prevent that completely, but too many people are reckless with their firearms, storing them in unsafe places.

Whatever we do, all I know is we’ve got to do something other than offering up goddamn thoughts and prayers after these tragedies.


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Irresponsible Gun Owners of America 6.27.16
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3 thoughts on “Irresponsible Gun Owners of America 6.27.16

  1. 1

    This hit rather close to home for me. Over the weekend a 15 year old girl was shot and killed in a house just up the street from where I grew up. My parents still live there. They think it’s gang activity but the news reports don’t say anything about gangs. Personally (and I admit this was formulated by one of the news items here) I think the shooter was someone she rejected and he couldn’t handle it.

  2. 3

    That last story is especially frustrating for me. What the hell was that woman so afraid of that she had to have a loaded hand gun handy? If a 6 year old child can find your gun then that gun is NOT secure, but she felt it was necessary to have it anyway! But just going off of the pictures that went with the article, it looks as though she’s living in a pretty upper class neighbourhood. Probably the worst crimes they have to worry about are domestic violence, the occasional non-violent burglary, and kids smoking pot. Crimes for which the presence of firearms is only going to make things worse. But she’s got a loaded handgun just lying around the house in case of…what exactly?
    I mean, I have no problem with the principle of self-defence. Seriously, if you’re living in a dangerous neighbourhood with ineffective policing, I can understand wanting to protect yourself.
    But what the fuck was this woman afraid of?

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