what was that about guns in the home protecting your family?

gun

On Sunday, a 3-year-old boy killed himself with his father’s service weapon in Sacramento:

A Sutter County family with deep roots in law enforcement is facing heartbreaking tragedy after the 3-year-old son of a deputy accidentally shot himself with his father’s service pistol.

The boy, Tyler Whiteaker, died Sunday night in his Yuba City home of a single gunshot to the head, authorities said.

Tyler was the child of Sgt. David Whiteaker, 33, an 11-year veteran of the Sutter County Sheriff’s Department and himself the son of a retired deputy.

That same day, a 3-year-old girl shot herself with the family piece in Detroit:

DETROIT — A 3-year-old child shot herself in the head Sunday on Detroit’s west side after she found a loaded weapon and fired it, police said.

According to Detroit police, Kyra Thomas, 3, shot herself on the right side of her head and was transported to Sinai Grace Hospital, where she is reported in critical condition.

But if there was no gun in the house, a crackhead might have busted in and the 3-year-old wouldn’t have had a weapon to protect herself, right?

How many times do we have to go through this before all you 2nd Amendment freaks realize that GUNS IN THE HOME HURT FAMILY MEMBERS MUCH MORE OFTEN THAN THEY PROTECT THOSE FAMILY MEMBERS FROM INTRUDERS. From the Brady Campaign:

• For every time a gun is used in a home in a legally-justifiable shooting there are 22 criminal, unintentional and suicide-related shootings.

• The presence of a gun in the home triples the risk of homicide in the home.

• The presence of a gun in the home increases the risk of suicide five-fold.

Now that Chuck Heston is dead, can’t we get over this incredibly phallic issue and really protect our kids by getting these goddamn killing machines out of our homes?

Last 2 posts in Human rights

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3 Comments so far (Add 1 more)

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Slim, yes it’s a tragedy that this happened. There is no question about it. But why aren’t the responsible parent/parents, who own those guns being charged with homicide?

But for every stupid tragedy like this that happens, there are many hundreds of responsible firearm owners that do not let their children have easy access to the firearms.

IMHO, you need to sit down and take a deep breath and start realizing that not all firearm owners are as stupid as those two parents were/are.

One of the biggest complaints against the Demo party is about their stand on firearms. I, along with most, if not all of my friends and acquaintances, are firearm owners. We have not let our firearms get into the hands of our children, nor do we randomly shoot people.

Why do you repeatably keep calling for all people to get rid of firearms? Do you realize that in Clark County, there is one deputy on patrol for every 2000 people living here? Do you realize how long it takes for police to show up when you have a person kicking in your door? Kisses and flowers will not stop a person who is entering your house to rob you and maybe harm you and your children. DO YOU UNDERSTAND THAT?

One of the major reasons that more homes aren’t broken into is because(heaven forbid) the punks out there don’t know who has a firearm and who doesn’t. Is it worth taking someones life when they break into a household? Well, ask the punks if/what value they put on their lives, don’t try and pass the guilt trip on the homeowner, who has every right to defend his home and family.

I know you won’t change your thinking on this, and I won’t either. But why won’t you admit that there are responsible firearm owners out here that are very, very responsible about the handling and care of firearms?

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1. Above written by Allen on April 8th, 2008 at 10:03 pm (replies, if any, are attributed separately above).
But how do you answer the statistics, Allen? Again, 22 criminal, unintentional and suicide-related shootings for every justifiable shooting, three times the risk of homicide in the home and five times the risk of suicide.

When is the last time you were actually accosted in your own home in Vancouver? Why are you so afraid? I think everyone who owns a firearm should answer that question first, really look inside themselves and find out what it is that has them so scared of their fellow citizens. I’ll be honest. I think people who feel a need to have guns in the home for protection - who are living in Vancouver, Washington, say, and not Baghdad - have some serious fear issues, and need therapy.

I had pangs after our home was burglarized, sure. But I don’t give in to that fear, the same way I let my 9 y.o. take risks like snowboarding and open-water snorkeling because I don’t let me fear overwhelm me and impede his growth and sense of competence.

When the risks of harm so far exceed the actual chance that a weapon will be used justifiably for protection, don’t you think that’s irrational?

And frankly, I don’t care how responsible you are as a gun owner: accidents happen, and kids are a helluva lot cleverer than we give them credit for. My nephew recently went through some very methodical, well-planned and carefully executed teen hijinx to get his hands on spray paint (which is illegal for minors to own in California). He planned it all so well, but still ended up getting arrested for the results because he has very little sense of consequences, like most kids.

When accidents/hijinx happen with spray paint, you get a pissed-off parent and/or community service. When accidents/hijinx happen with guns the results are tragic.

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2. Above written by slim on April 9th, 2008 at 10:30 am (replies, if any, are attributed separately above).
Irrational fear is what got us into attacking Iraq too IMHO.

[reply to this]

3. Above written by bushtool on April 9th, 2008 at 10:43 pm (replies, if any, are attributed separately above).