Another person shot by an infant with a gun.

[Creed of Heresy]

Four year old shoots wife of Tenn. sheriff

First the dark humor: That kid must've really hated that woman.

Now that everyone hates me-

Ok no, seriously. I can almost hear it: "Creed, exposing a death by a gun? Aren't you, like, one of the staunchest pro-gun-ownership members on this forum? Why would you do THIS?"

To point out something from a view I don't really think anyone on this forum tries to think from; the view from an extremely responsible gun owner, reading this sort of shit.

Allow me to educate why I, as a responsible gun owner, find this fucking god-awful. Me, in particular. The subjective view.

The man was showing his gun collection to a group of people all at once. FUCK-UP NUMBER ONE. NEVER bring out a multitude of firearms if they are not on your person, EVER. If you are showing your pieces, you show them one at a time and secure them after each showing. The guns were loaded. FUCK-UP NUMBER TWO. YOU NEVER, EVER, BRING OUT A LOADED GUN TO SHOW SOMEONE. ESPECIALLY IF CHILDREN ARE IN THE AREA. I can't emphasize that enough! I would've gone all bolditalicunderlines but at that point it'd just come off as comical. I simply can't say how huge of an absolute "NO!!" that is. You never, under ANY CIRCUMSTANCES, bring out LOADED GUNS to show to people, doesn't matter who the fuck they are! ESPECIALLY if there's children in the vicinity!! And the guns were not safed. FUCK-UP NUMBER THREE! REALLY?! The guns were not safed. And they were loaded. And he had multiple guns out, showing them to people.

This article's ending point is a fucking joke.

"He took all the precautions, he's a trained law enforcement officer, trains with weapons all the time," Bryan told local station WTVF.

Yeah- OK. Whatever you say, Bryan. He's a "trained law enforcement officer." He's a fucking deputy in a podunk redneck town in the middle of fucking nowhere, something tells me his qualifications to be a law enforcement officer are pretty fucking slim, especially given the situation.

It's a tragedy this happened, it really is, but you know what? This guy has no one to blame but himself.

This sort of thing, I read it, I shake my head and go "great. All this shit I would never do, this guy does, and everyone's going to add fuel to the 'take nearly every gun away from everyone' fire again. Idiots like this are going to rob me of my responsibly safe-kept firearms. Great."

This situation could have been avoided by taking four VERY simple precautions:

1: Take one gun out of the safe at a time, pass it around, and make sure it is in someone's hands, away from any children.
2: Ensure that no children enter the room when the firearm is being passed around, nor that they might enter.
3: Do not EVER keep firearms loaded, ESPECIALLY not for the sake of showing other people the firearm unless you alone are handling it and are taking proper precautions while firing it at a range, and ONLY then.
4: ALWAYS keep your fucking safety on! EVERY safety! If that bitch has three safeties, THEN KEEP 'EM ALL ON. I don't give a fuck if it'll take you an extra half-second to fire on an intruder in your house, you'll still win the draw by force of surprise regardless, so that's not a fucking excuse.

The fact that all four of these basic safety procedures were ignored resulted in this shooting. Not the gun. The irresponsibility of its owner.

Just trying to make a point, here. Hopefully people understand what it is.

[pocaracas]

And it's because of stupidity like this that, someday, firearm possession in the US will be much, much more difficult than it is today.

Guns don't kill people, people kill people.... I wonder if that 4 year old would have killed that woman without a gun...


Heck, being in Europe, I see no point into owning a firearm.
I know some people who own hunting rifles, but those are for hunting rabbits and birds and stuff like that. And, apart from police officers and crooks, those are all the firearms that people have around here.

[Minimalist]

Creed at times you get it.

I cringe when I hear the term "responsible gun owners" usually because it is in the news after someone gets shot with their guns. It doesn't matter how "responsible" someone is or thinks they are. Loaded guns are inherently dangerous and it only takes one mistake to result in a tragedy.
(And, "unloaded guns" are pretty much worthless even as clubs and when you buy in to the NRA inspired culture of fear that everyone in the world is out to get you (paranoia for the profit of the arms manufacturers) it makes no sense to keep a gun unloaded because in an emergency it won't do you any fucking good.)

I have a collection of muzzle-loading replicas. The guns are kept, unloaded, in the house. The powder and shot is kept in a cabinet in the garage. I have no illusion of using any of them for "defense," although I do have a bayonet for my Brown Bess.

[festive1]

Poor kid. Could you imagine the guilt you'd feel growing up knowing you killed your aunt, even if it was an accident?

[LastPoet]

I have a collection of muzzle-loading replicas. The guns are kept, unloaded, in the house. The powder and shot is kept in a cabinet in the garage. I have no illusion of using any of them for "defense," although I do have a bayonet for my Brown Bess.

Even if the powder and shot were together Min... It wold be almost comical to try to do a spree murder with those weapons. You'd be better off with a sword.

---

Accidents happen, The aunt is dead, but the kid is the one that has to live with it

[Minimalist]

I have a sword. It's an antique, British naval officer's sword from the 1880's. I've had it 40 years......used it once to kill a snake my cat had cornered.

[Creed of Heresy]

Min, I keep my guns, currently, in a safe in a storage house that my brother, a US Army Ranger Captain, maintains for himself. When they are in my possession, however, they are kept in a thumbprint safe, since my brother recently purchased a set of five and only needed three. Ammunition is stored nearby but never within the guns. I could access my weaponry, load, unsafety, and bring it to bear within 3 seconds; given that my room is at the far end of the apartment, that's more than enough time. Anyone who thinks their gun needs to be loaded at any time other than an immediate emergency or at the target range is a put-shoe-on-head mouth-breathing neanderthal.

Also fuck the NRA. I am not a fan of them.

[LastPoet]

Lets imagine a robber coming to my house... I'd have less trouble to grab a nightstand and hit him in the head with it. I'm just that pragmatic.

[Creed of Heresy]

A bullet to the knee will stop someone much faster than beaten them over the head with a nightstand. Plus if you're knocking anything off of it, you're causing a lot of noise, alerting the burglar to your location and that you're doing something, meaning he'll be more prepared. Often, however, if staring down the barrel of a gun, a robber isn't likely to put the value of the goods in your house over his own life and he'll run.

I should probably mention I have a Class F, which actually allows me to handle commercial-grade explosives on top of ownership of firearms, including limited quantities of fully automatic weaponry and even anti-materiel rated weaponry. This is largely because I have demonstrated top marks in all safety lessons I have applied for, have several references for good gun handling and safety practices included said Captain of a unit that falls under the SOCOM umbrella. I have never misfired a gun, never kept a loaded gun stored anywhere where someone else could get it, and never left a gun off its safety. When I say I'm a responsible gun owner, trust me, I fucking mean it. XD

---

Also muzzle-loaders are pretty damn cool. If only they weren't so damn inaccurate I'd try shooting targets with them more.

Kick like a mule, though. I've fired .50-caliber BMGs before that don't kick that hard.

[LastPoet]

Bah, hitting a robber with a nightstand > using a gun. A shitload of redtape, defending legitimate use, etc. Besides, it is far more epic!