07-01-2015, 02:01 AM
(07-01-2015, 01:23 AM)Cutz Wrote: There's already negligence laws about people keeping their kids safe. Laws don't prevent behavior.
We've just circled back to my first post on the subject.
I would like to see negligence laws applied and enforced consistently across the country in regards to children unintentionally injuring or killing themselves/others with loaded guns. Charges should be brought in all cases; it shouldn't matter whether the state is strict or lax when it comes to gun control.
Laws do in fact prevent behavior, Cutz. Otherwise, there would be no laws. If it weren't for fear of being prosecuted and jailed, there would be a lot more crime. Guaranteed negative legal consequences are deterrents for most people. I don't think that's reasonably arguable.
If you go back and read the stories in this thread about deaths caused by children shooting guns, you'll see that most of the parents appear to be otherwise generally decent law-abiding people and parents. They were also undoubtedly negligent in leaving their loaded guns in reach of their children and, IMO, should all have been charged (despite their self-inflicted anguish).
It's a safe bet that all of those parents wish like hell they had not been negligent with their loaded guns and had instead safely stored them. Perhaps they would have practiced gun safety if they had been specifically required to do so by law. Preventing unintentional child gun deaths is more important to me than punishing parents for the negligence that caused the deaths, but they go hand in hand. If all of the parents/adults responsible for the injuries/deaths were charged, I think it would be an effective deterrent to such negligent behavior for some other gun-owning adults with children.