GUNS DON'T KILL PEOPLE, OR DO THEY?

[HairOfTheDog]

Florida father charged with aggravated manslaughter of 3 year-old daughter


Thomas Chambers and daughter Zuri Chambers. RIP Zuri.

Three-year-old Zuri Chambers died Feb. 13 after she picked up a loaded gun up off a table and pulled the trigger. The bullet struck her in the head, and she died later at an area hospital.

Although his daughter's death was ruled an accident, on Saturday, police charged Zuri's father, Thomas Chambers with aggravated manslaughter of a child.

Chambers, who has a concealed carry permit and no prior criminal record, was arrested Saturday and released by a judge on his own recognizance.

The Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office said the charges are warranted, since Chambers had received firearms training and knew to keep his weapon safe. The fatal incident was also the third time Zuri had toyed with a gun she found at home, according to police.

Once, according to Chambers' arrest report, Zuri's mother woke up to the child pointing [a gun] at her. Another time, Zuri grabbed a firearm that was sitting in a laundry basket. Chambers told investigators he never imagined the toddler was strong enough to pull the trigger, which requires 10 pounds of pressure.

Her father, who said he takes the gun to work because he makes bank deposits, told police he'd left the gun out on a table near the front door so that he wouldn't forget it.

By Florida law, guns in the home are to be secured in a locked box or otherwise kept readily at hand.

David Chambers, Zuri's uncle, said the shooting was a tragic accident. "No parent intentionally leaves things exposed for children," he told the Sun Sentinel in February. He said his brother was a responsible gun owner.

Under Florida law, a person who causes the death of any person under the age of 18 by culpable negligence commits aggravated manslaughter of a child.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/03/04...97045.html
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Good to see the laws being enforced. Sure, the dad has suffered a terrible loss and must be devastated, but he caused the death of his daughter due to negligence. Really hoping that more frequent prosecution of negligent parents in these cases makes other gun owners with children in the home think harder about leaving weapons in reach.

[HairOfTheDog]

Another toddler shoots a sibling to death...

This is so sad and completely avoidable.

Mom's boyfriend brought a loaded .357 caliber handgun into the house with 4 kids on Saturday morning.

Mom says she went to the bathroom and the kids ended up getting a hold of it. The 2-year-old was the youngest. He shot his 11-year-old sister and she died at the hospital 30 minutes later.

Investigators have not determined whether any charges will be filed against the adults.


RIP Jamara Stevens

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/cops-2-year-...ladelphia/

[SIXFOOTERsez]

stupid, stupid, stupid

[Midwest Spy]

stupid, stupid, stupid

How can it NOT be criminally negligent?

[SIXFOOTERsez]

Both of them

[HairOfTheDog]

Michael Bloomberg and Shannon Watts Take on the NRA - Officially



Snip:
To unify the efforts of this diverse coalition of Americans, we are launching Everytown for Gun Safety in America, a new umbrella organization that will be the largest and best-organized counterweight to the gun lobby that has ever been created. Everytown for Gun Safety will expand on the work of two existing organizations -- Mayors Against Illegal Guns and Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America -- and take the fight for gun violence prevention policies to every community in the country.

Everytown for Gun Safety will continue pushing for better background check laws in Congress and state houses. But we will also broaden our focus to include other issues that are important to Americans, like safe storage education campaigns to help keep kids from being killed by unlocked or dangerously stored guns. And new laws to keep guns out of the hands of domestic abusers. And efforts to help reduce the nearly 19,400 suicides that happen every year with guns.

In each area, we will make progress by doing something that no gun group, other than the National Rifle Association, has ever done: inform and mobilize voters. The reason the NRA has political influence -- in addition to its campaign contributions -- is that it has scared elected officials into believing that voters will oppose them unless they follow the NRA's Washington leadership, which has grown increasingly extreme and increasingly out of touch with its own members.

In fact, the NRA's reputation for political strength is wildly blown out of proportion and the election results from three statewide contests in Virginia this past November reflect that reality. Candidates who spoke out in support of common sense gun violence prevention policies were elected as governor, lieutenant governor, and attorney general. In the attorney general's race, his campaign manager said that the candidate's support for sensible stances on gun issues was a major factor in his victory.

Nonetheless, the perception of an unbeatable gun lobby still lingers and part of our mission will be showing candidates and elected officials that the vast majority of Americans and gun owners support common sense gun policies that respect the Second Amendment and save lives.

To mobilize voters who are committed to backing candidates that support common sense gun policies, Everytown for Gun Safety is launching a Gun Sense Voter campaign. Before the 2014 midterms, we aim to get at least 1 million Americans to pledge to vote for state and federal candidates based on where they stand on gun safety. We'll keep voters informed by tracking candidates' positions and determining which of them support gun safety and which do not.

There is no doubt that we have a big hill to climb. Well-funded, entrenched special interests are always difficult to defeat. And for years, the gun lobby has largely had the field to itself. No longer.

Everytown for Gun Safety and its growing grassroots network will be gunning for change that both protects our country and respects our Constitution.

Full piece: http://edition.cnn.com/2014/04/17/opinio...?hpt=hp_t5
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I support the goals of this effort -- I had thought/hoped much of its mission would be taken on by Washington after the Newtown shootings. Not so.

If its stated aims are true, Everytown for Gun Safety doesn't appear to be a campaign to ban guns or infringe upon the right to bear arms. Instead, it appears to be an effort to address the problems associated with policies highly influenced by a huge special interest group holding politicians by the balls, with disregard for common sense and the public's best interests, in some cases. Will be interesting to see where this goes.

[thekid65]

Another toddler shoots a sibling to death...

This is so sad and completely avoidable.

Mom's boyfriend brought a loaded .357 caliber handgun into the house with 4 kids on Saturday morning.

Mom says she went to the bathroom and the kids ended up getting a hold of it. The 2-year-old was the youngest. He shot his 11-year-old sister and she died at the hospital 30 minutes later.

Investigators have not determined whether any charges will be filed against the adults.


RIP Jamara Stevens

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/cops-2-year-...ladelphia/

Methinks there may be more to this story. I'm not so sure that a 2 yr old would have the finger strength to pull the trigger on that gun, unless the hammer was already cocked.

No matter what, charges should be filed against the adult(s).

[HairOfTheDog]

Methinks there may be more to this story. I'm not so sure that a 2 yr old would have the finger strength to pull the trigger on that gun, unless the hammer was already cocked.

No matter what, charges should be filed against the adult(s).

I think you might be right and wondered about the 2-year-old's ability as well, Kid.

The reports are that the toddler is the one who had gunpowder indicative of being the shooter, which is consistent with the witness statements. Does that mean that it couldn't have been staged to protect one of the other kids? IDK.

Yeah, leaving loaded guns unattended anywhere with children present qualifies as "neglect" in my opinion, too.

[Maggot]

To unify the efforts of this diverse coalition of Americans, we are launching Everytown for Gun Safety in America, a new umbrella organization that will be the largest and best-organized counterweight to the gun lobby that has ever been created. Everytown for Gun Safety will expand on the work of two existing organizations -- Mayors Against Illegal Guns and Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America -- and take the fight for gun violence prevention policies to every community in the country.


Bloomberg is not a very trustworthy person. Most of the mayors dropped out of his program when they found out his agenda was to outright ban guns.

[SIXFOOTERsez]

Those sound a lot like the words of the last gun legislation effort from #1, "Enhanced Background Checks" Sounded nice, but the devil is as usual in the details. You cannot trust anything that the anti gun lobby says their "Stated Goals" are.
Read the damn thing.
I am all about gun safety and responsibility and keeping the things out of the hands of criminals.
Put a bill that does that out there and I'll champion it myself.

[HairOfTheDog]

I'm all for a nationwide campaign to help push universal background checks and to keep guns away from more children and domestic abusers. There needs to be some pressure on politicians to act based on the voices and best interests of the public they represent without fear of repercussion from the gun lobby.

Will Everytown for Gun Safety accomplish those goals? I don't know -- but I hope so. I'm not a Bloomberg fan, but very few people have the kind of money it takes to launch such a wide spanning initiative. A counterweight to the NRA is needed; a good thing -- IMO.

If Bloomberg and the group try to exceed the stated goals and go for a ban on all guns at some time in the future, I'd not support that mission and they wouldn't be able to do so without the public and lawmakers' support anyway.

It doesn't have to be all or nothing or standing still because neither side trusts the other. If Everytown for Gun Safety succeeds in its stated goals -- great. If it then tries to move towards unconstitutional measures, they'll lose a good deal of any support they managed to accumulate to that point and they'll fail on that front, IMO.

[BlueTiki]

I'm not a Bloomberg fan, but very few people have the kind of money it takes to launch such a wide spanning initiative.

I love Special Interest Groups and private dollars distributed to influence politicians!

I must be a Democrat.

[ramseycat]

I think people should just stop being stupid about guns. Keep them locked up. Ammo in a separate place. If you keep a gun for protection, put a lock box in your bedroom or nightstand. Just make sure it's safe and not left or "hidden" where a child can find it. It's not rocket science.

[HairOfTheDog]

I think people should just stop being stupid about guns. Keep them locked up. Ammo in a separate place. If you keep a gun for protection, put a lock box in your bedroom or nightstand. Just make sure it's safe and not left or "hidden" where a child can find it. It's not rocket science.

Seems simple, right?

And, yet, the accidental shooting of children (seem to be getting younger and younger) still happens regularly because adults leave loaded weapons in reach.

These three separate incidents have all gone down in the last 10 days.
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2-YEAR-OLD SHOT IN THE FACE BY 4-YEAR-OLD - POLICE INVESTIGATING WHETHER TO FILE CHARGES AGAINST MOTHER
COCHRANTON, Pa. (AP) — A 2-year-old boy was accidentally shot in the face by his 4-year-old brother who found a loaded gun in their northwestern Pennsylvania home while their mother slept.

Sgt. Mark Zaleski says the victim was shot in the face, beneath his right eye, when his brother accidentally fired the .380-caliber Ruger pistol.

Police haven't said who owns the gun or who might be criminally responsible for it falling into the boy's possession.

Zaleski says the boy's mother was napping at the time. Another 1-year-old child was also in the house.

The boy was being treated at Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC -- he was reportedly in critical condition --no report on his current condition..

http://www.sfgate.com/news/article/Broth...407090.php
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3-YEAR-OLD SHOOTS 2-YEAR-OLD TO DEATH IN UTAH - POLICE INVESTIGATING AS TO WHETHER TO FILE CHARGES AGAINST PARENTS
LOGAN, Utah - A 2-year-old Utah boy has died after being accidentally shot by his 3-year-old sister with a rifle.

Cache County sheriff's Lt. Mike Peterson says the boy was shot in the stomach with a .22-caliber rifle Friday evening in the family's home in College Ward.

"The gun had been used earlier in the day by the victim's father and was set down after returning home," said Cache County Sheriff's Lt. Mike Peterson, according to CBS affiliate KUTV in Salt Lake City. "The gun was in an unloaded state but did have live rounds in the magazine. We believe the three-year-old had to manipulate the action enough to chamber a live round prior to the incident occurring."

All family members were home and the boy's mother immediately called for assistance.

First-responders - some just a few houses away - rushed to the home and transported the boy in critical condition to Logan Regional Hospital, where he underwent surgery, KUTV reports. An air ambulance then flew him from Logan to Primary Children's Hospital, where he died.

Peterson says while investigators believe the shooting was accidental, they'll submit a report to the county Attorney's Office for review. The office will determine whether any charges are filed.

http://www.wibw.com/home/headlines/Utah-...46741.html
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4-YEAR-OLD SHOOTS AND WOUNDS 3-YEAR-OLD IN MISSOURI - FATHER ARRESTED FOR CHILD ENDANGERMENT


^ Larry Madison, 27, was charged Monday with first-degree endangering the welfare of a child and marijuana possession.

The incident happened at a home in the 9000 block of Lorna Ln. in St. Louis around 12:30 p.m. on Easter.

According to police, Madison left a loaded shotgun within easy reaching distance of his two sons (in a closet), ages 3 and 4. Police say he was smoking marijuana and his wife was sleeping in another room when the 4-year-old picked up the shotgun and shot his 3-year-old brother.

The victim was transported to the hospital with a graze injury that appeared to be minor (thankfully).

Madison was taken into custody and the gun was removed from the home.

http://www.kmov.com/news/local/Police-Fa...32611.html
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[Maggot]

What a great place to put an apple!

[Duchess]

They all look alike to me. Asians too.

[FAHQTOO]

When they start charging these idiots with nothing less than voluntary manslaughter, then maybe we won't hear about these senseless tragedys anymore.

[BlueTiki]

Police say he was smoking marijuana . . .

Looks like it's time to add additional weed regulation.

CN agrees.

[HairOfTheDog]

Police say he was smoking marijuana . . .

Looks like it's time to add additional weed regulation.

CN agrees.

The mom was home at the time too.

I wondered if the dad was the only one charged with endangerment because he happened to be in possession of marijuana when police arrived and was reportedly smoking it at the time of the incident.

Or, maybe that's just what the media headlines are screaming at me and the solo arrest has more to do with the fact that the gun was the father's.

Glad the kid didn't get seriously wounded or killed, in any case.

http://fox2now.com/2014/04/20/3-year-old...-year-old/

[HairOfTheDog]

"Put Up Your Dukes, Bloomberg!"

That's what I imagine Georgia Governor Nathan Deal and his NRA supporters saying yesterday.

^ Governor Deal (R ) signed House Bill 60, also known as the Safe Carry Protection Act, which will allow licensed gun owners to carry their firearms into public places, including bars, nightclubs, schools, churches and government buildings.

“People who follow the rules can protect themselves and their families from people who don’t follow the rules,” Deal said, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “The Second Amendment should never be an afterthought. It should reside at the forefronts of our minds.”

The National Rifle Association has praised the bill as "the most comprehensive pro-gun reform legislation introduced in recent state history" and called it a “historic victory for the Second Amendment.” Americans for Responsible Solutions, a gun control organization started by former Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz.), fought to defeat the bill, calling it "the most extreme gun bill in America."

Colin Goddard, a survivor of the 2007 Virginia Tech shooting who now works with the advocacy group Everytown For Gun Safety, called the bill "unprecedented."

“The Stand Your Ground expansion is truly a new type of Stand Your Ground as we know it,” Goddard said of the measure, which some critics dubbed the "guns everywhere" bill. “To expand it in such a way to remove all carrying or possession offenses is really unprecedented.”

Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/04/23...ostpopular
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I see too many stories where licensed gun owners and those who had historically "followed the rules" define "defending" way differently than I do to consider this a good thing for anybody.

Guess we'll see how it goes.