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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region Forums8-year-old boy accidentally shoots mother at baseball game, gun owner charged
The boy found a loaded gun while playing inside an antique World War II jeep on display at an event honoring veterans.
A Tennessee mother was hospitalized in critical condition after her 8-year-old son accidentally shot her at a college baseball game, police said.
The gun's owner, Charles McFarland Jr., was arrested and faces charges of reckless endangerment with a deadly weapon.
The jeep had been on display as part of a celebration the stadium holds for veterans, the Millington Police Department said in a press release.
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/8-year-old-boy-accidentally-shoots-mother-baseball-game-gun-n1005876
jberryhill
(62,444 posts)This family's life is changed forever because of this slob and his war toys.
Sancho
(9,067 posts)This is my generic response to gun threads where people are shot and killed by the dumb or criminal possession of guns. For the record, I grew up in the South and on military bases. I was taught about firearms as a child, and I grew up hunting, was a member of the NRA, and I still own guns. In the 70s, I dropped out of the NRA because they become more radical and less interested in safety and training. Some personal experiences where people I know were involved in shootings caused me to realize that anyone could obtain and posses a gun no matter how illogical it was for them to have a gun. Also, easy access to more powerful guns, guns in the hands of children, and guns that werent secured are out of control in our society. As such, heres what I now think ought to be the requirements to possess a gun. Im not debating the legal language, I just think its the reasonable way to stop the shootings. Notice, none of this restricts the type of guns sold. This is aimed at the people who shoot others, because its clear that they should never have had a gun.
1.) Anyone in possession of a gun (whether they own it or not) should have a regularly renewed license. If you want to call it a permit, certificate, or something else that's fine.
2.) To get a license, you should have a background check, and be examined by a professional for emotional and mental stability appropriate for gun possession. It might be appropriate to require that examination to be accompanied by references from family, friends, employers, etc. This check is not to subject you to a mental health diagnosis, just check on your superficial and apparent gun-worthyness.
3.) To get the license, you should be required to take a safety course and pass a test appropriate to the type of gun you want to use.
4.) To get a license, you should be over 21. Under 21, you could only use a gun under direct supervision of a licensed person and after obtaining a learners license. Your license might be restricted if you have children or criminals or other unsafe people living in your home. (If you want to argue 18 or 25 or some other age, fine. 21 makes sense to me.)
5.) If you possess a gun, you would have to carry a liability insurance policy specifically for gun ownership - and likely you would have to provide proof of appropriate storage, security, and whatever statistical reasons that emerge that would drive the costs and ability to get insurance.
6.) You could not purchase a gun or ammunition without a license, and purchases would have a waiting period.
7.) If you possess a gun without a license, you go to jail, the gun is impounded, and a judge will have to let you go (just like a DUI).
8.) No one should carry an unsecured gun (except in a locked case, unloaded) when outside of home. Guns should be secure when transporting to a shooting event without demonstrating a special need. Their license should indicate training and special carry circumstances beyond recreational shooting (security guard, etc.). If you are carrying your gun while under the influence of drugs or alcohol, you lose your gun and license.
9.) If you buy, sell, give away, or inherit a gun, your license information should be recorded.
10.) If you accidentally discharge your gun, commit a crime, get referred by a mental health professional, are served a restraining order, etc., you should lose your license and guns until reinstated by a serious relicensing process.
Most of you know that a license is no big deal. Besides a drivers license you need a license to fish, operate a boat, or many other activities. I realize these differ by state, but that is not a reason to let anyone without a bit of sense pack a semiautomatic weapon in public, on the roads, and in schools. I think we need to make it much harder for some people to have guns.
PBC_Democrat
(401 posts)It is straight out NEGLIGENCE.
Very happy to see the owner being held accountable.
Very happy the woman is not dead.
Very hopeful that the kid can get the counseling he's gonna need to get past this event.
You can see in my profile that I'm a big gun guy ... but owning a gun brings with it a lot of responsibility.
Deciding to conceal carry comes with a lot of responsibility (have to keep it concealed, NO drinking, and knowing the applicable laws)
Deciding to leave a loaded gun in a vehicle and then letting a kid explore it -- criminally stupid, even if no one gets shot.
Javaman
(62,517 posts)lunasun
(21,646 posts)maxsolomon
(33,310 posts)hope the lady survives, hope the kid isn't traumatized. 8 is old enough to remember you almost killed your mom.
shocked they charged the vet. I mean, he's a VET! he SERVED OUR COUNTRY. doesn't the Millington PD honor their service blah blah blah rah rah?
jberryhill
(62,444 posts)My father served in two wars. When he left the army, he took off the uniform and never felt an urge to wear it again or spend the rest of his life saying "Lookit me! I was in the army!"
EarnestPutz
(2,120 posts)....looks good in a mug shot doesn't it? Seventy-six years old means that he was two years old when WWII ended, but with his antique jeep and a loaded gun, a guy can dream.
underpants
(182,769 posts)Do I HAVE to wear my greens on this (6 hour) flight?
Air Force guy - its up to you.
I turn to the guy who drove me there You can have them
I did have a tailor turn BDU pants into shorts way before it was popular. Trend setter me.
rurallib
(62,406 posts)that unlocks their iPhone could probably be engineered into guns so that the gun could not be fired by anyone but the owner.
Automobiles have been forced by the government and by the public to engineer in safety, why not gun manufacturers?
DesertRat
(27,995 posts)Kaleva
(36,294 posts)"Through the investigation, it appears that the gun fired when the purse fell to the ground and a bullet struck the victims lower right shin, read the agencys post. The gun was located inside the wifes purse and a hole was discovered in the side of the purse.
The victim is in stable condition and no criminal charges are expected, concluded the post."
Read more here: https://www.miamiherald.com/news/state/florida/article230078199.html#storylink=cpy
There are no accidents in these cases. All are caused by willful disregard for basic safety rules.
Separation
(1,975 posts)I used to live across the street from that baseball field. I totally agree with what was said above, about this not being an accident. It was pure negligence, the gun did exactly what it was supposed to do when the trigger was pulled. I wish it would be reported that way... .. . actually I'd wish people wouldnt get shot as much as they do. It says something about your country when your putting up casualty numbers that you would expect from a warzone.
MH1
(17,600 posts)I don't agree with the posts excoriating the vet for "playing dress-up". That's really not the issue here, and no need to piss further on this guy than what is deserved.
Well then, what is deserved? An innocent person is likely to die, or be permanently physically harmed, by his mistake. A child is likely to be traumatized. A celebration for fellow vets was ruined.
A lot of pissing is deserved. But, a couple things -
1) Anyone who has ever driven drunk, could have caused just as much, or more, damage as this guy did by forgetting to clear his weapon.
2) I blame our society's lax attitude towards guns and lax gun laws, that this guy wasn't more careful. The mistake he made is probably made a thousand times a day. More than 99.9% of the time, good luck prevails and no tragedy occurs. It was this guy's unlucky day. Doesn't make what he did right or okay. But means that we ought to have a lot lower tolerance and approval of this crap in our society, and maybe not depend on luck so much to keep the tragedy numbers down.
I hope the woman fully recovers. No one involved will ever be the same, though.
We need better gun safety laws. It won't ever stop stuff like this completely, but we could get the numbers a lot lower.