MO: Teenage slumber party ends in disaster

[seamusTX]

In Neosho, Missouri (northwest Ozarks) Monday a 14-year-old girl died after being shot by another girl at a slumber party.

The shooter found a holstered, loaded revolver in the home and removed it from the holster. The weapon discharged "accidentally." The victim was killed by a single .38-caliber round that struck her in the head.

The holster was a Christmas gift to the homeowner.

No charges have been brought.

http://www.neoshodailynews.com/news/x16 ... m-shooting" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

- Jim

[Oldgringo]

Will they never learn?

[gigag04]

Will they never learn?

Will we never teach them.

[E.Marquez]

This is not "we should have taught them something"
This was a "He should have taught them something"
This was a complete failure of personal responibility..

I taught my kids....I teach others as the opportunity arises... are "we" also responsible to teach that home owners kids? His daughters? his cousins? (my personal opinion is, no, not responsible,, but we should be willing...if the occasion arises )

This was a terrible thing , avoidable with just a little care and instruction. Perhaps that homeowner will now take on the personal responsibility he is rightfully expected to assume and teach his own children proper fire arms handling and respect, as well as ensure when those not sufficiently trained are in his home, to secure his weapons.

[Oldgringo]

This is indeed tragic.

I wonder if the shooter lived there or was one of the guests? In any event, these 14 y.o. girls have seen TV, movies and video games and should have known better than to play with a gun "found" in a room they weren't supposed to be in.

My sympathies to the parents - both sets.

[Right2Carry]

I am not really sure how a revolver accidently fires itself. This almost reads like the hammer might have been back on the revolver. I am not sure why that would be the case if the homeowner was actually just trying out the new holster as is being reported.

A tragic loss of life that could have been easily prevented.

[seamusTX]

Both of the girls involved were guests in the residence.

Of course a revolver cannot fire itself, and no one in their right mind would cock a holstered revolver.

Most likely the girl who picked up the weapon put her finger on the trigger and pulled it. Possibly she didn't realize how little effort it would take. It was pointing where she was looking, namely at her friend.

I have seen people who didn't know how to handle weapons do this, more than once (fortunately with unloaded weapons).

As for teaching firearms safety, every handgun sold new since 2004 has come with a lock and prominent warning labels. Everyone who has a hunting license in something like the past 30 years has had a hunter safety course. Everyone who has been in the military has been through drills. The NRA has programs, and most instructors will give free informal instruction if asked.

Horse. Water.

- Jim

[Ameer]

Because so far it looks like an accident, maybe they thought it would be cruel to bluntly say one girl removed the gun from the holster and shot the other girl in the head.

[seamusTX]

Newspapers have to be very careful about identifying people who might be guilty of or liable for something based on preliminary reports.

A man named Richard Jewell will never again have to work because of the libel and defamation settlement that he received.

- Jim

[Katygunnut]

I have taught both my kids (10 and 8) about firearm safety. They know that they should never handle a gun without me there telling them that it is OK. They both know how to dissassemble and clean semi-autos and revolvers. They know that a gun is always loaded unless you have checked it several times, and then they should check again just to be sure. And you still never point it at anything you dont want to kill. They put on the safety on the BB gun while they work the lever to load another BB, etc, etc.

I am doing everything I can to prepare my kids so that they are safe around guns. My main concern is with the people I can't control, like their friends, or the home owner who fails to lock up a gun.

[surprise_i'm_armed]

A news report stated that the handgun was found on top of a piano.

********************************************************************************
FYI
Richard Jewel was the security guard who found a bomb at the Atlanta
Olympics, ~ 1996, then was harassed by LEO's as a suspect.

He received a large cash settlement for the harassment, but unfortunately
died young of natural causes.

SIA

[Oldgringo]

A news report stated that the handgun was found on top of a piano.

********************************************************************************
FYI
Richard Jewel was the security guard who found a bomb at the Atlanta
Olympics, ~ 1996, then was harassed by LEO's as a suspect.

He received a large cash settlement for the harassment, but unfortunately
died young of natural causes.

SIA

The operative word through all of this is "FOUND". What were they looking for? Fourteen year olds should have better manners and more sense than to go through someone else's house looking for what they can "find".

[seamusTX]

Richard Jewel ... died young of natural causes.

I didn't know that.

Fourteen year olds should have better manners and more sense than to go through someone else's house looking for what they can "find".

Fourteen-year-olds and sense do not go hand in hand, especially when the teenagers are in a group.

What the homeowner should have done was put a mean, hungry pit bull in the room with the weapon. That would'a showed 'em.

- Jim

[Right2Carry]

Both of the girls involved were guests in the residence.

Of course a revolver cannot fire itself, and no one in their right mind would cock a holstered revolver.

Most likely the girl who picked up the weapon put her finger on the trigger and pulled it. Possibly she didn't realize how little effort it would take. It was pointing where she was looking, namely at her friend.

I have seen people who didn't know how to handle weapons do this, more than once (fortunately with unloaded weapons).

As for teaching firearms safety, every handgun sold new since 2004 has come with a lock and prominent warning labels. Everyone who has a hunting license in something like the past 30 years has had a hunter safety course. Everyone who has been in the military has been through drills. The NRA has programs, and most instructors will give free informal instruction if asked.

Horse. Water.

- Jim

I haven't seen too many double action revolvers that take little effort to pull the trigger. I have seen plenty of double action and single action revolvers that take little effort to pull the trigger when cocked. I have always thought that most double action guns require a deliberate pull of the trigger in order to fire the weapon, and that pull required some effort.