8 year old Playing with gun dies. No. 4 Houston

[philip964]

11 year old may have pulled the trigger. No magazine in the gun, but one in the chamber.

Children found the gun upstairs in bedroom and began throwing it back and forth.

Fourth child to die from a gunshot in the Houston this year.

[SewTexas]

what is the problem with the people in Houston?

[rbwhatever1]

Unsecured firearms, un-familiarized children, no adults in the house...

http://www.newswest9.com/story/29676911 ... g-with-gun" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

"Authorities say neither of the boys lived at the residence."

[jmra]

Houston, we have a problem! Get a safe people!

[striker55]

I would bet many of these accidents weren't chl holders. I for one knows better to leave a firearm unsecured when a child is in the home.

[misterlarry]

Sad. Very, very sad.

[Charles L. Cotton]

I saw that report and it was interesting that the magazine was removed, but the chamber was not cleared. I wonder if one of the kids did that, or an adult? It appears someone tried to unload the gun, but simply didn't know the full procedure.

Chas.

[Middle Age Russ]

Too flippin' many folks that have firearms don't take safety seriously -- and the result is too often a preventable tragedy. Though I am no fan of legislating everything under the sun, at least some of the laws regarding firearms storage (keeping them from unauthorized use) make sense in the wake of such occurrences. There are likely family members that are stricken with grief and horror, possibly due to culpability, and I understand their pain and wouldn't want to add to their misery on the one hand, but such laws raising awareness by penalizing truly negligent behavior may be a good thing. While I pray for God's healing for the folks affected in such cases I am also angry that some fail to give proper consideration to safety.

Nobody in their right mind would give a small child a running chainsaw and leave them unsupervised. Why are so many folks less concerned about potentially loaded firearms in the hands of unsupervised (and quite likely untrained in firearms safety) children? This is negligent, irresponsible behavior, plain and simple.

[jmra]

Too flippin' many folks that have firearms don't take safety seriously -- and the result is too often a preventable tragedy. Though I am no fan of legislating everything under the sun, at least some of the laws regarding firearms storage (keeping them from unauthorized use) make sense in the wake of such occurrences. There are likely family members that are stricken with grief and horror, possibly due to culpability, and I understand their pain and wouldn't want to add to their misery on the one hand, but such laws raising awareness by penalizing truly negligent behavior may be a good thing. While I pray for God's healing for the folks affected in such cases I am also angry that some fail to give proper consideration to safety.

Nobody in their right mind would give a small child a running chainsaw and leave them unsupervised. Why are so many folks less concerned about potentially loaded firearms in the hands of unsupervised (and quite likely untrained in firearms safety) children? This is negligent, irresponsible behavior, plain and simple.

Or better yet enforce existing laws. Plenty of charges could be applied in these cases under existing law. More laws is not the answer.

[Middle Age Russ]

Or better yet enforce existing laws. Plenty of charges could be applied in these cases under existing law. More laws is not the answer.

I apologize if I wasn't clear. I agree fully that more laws is not the answer. I was stating that laws (existing) regarding firearms storage may not all be bad laws.

[twomillenium]

Or better yet enforce existing laws. Plenty of charges could be applied in these cases under existing law. More laws is not the answer.

How would the law be enforced? It is too late when the accident happens.

[mojo84]

Or better yet enforce existing laws. Plenty of charges could be applied in these cases under existing law. More laws is not the answer.

How would the law be enforced? It is too late when the accident happens.

Isn't that the case with many laws? Unfortunately, the laws on the books only deter some crimes and stupidity. Nothing is fool proof.

[Charles L. Cotton]

If the child that is wounded or killed is the son or daughter of the gun owner, then prosecution would be useless and would not improve safety. If the child victim is not the son or daughter of the gun owner, then that's a different story, but I still don't think it would improve safety. If the prospect of a dead or injured child is not a sufficient deterrent to careless behavior, then a Class A misdemeanor won't help.

As tragic as this is, we cannot afford to lose sight of the fact that death or injury from firearms is way down the list of causes of accidental death or injury. Gun owners' track record is also improving, likely because of a push for firearms safety training. We need to keep educating parents on how to secure their firearms to reduce accidents further.

Chas.

[K5GU]

Way too many shooters, even those who have been shooting semi-auto handguns for a while, don't know how the semi-auto works. A few years ago in my CHL renewal class, during break, the nice lady at the table behind me said she'd been shooting for about 2 years, and then asked me what the instructor meant by "knowing how to unload and clear" the gun. I tried to explain some things about the procedure like removing the magazine then racking the slide to empty the chamber, etc. The lady politely asked, "What's a chamber"?

When I began explaining, she said, "Never mind, I'm just here to get my CHL." Watch for these people and try to help us educate them. If we teach just one person, and it prevents just one mishap, that's a good thing!

[Topbuilder]

The story I saw on the news tried to indicate the boys knew the magazine was out and thought it was safe. And WE know, if they were THAT informed they would not have picked it up in the first place...