Sometimes bad things happen while waiting for the almost-fictional "home invader" to show up.

No more f'n guns. Sick of it. Find another g'damn hobby to feed your egos. 'Oh.. but I'm a hunter.' Please. Hunt the animal hand and foot, no weapons involved. That's fair game. Then let's see who's smarter.

Is this the same boy who shot himself in the foot 2 days ago? Oh I forgot, he was 7 not 4 years old. I would rather be the foot shooter.

Good grief, another one? Is this happening more often or are we just hearing about it more?

It's a tricky situation though. If you have a gun because you genuinely think you're going to get intruders, you can't keep it unloaded in a safe. It has to be ready to go at a moment's notice. What is the best way to use it for protection if you have kids in the house?

My answer would be don't have one at all, but there do seem to be some people who just can't live without one.

You know for someone whose name is "common sense" you certainly do lack quite a bit of it. Most people who own HANDGUNS do not have them as a hobby, especially when they only have one of them. Most people who talk about the almost "fictional" home invader, do not live in an area where the chances of that home invader or robber are very high, or so it would seem.

I do agree that the father should've left the weapon in a far more secure location, even though I myself do not have any children, nor do I have any young siblings, all the weapons in my household are locked inside of their cases and are left with no rounds in the chambers or magazines inserted (with the exception of a Glock that my father has hidden in the house, but even then the safety is always on and there is no round in the chamber)

As for the hunter comment are you really serious? I mean really? Hand and foot is not a "fair game", elk, deer, hogs, moose, etc are either far faster, agile, or stronger than your average human. That is why we invented projectile weapons to make hunting them easier, and more beneficial to us.

USMC excellent post! As a parent of 5 with weapons there is no excuse whatsoever. I have been criticized for not having a loaded gun handy- well it just wasn't worth the risk. Kids are snoops and will investigate every square inch of the house. Kids are here all the time now and still, it's just not worth an accident if one of them is too inquisitive. It should not be a problem to have weapons AND children in the same home if one just uses a little caution.

Brat- I was not aware that a Glock has a safety.

Robiscoole-http://www.brownells.com/handgun-parts/action-parts/safety-parts/safeties/manual-safety-kit-for-glock--prod5532.aspx
They do not come with them stock, but you can (as my father did) purchase and modify your weapons with an external safety mechanism.

Bubba: "so buy the time you run to get your gun, if your awake they will already have shot you" Where is the reasoning behind this? What if Im upstairs and I hear them break in down stairs? What if Im in a different part of the house, the part of the house that just so happens to be where the weapon is kept? What you presented is not a fact, but merely one of a number of possibilities that could happen.

"but your a MORON."
Coming from a person who cannot exercise elementary spelling and grammar (it's you're* btw) and doesn't realize that careless is a synonym for negligent....

I say let the guns nuts buy all the guns they want, and give them no-interest loans to buy more.

This is how they'll end up. Thin the herd.

For those who think guns are a bad idea, I wish those who wish to do us harm couldn't get access to them, but the reality of OUR world is; they are out there, and there are those who WILL use them to take what YOU have. The thing that keeps a lot of thieves out of our homes and from robbing you on the streets is the possibility that you may be armed.

Even in cities where carrying a concealed weapon is against the law, there are quite a few who carry guns. If the laws were changed to allow them, fewer people would be robbed on the street.

Look at Arizona and Texas, they have some of the best crime statistics in the nation, because a large number of them carry weapons, despite the border issues with Mexico. Mexico has some of the most comprehensive gun laws, and you can see THAT has not swayed the Cartels one bit. People are dying in the streets there because they can't defend themselves.

It's a cruel two edged sword. But, one that can be handled by taking your child, once he/she is able to climb, to a range and show him/her what a gun can do. Usually the sound alone will give a young child a healthy respect for the weapon. When they see what it will do to something, and they are ALLOWED to fire it, under strict supervision, the curiosity is no longer there.

The danger is NOT teaching. Accidents will happen, but when a child doesn't know the difference between a real weapon and a toy (I have a larger problem with TOY guns) he will be more likely not to understand what will happen if they point it at someone, or him/herself.

My point is; if we get rid of LAWFUL gun ownership, we make ourselves more succeptable to those who have them illegally, and will use them more frequently. There is NO "half in" phylosophy here. Law enforcement has enough on their plates as it is, with budget cuts happening as much as they are, we can't realistically expect local/state police to be able to prevent every potential out there.

I WISH only criminals had guns. Criminals just want to take your stuff. Gun nuts are NUTS.

No guns = no gun accidents or people killed or injured by guns. When people shoot at ranges oftentimes they are shooting at a target of what? A human. Video games shooting at what? cans on a fence? No. Killing other living beings. It's BS.

The only way for this kind of thing to stop is for the SCOTUS to strictly interpret the 2nd Amendment to the constitution. You can have any type of gun that was in existence when the 2nd Amendment was first approved, in 1787. No revolvers, no shot guns, no assault rifles, flint lock and hand made lead ball weapons only.

As Justice Scolia has often pointed out, the Constitution is NOT supposed to be a flexible document, it is supposed to mean what the original writers meant at the time they wrote it.

OK...try wishing really hard for all guns to disappear. That's about the only way it will ever happen.

If someone stores their gun loaded without a safety, then they are careless and negligent. It is not the fault of the gun, just the idiot who owns it.

Common Sense: Please tell us your plan then that will immediately remove every gun on the face of the planet, and then please tell us you are going to implement this plan.

Heres the problem: guns exist, and they most likely always will exist. Guess what, you can't de-invent guns, they're not going to go away. The only thing you are left with now is two options: either the only ones who have guns are the governments and the criminals or the government, criminals, and the citizens. Also would it make you feel better if I told you that the silhouettes I use at the range are zombie silhouettes?

Also video game characters aren't other living beings, they're digital code. Anyone who can't tell the difference is obviously missing some critical mental functions.

dirp- Then by that standard you can only have a press as it was back in 1787. No internet blogs, no cameras, no websites, no news channels, pen and quill only. After all since the constitution is not a flexible document (never mind the fact that you can....whats the word....AMMEND IT) we should keep with the strict interpretation.

USMCBrat, I had a friend in Chicago, his hand gun was in the night stand next to the bed his wife was raped he is dead. His gun is gone! He got to watch before he got shot with his own gun! Enjoy the safty of your family!

I think guns should be much harder to purchase, and that there should be many more restrictions on existing guns. Too many people have them hidden in their basement to take them all away, but there are other things that can be done to prevent casual ownership by people who aren't prepared. I think home invasions are very rare in most communities, but when they do occur, the chances of the owner being awake, being able to get his gun and ready it in a useful time are pretty slim. I've never heard of anyone who chased away a home invasion with a gun. These incidents are far more common.

The problem is, if you leave your gun in a place where you can get to it easily, and it's loaded, you are leaving it in a place that is easy for kids to get to. It is far too easy for idiots to get guns in the US.

Sorry my spelling offends you!

I figured the majority of comments would be coming from under-informed, name-calling, gun grabbers... NAILED IT.

Bubba, as I said you only presented what is a possibility, not a fact. Simply because it happened to your friend, does not mean it will happen to everyone else.

Bubba I dont want to sound callous and I am truly sorry for your loss. But you kinda proved USMCBrat's point that even owning a gun wont you keep you as safe as some want you to believe.. In very few instances I have heard of a person kept safe by their weapon intended to be used only in the sole purpose of keeping their family safe in their own home.. My uncle was killed in his home by his own weapon. Someone broke in while he was working and they found his gun out and shot him in the back of his head..

I hate guns, loathe guns.. But I don't believe in taking people's rights to bare arms.. Just wish morons couldn't get their hands on guns.. I believe in keeping the gun locked away while a child is in the home..

I am storing my brother's shotgun.. It's in my garage locked away in a safe with a gun lock on it's trigger, safety on unloaded..

I have no intention of living in a paranoid fear that I need a gun to protect me because chances are even if I do have a gun, I doubt I will be able to get to in time to ward off an intruder.. I am more fearful of the gun that is in my house..

That's why I have a security system, I find it more useful than worrying that someone might get me eventually somewhere at some point in time. But I will tell them to hold on while I go get my gun.. Let brinks deal with it and once that alarm goes off the whole neighborhood is awake..

Why is it when I come in to an article we have people trying to take guns away or wanting to buy more.. But no one talks about other measures of keeping themselves safe.. Such as a security system/alarm!?

I dunno man. After reading a lot of the above posts, I guess I fall into the category of "gun nut" as you put it.

I've owned guns my entire life. I keep them in a gun safe with trigger locks that takes a key to unlock. Never even had a close call. I have an alarm for my house and shop. It calls the Sloman company immediately who then calls the local police. If someone comes in my house, the alarm "hopefully" would scare them away but if not, I feel sorry for whoever the perp is that broke in.

The problem lies in the handling of guns, where you store them and whether they're loaded while stored.

It the moron consumer that doesn't follow the simple rules that we read about all the time when these things happen.

As I mentioned in the past, good luck to all you "anti-gun" people beating a perp to death with a roll of paper towels while they're pointing a pistol at your face.

Fight fire with fire... You'll have a better chance...

Simply because it happened to your friend, does not mean it will happen to everyone else.

Simply because it hasn't happened to you does not mean that it will not happen to anyone else.

Frickenloser.

Too bad the baby pointed the gun at himself and not the father, the world would have been a safer place with numnuts out of the equation. Irresponsible people should not get to own guns.

Mandatory birth control.

To ALL gun owners, especially those with children, LOCK THE GUNS UP!!! Be responsible. Be smart. Be aware. I have guns too. They are ALL locked up. I hunt, I target shoot, I practice and when I am done, I lock them up. It is NOT that @%^$ hard.

Having been beaten around all of the boards in the last few days regarding gun laws, I just want to say, again ... those with guns ... I don't get it but you don't all get my life either. You have them. You're trained to them. You need to lock them up. Is that a requirement for owning a gun? I don't know, but it should be.

Living in Utah and seeing that some a$$ sent his child to school with a gun to feel safe?

http://layton3733410.newsvine.com/_news/2012/12/18/15981732-student-brings-gun-to-west-kearns-elementary-abc4com-salt-lake-city-utah-news

Are there requirements gun owners? Do you all respect them? It's not a rhetorical question ... is there some mandate or law that you get smacked with if you don't? (Like if I fail to register my car?)

From a personal perspective, I've very good friends who have guns and used them to hunt. Their son was aiming and shooting out of the window after school and didn't realize the gun was loaded. He shot and killed his friend. He then shot and killed himself. It was years ago, but that family is still devastated.

Are their reqquirements on an annual basis for owning a gun?

I have owned guns my entire life and have never had any problem at all. WHY?? I store them safely and I use them safely. As with a car or knife, the gun will never hurt anyone unless some @!$%#in idiot gets ahold of it. I would bet nearly every one of you posters out there have driven with a couple (or more) beers in you and by doing so have put you and others on the road in danger. SO, do we need to ban cars??? Or ban beer??? How about we start to solve the real problem and leave guns out of it.

Gun SAFE LOCKED!

Yeah, he wasn't careless for just "one minute". He was careless every second that gun was in a home with a 4 and 2 year old, unlocked.

Don't lock, educate. My three year old knows not to touch a gun. Loaded and in a drawer is fine, but it sounds like this gun was cocked. No three year old is strong enough to pull the trigger on a double action pistol or cock a single.

Mrrational: I wondered about that, too. I have enough trouble pulling the trigger with my adult girly hands. I can't imagine a little kid could do it. Maybe the trigger was modified.

Yes! Lock up your guns, people! Then when the 28 year old gang banger, high on PCP, kicks down your door and wants to rob and murder, just politely ask him to wait - tell him you're terribly sorry to have inconvenienced him, but your gun is locked up. You'll only be a moment....

Ban handguns.

People with guns kill people without guns. Parents that own guns kill their children.

That comment suggests you have a double-digit IQ, and that the majority of your information comes from television and public forums. SAD.

Or leaving it unloaded.

How about TEACHING the kid what it is? That child probably thought it was a toy. How would he know the difference unless he was taught?

It's pretty easy, eh?

Eh, how many fish in a barrel can you shoot before it gets boring?

They have BIG BARRELS in Texas!

Kids are more likely to die from choking hazards, falling, poisoning or car wrecks.

The gun owner violated Texas law by allowing the firearm to be accessible to a child.

Responsibility for this falls upon the parent & nowhere else.

Jeff it's 20 times more likly that this chiled would have died of old age if his father had not owned a gun.

@Jeff - Source of these hard statistics?

Bubba,

OK, we collect up all the registered guns out there. We pass laws that say that we, as honest Americans can no longer own weapons...who owns the weapons then? Who, once they realize that 2 in 5 Americans on longer carry a gun, decide that the gun they got illegally is now the only one in the neghborhood, what happens then?

Just a thought.

If you own a weapon, be responsible. You can lock it, unload it, or keep it in a safe (where it can take minutes to access it...) or you can teach your kid the difference between a toy and a real gun.

@Not Your Average Conservative

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9715182

I never said I was against owning a gun, hand gun yes, assault rifle yes, I'm against that, they have only one purpose to hunt man. Long rifle, shotgun no problem. Yes you can teach your kid the difference until that same kid decides he does not want to listen and your not around. He!! even grown up miss behave, the best of them, don't feed the bull, we all know kids will be kids.

Can't argue with statistics..... children deaths by category.....

motor vehicles (41%)

suffocation (21%)

drowning (15%)

fires (8%)

pedal cycles (2%)

poisoning (2%)

falls (1.9%)

environmental factors (1.5%)

firearms (1.1%)

medical mistakes (1%).

Let's look at the statistics:

As of 2009, there were 310 million non-military firearms in the US (Source: CNN via fas.org). In the same year, there were 254,212,610 registered vehicles in the US (Source: wikipedia). In that same year, there were 33,808 automobile deaths (Source: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration). That's 92 per day. Of those 33,808 deaths, 1,314 were of children 14 and younger (Source: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration). In that same year, there were 354 deaths of children 14 and younger caused by firearms (Source: childrensdefence.org). So, it would appear that statistically, guns are safer for children than automobiles...

...on the other hand, children spend a lot of time traveling in cars every day, but almost no time handling firearms.

When a child knows nothing about a gun he doesn't know it is dangerous and to leave it alone. With my dad I shot a .38 snub-nose revolver at a very young age. Between the loud noise and the recoil, I did not want to touch a gun again until years later.

True Alex, but to say that children are killed more often due to more exposure is not much of an argument (not really sure if your challenging or defending).

Pumbaa171: My favorite story is of the troubled-youth counselor who would take inner-city kids to the range for firearms safety training. Along the the way, he would always pick up a piece of roadkill, stop at a particular tree in the fields, hand the carcase up, and gather the kids around. He would then explain the rules of gun safety and demonstrate with a near-point-blank-range shot at the road-kill with 00 buck shot from a 10 gauge what could happen if they were not careful. Even the rowdiest kids always listened and followed directions after seeing what happened to the carcase. Not sure if it is a true story or just one of those urban legends. Myself, I teach with a CZ52 and milsup rounds...

This is the same parent that would leave their children in the car while they "run inside for just a second"....... and leave the car running......

missamy it's not the parents fault the kids don't know how to play with real loaded guns. pun intended.

Bubba, that's not a pun.

My son has had gun safety 3 times and we do not own guns.. 4th grade 6th grade and 8th grade offered at an after school assembly..

Southernman76, Responsible gun owner sounds like honest politician, or used car salesperson!

Honey boo boo- I am a responsible gun owner, please do not compare me with politicians.

Honey needs more go go juce.

How about testing to see if a person understands the responsibilities of being a parent, taking classes on proper parenting, and not allowing people to be parents if they are deemed unfit? I have a feeling we'd see a decrease in the number of children if we started educating people, and taking steps to ensure the irresponsible of this nation did not procreate.

Matt

While I agree that many people are not good parents I am wondering how you would enforce your parent training requirement.

How will you prevent people from being parents? Surely you are not suggesting sterilization? What punishment is appropriate for those who refuse training? For those who fail the training? Isn't it fascism that you are suggesting?

Maybe we should start to work on training for gun owners instead.

Eric-2189088

While I frequently state that there should be testing to see if one is qualified to own a gun in the first place, this is an issue which is a little difficult for me. I know someone who's child died in a similar manner, the difference, though, is that the individual was a reserve police officer who had just got off duty, and the child was going for the handcuffs, not the gun, didn't listen when the parent told the child to wait to get the handcuff, so that the adult could assist. I have sympathy for what occured, I do not have sympathy for the circumstances leading up to the shooting in the instance of this story.

I still maintain that there should be testing to see if one understands the responsibilities involved with gun ownership, and that there should be classes(think something to the effect of concealed permit classes) on proper gun safety before people can buy weapons. I am sorry, but there are some people who do not have a high enough level of personal responsibility to own guns. We would probably see a decrease in accidental shootings if we started educating people, and taking steps to ensure the irresponsible of this nation did not gain possession.

I agree 100%. We need a realistic approach to gun control in this country such as a licensing system, that way gun owners are required to prove competency prior to purchasing a firearm. Such a license would need to be renewed regularly, just like a driver's license.

How about testing to see if a person understands the responsibilities of being a parent, taking classes on proper parenting, and not allowing people to be parents if they are deemed unfit? I have a feeling we'd see a decrease in the number of children if we started educating people, and taking steps to ensure the irresponsible of this nation did not procreate.

We had classes like that when I was in high school. Called them "Teen Living" classes. However certain aspects of the approach could turn to active eugenics, and the evens occuring between 1939 and 1945 shows us what happens when that process occurs.

Testing to see if they are going to be a responsible gun owner is like testing a person to see if they are going to be a good parent, it won't work. You can give a person a driving test, and they can pass it but that does not mean that every-time they get behind the wheel of that 2000 pound killing machine they won't do something wrong or stupid. All you will get is that they know how to load it, shot it, clean it where and how to store it does not mean they will do it.

Jeff-443468,

Gun ownership is a right. Your suggestion of requiring a license to own makes gun ownership a privilege and not a right. Privileges can be taken away. For example, driving is a privilege and not a right. You abuse the privilege (excessive speeding, driving while under the influence of alcohol or narcotics) and the courts can take your license and you are stuck on public transit.

So please, let us not take away the right to keep and bear arms.

So can gun ownership rights, if you commit a felony. Its not too terribly different that losing ones license to drive. None of this changes the fact that something more needs to be done regarding the lack of responsible gun ownership.

The problem with the 2nd amendment today, is that it was written in an era where gun use was a fairly complex matter, and the only way to learn how to use a gun, and everything it implied, was to learn how to be responsible with a gun. You had one shot, you had to make sure it counted, otherwise you might very well be screwed, unless you had the requisite number of minutes to reload. The founding fathers could not have foresaw an age where black powder was a hobby, rather than a necessity. In their day, proper training was a consequence of using a complicated fire arm, at least in terms of preparation to fire. You don't have that today. You don't have a family fire arm(or two depending on your wealth) that everyone has to learn how to use.

There are just some people who should not own guns. Period, they will cause too much harm through their negligence. Incidentally, some of these people should also not be allowed to drive either.

Making a lot of assumptions based on nothing more than a Spanish name, aren't you?

jaqsmom, better question how many parents do we need to put in jail for the rest of their lives before the rest of them learn to take care of there guns so this doesn't happen again.

bobs ur uncle,

The NRA didn't do this- the PARENT did.

The NRA HELPS to support gun ownership! Without their support guns would and could be illegal! This child would be alive today.

Actually Stiz, the child did it. He was the person holding the gun. The fact that the NRA has all these people convinced that they have to have guns to protect themselves and shoot down anything that would make people pass some kind of training and licensing requirements to own a gun has nothing to do with it I'm sure. The parent as we all know is just a citizen who is asserting his second amendment right to bear arms. Just as the minute men had to be ready to face the enemy in a short period time so do all these idiots. You don't expect them to unlock and load their gun and still be ready to act as a part of the militia of gun carrying idiots who are fighting for our freedom in time, do you?

bubba-1946427

"The NRA HELPS to support gun ownership! Without their support guns would and could be illegal!"

So we have the NRA to thank for the 2nd Amendment? Not a member, but they get my thanks for that!

You guns are out and loaded, where do you live. you need to be reported to Childed protective services for child endangerment. Locks or no locks with a child in the house guns are required to be stored locked and unloaded. If they are within 4 feet of the reach of a childed. You an idiot lock can be broken. Good luck to your dear chiled I hope someone loves him more than you.

You must be running on one brain cell. None of my guns can be loaded while using the locks.

PS... IDIOT

Wrong. Quit making stuff up. Guns don't have to be locked, loaded, or registered per any federal law. Ever read the constitution? State laws can't supersede it. What it says about the right to have arms is that they "shall not be infringed." Its a simple document by design and on purpose, and those that try to read something else into it are foolish.

Bubba -

Not all states have the same laws as NJ - nor apparently the same spelling (Childed? Chiled?).

How many gun locks have you tried to break?

My next door neighbor keeps his gun loaded and in a prominent place. Says when his home is broken into, he won't have time to get the gun out of a safe and loaded before the intruder takes him out. Apparently has no concerns that same weapon has a hair trigger and discharged into his fish tank this past summer. I feel for his wife and sons. When I mentioned getting a lock for it, he told me that his sons have safety training and know more about the guns than I ever will. I have a 9mm. I keep it locked.

Sounds like a fishy story. I don't know anyone who keeps a gun cocked when it is loaded. That is the only way it will discharge. And if it has a hair trigger, it is faulty.

mrrrrrr. I take offense. It was a true story. I could have sworn you commented on a story we just had about a dad who killed his 7-year old son because he kept it cocked and loaded when putting it into his truck after visiting a gun store? Just because you wouldn't do it that way doesn't mean someone else won't. There are idiots out there.

Mrrationalthought you apparently have never met an extreme pro-gun individual. They will keep a loaded firearm within arms reach at all times, modify the trigger mechanism, and some of them are the personification of irresponsible gun ownership. They are also the ones who scream the loudest at any hint of gun control(I.E. the ones who pitched a fit after the Giffords and the Dark Knight Rises shootings, about wong it was to try and make it harder to access high capacity clips, or for certain individuals to get a hold of assault weapons).

you apparently have never met an extreme pro-gun individual. They will keep a loaded firearm within arms reach at all times, modify the trigger mechanism, and some of them are the personification of irresponsible gun ownership.

Absolutely correct. I was with a friend when he dropped by his parents' house; I hadn't met them before. His dad came to the back door carrying a .45 pistol, which he kept in his hand or lying within easy reach the entire time I was there. My second and final visit was a few months later, and the guy was watching TV when we came in. Next to his recliner was a TV tray with the .45 on it. According to my friend, his dad carried the pistol everywhere, usually in his hand, ready to let loose at any moment. He supposedly had an arsenal in the basement; I don't doubt it. I know for a fact that he had a functional flamethrower (WWII army surplus).

If you are suggesting that obtaining a license to drive requiring a thorough competency test then I agree and if your girlfriend manages to cut her own throat with the knife maybe you should handle the knife work in the kitchen. (:^D

Yeah, if the gun hadn't a been there, the kid no doubt would have just gone into the kitchen and accidentally stabbed himself in the face. Kid was looking for trouble, that's all.

OK lets start by removing all hand guns! They are good for nothing but hunting HUMANS!

Do some research, bubba. Many folks hunt game (and varmints) with a handgun.

Where will the government get the money to buy all those hand guns that people want to make illegal to own? Print more paper money or raise your income tax? Or will our government turn communist and seize our personal property without paying us just compensation? A quality handgun like a Glock now is priced about six hundred dollars.

and yet if you google "gun related accidents involving children" the net is curiously scrubbed. The NRA bends over backward to keep statistics relating to accidents from being revealed. Can't get in the way of their profits now, can we.

What profits would those be, Pedestrian? They don't have any to get in the way of.

Of course they do, mpa. NRA receives millions from internet ammo sales and other items. Google the Round-Up program and educate yourself.

Do you have to have a license to choose a religious affiliation (or lack thereof)? Post your opinion on a public forum?

The difference is driving a car and cutting other people's hair is a privilege. Not a right.

Right or wrong, that's why we have the gun problems we have. Being a right, it is not something that can be given only to those who have demonstrated the ability to handle the responsibility. Kind of like having children or voting.

As a gun owner, and someone having grown up hunting and fishing, I agree that a right to own a gun should also be backed by having a license as long as the license can be obtained through training and without unrealistic expense. From a young age, my father taught me gun safety, always let me shoot (while with me), and taught me about responsibility and knowing what was around me, how far the ammunition could reach, and how to always be safe. I would say that many never receive training in any form. I believe in gun ownership and have taken a CCDW class.

Guns ownership is a right but should come with licensed training as well. It is time that America do the right thing and take this type of action.