It's a tough call, this one. He doesn't sound like a criminal himself, indeed the reason for his being disqualified was not a violent crime.The stepfather of a boy killed in an accidental shooting pleaded guilty Wednesday to having the gun illegally.
Prosecutors will ask that Robert Gooding get 10 years in prison for gun possession. Gooding was not present when the gun went off, killing 10-year-old Brandon Scandrett.
The shooting happened at about 6:30 p.m. Aug. 2, at an apartment at 51 Chambers St. in the City of Newburgh. Brandon and his stepbrothers, then aged 6 and 8, were inside the apartment; all of the adults had gone outside.
He acknowledged he has no handgun permit, and his 2001 misdemeanor conviction for possessing stolen property makes it illegal for him to have a handgun.Is that how they do it in New York? Even my one-strike-you're-out policy isn't that strict. It applies to gun misuse. What's your opinion?
What exactly should be done with Mr. Gooding, I'm not sure. But his sad story illustrates perfectly that guns in the home do more harm than good, that attempting to out-smart the curiosity of young children by properly storing the guns or by educatiing the kids Eddie-Eagle style, is foolish at best.
What do you think? Please leave a comment.
"It's only the recommendation by the prosecutor, but it sounds a bit heavy to me."
ReplyDeleteWhy? That's the type of heavy-handed jack-bootery that you advocate every time you jump on the stump for Bloomberg, the Brady Campaign, and the VPC.