This is a terrible travesty of justice. No criminal charges even when a life is lost. Not the other kid who negligently pulled the trigger, not the gun owner, not the property owner where the tragedy took place, not the father of the shooter, not the father of the dead kid, no one is responsible for this. It was an accident, plain and simple.The shooting death of Hunter True, 17, of Mason City, last month near Rudd has been ruled accidental.Nicklaus Lala, 17, of Mason City, was handling a .22-caliber rifle that discharged, but “probable cause for filing of criminal charges does not exist,” Floyd County Attorney Normand Klemesrud said in a statement released Wednesday.
Is it any wonder we have so many of these, far more than the supposed statistics seem to indicate, by the way? Every single day you can find five or ten stories like this without even trying. Isn't it safe to assume they represent only a percentage of what's actually going on?
Imagine the ones in which no one is injured. All told, the misuse of guns is rampant and unchecked since we don't even issue a slap on the wrist in most cases.
The gun-rights folks don't want to admit that so-called "gun accidents" are taking a bigger toll than previously thought. They have a vested interest in this.
But, what do you think? Please leave a comment.
We insist on evidence, not on, isn't it safe to make an ass out of you and me? Numbers matter, and as a percentage of the total population, the numbers are small. We can encourage better behavior, but restricting gun ownership isn't the answer.
ReplyDeleteYou say they're too small, I disagree. Not only are the numbers too high, they are largely preventable.
DeleteYou believe that they're preventable, but the solutions that you propose would be an unacceptable loss of freedom and wouldn't work, anyway.
DeleteI tend to favor an involuntary manslaughter charge regardless of whether the teen used a firearm, golf ball, or shoe. People have to conduct themselves responsibly and in a safe manner. I can only hope an involuntary manslaughter charge for any accidental death might lead to more responsible behavior in any situation.
ReplyDeleteI can go for that.
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