Thursday, May 3, 2012

Accidental Shooting of Tennessee Teen - Gun Owner Charged or Not ??

From Southern Beale via Ohh Shoot 

38-year-old Cynthia Ann Ward, of Collierville, Tennessee, gave her 17-year-old son a 9mm Luger handgun to "play with". She also wanted him to make sure the magazine was fully loaded for the next time she carried the gun, loaded and hidden, in public.

The boy took the magazine out of the gun and then began joking with his sister, pointing the gun at her. Not realizing there was still a bullet in the chamber, the boy pulled the trigger and shot his 14-year-old sister in the upper back.

The girl was taken to Regional Medical Center in Memphis where she remains in serious condition. The mother was arrested and charged with reckless endangerment.
First comment:

Anonymous: Umm, please correct your statements get them right before you post. I am very close with that family and the mother was never charged with anything& second the girl is 15 and he was never given the gun to 'play with' really?! Get your facts right before you blog or post about it. 

Now that seems more consistent with the stories we report on every day. After all, it was only an "accident."

What's your opinion?  Please leave a comment.

3 comments:

  1. Well, I can see where such things as whether a child was 14 or 15 is a major area of concern* where the fact that her idiot brother shot her is of no concern to the commenter.

    This story (http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2012/may/02/collierville-teen-who-shot-his-sister-charged-reck/) indicates that even in Tennessee, stupidents can turn into criminal offenses.

    I love this part:

    "The names of the victim and her brother aren't being released by Collierville police because they are juveniles.

    The shooting was an accident that wasn't anyone's fault, Ballin said.

    "The question is whether she did anything wrong by leaving a weapon in the house with a 15- and 17-year-old."

    Ward recently bought the gun after an attempted break-in at their home. She didn't think the police department responded fast enough, Ballin said. Police records don't show a report filed for that incident."

    Also, it's not apparent from the news story if Ms. Ward was saying that the cops or her son were lying about her handing the loaded gun to her son, ""to play with".

    I cannot believe that there is not yet a sit-com on about a family that stupidently shoots their kith, kin, neighbors and random strangers who, of course, pose a threat.

    ReplyDelete
  2. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Amanda, Sorry for the offense. Try to understand one of the purposes of this blog is to point out the lack of personal accountability that often surrounds gun "accidents." Democommie expresses this rather strongly, but his point is a good one. We're all sorry for the suffering your mother has undergone, but that doesn't change the fact that the bad results of recklessness with guns is not limited to just those "in the family."

      Delete