Thursday, June 20, 2013

San Diego Gun Owner Arrested in 10-Year-old's Death

San Diego boy killed by gunshot
Eric Klyaz, 10, was killed while he and a neighbor were playing with a gun found in the garage of the girl's family. (Fox-5 San Diego)

Los Angeles Times further to our other post

A San Diego man has been arrested on three felony charges in connection with the accidental shooting death of a 10-year-old boy, officials said.

Eric Klyaz was killed June 4 when he and a 9-year-old neighbor were playing with a gun they found in the girl's garage and the weapon discharged, according to the county medical examiner.
The gun was owned by the girl's father, Todd Conrad Francis.

Francis, 52, surrendered to police Tuesday afternoon and was booked into county jail on charges of child endangerment, negligent storage of a firearm, and involuntary manslaughter. He left jail Tuesday night after posting $100,000 bail.

The two children were playing in the garage of Francis' condo in the Scripps Ranch neighborhood. The girl was not injured.

The boy, a fourth-grade student, died of a gunshot to the chest. Court documents identify the gun as a Sig-Sauer 9.

Before his arrest, Francis had insisted the gun was unloaded, hidden and kept in a separate spot from the ammunition. The charges indicate that investigators do not believe him.

One dead kid, but how many other victims are there?  The little girl who fired the gun will never be the same.  The indicted gun owner and his entire family are ruined. And let's not forget the grieving family of the 10-year-old victim.

One stupid irresponsible gun owner and we have wide-spread destruction. And Greg keeps touting his percentage of dead kids divided by total number of gun owners. This is how the pro-gun folks downplay the true cost of gun violence.

What's your opinion?  Please leave a comment.

11 comments:

  1. Mikeb, there are about 600 deaths from accidental gunfire in a year. Even if you double or quadruple that number, it's still a tiny percentage of total gun owners and still wouldn't justify what you propose.

    In fact, since California already has many of the laws that you yearn for, this is an example of gun control failure. But answer me this: What would possibly convince you that gun control doesn't work? Is there any level of failure that would do it?

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    1. The lives ruined by every death are ten or twenty times the numbers you've been repeating ad nauseam.

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    2. We've discussed how you exaggerate numbers before.

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    3. By that same math, every defensive use prevents that type of ruin from coming upon 10-20 lives.

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    4. No T., in your DGU estimates you've already bumped the number up by 95%. And Greg says I exaggerate. Hahahahaha.

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  2. "Before his arrest, Francis had insisted the gun was unloaded, hidden and kept in a separate spot from the ammunition. The charges indicate that investigators do not believe him."

    It doesn't really matter whether the investigators believe him or not. Hidden is not the same as secured, simple as that. Kids are fascinated by parents' stuff, and knowing there is something "hidden" somewhere will make finding it an adventure. If the guy had a routine when he put the pistol away, it likely took the kids about a week to see where everything was.
    I have a similar routine, but mine involves the gun being locked up. There are many options out there when it comes to securing a firearm.


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    1. I wish they were all like you. You know they're not, right?

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    2. I would disagree with you on that one Mike. While most of my associates are military oriented, all take firearm security seriously. And I think you would find a large majority of gun owners to have the same mindset.

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    3. C'mon, man, you don't know one single person who makes you nervous? Not a one who drinks too much or suffers from depression? No one who has a volitile personality whom you wonder about from time to time?

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    4. Perhaps we just have better friends than you do, Mikeb.

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  3. Being close to this case I can say this, Both parents knew there was un-secured guns in the house and children played there. That in its own is Gross Stupidity. I know for a fact Susan Francis the mother was the last one to leave the children home alone in this unsafe environment. Why is she not being charged with anything ? I know the family and Susan Francis had told me many times she knew the guns were in the home. I feel that both Parents should be held accountable for their actions. After all the Klyaz family has lost the most precious thing you can have in life...Their Son.

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