Investigators with the Sumter County Sheriff's Office expect to file charges in the case of a 14-year-old boy shot in the leg Tuesday.
Charges won't be filed against another teen who accidentally fired the weapon while "playing" with it. But the owner of the handgun could face a charge of unlawful neglect of a child for failing to secure the gun where the children couldn't get access to it.
Emergency responders were called to the home about 2:30 p.m. after a 15-year-old boy reportedly shot the younger boy in the thigh. He reportedly got the weapon from a neighboring home and went to show it to a friend when the gun discharged.
"This happened at the home next door to where the gun was kept," said Lt. Robert Burnish with the sheriff's office investigations division. "He got the gun and was showing it off, and unfortunately it was loaded and went off."
The gun reportedly came from the same address where another child was shot last year. On July 2, 2012, a 4-year-old boy was transported from a home on Wrangler Trail to Palmetto Health Richland after he apparently picked up an unsecured handgun and shot himself in the foot.
No adults were present when the latest shooting occurred. The victim was transported by EMS to Tuomey Regional Medical Center for treatment, and the other teen was taken in for questioning by deputies, who eventually determined the shooting was accidental. The gun was recovered from a wooded area behind the home where the boy reportedly threw it after the shooting.
One strike you're out would have prevented this one. The gun-rights fanatics tell us that when people have accidents with guns they learn their lesson and are more careful afterwards. My theory is the opposite. I say people who demonstrate the inability to safely manage their guns are likely to be repeat offenders. This case supports my theory.
You don't have a theory. You have guesses. In this case, as in all the others, your guesses are based on rare examples that you never show to be commonplace.
ReplyDeleteGreg, in all honesty, do you think guys who drop their weapons or who have negligent discharges rarely ever commit a second fuck-up?
DeleteIn all honesty, I have no idea. But those two things are on a lower order than leaving a gun available to a child, and in most cases, especially when no one is harmed, those two things are not worthy of punishment beyond asking the person to repair damages.
DeleteHow do you repair damage like a lost leg from an "accidental" discharge?
DeleteIf the person in possession of the gun was negligent, then that person should have to pay for damages. You are aware that we have a system for assessing damages, right? It's the same for any unintended injury.
DeleteSince you are against mandatory insurance, the chances that the average person could cover 10's of thousands in bills, is nil. Of course to offer money for a lost leg is your idea of justice. HA HA
DeleteGreg, what's wrong with assigning the force of law to the 4 Safety Rules? You gun owners have proven that you cannot police yourselves.
DeleteGiven the very low rate of firearms accidents, we have shown that we can police ourselves. Besides, we already have legal means for dealing with damages and with criminal acts.
Delete'Given the very low rate of firearms accidents"
DeleteWhere are your proven numbers to support that statement?
Typical non response and no facts to back up his lie.
DeleteGreg claims it's a "very low rate of firearms accidents" by talking about the deaths only. If you include all the injuries as well as all the incidents of negligence that don't result in anyone going to the hospital at all, you're talking about something quite different. It's not "low" at all.
Delete"as in all the others"
ReplyDeleteMeaning ALL the similar posts and thousands of similar incidents Mike doesn't post, says nothing. Only to you in your criminal delusions.
"we have shown that we can police ourselves"
ReplyDeleteAnother whopper lie from the criminal liar. Stats show gun loons are out of control. 33,000 gunshot deaths a year prove that.