The police investigation report in the Cassie Culpepper case indicates that her brother, Nicholas, shot her accidentally. But the state medical examiner classified her death as a homicide, a common practice for unintentional firearm deaths in which one person shoots another.The New York Times
A New York Times review of hundreds of child firearm deaths found that accidental shootings occurred roughly twice as often as the records indicate, because of idiosyncrasies in how such deaths are classified by the authorities. The killings of Lucas, Cassie and Alex, for instance, were not recorded as accidents. Nor were more than half of the 259 accidental firearm deaths of children under age 15 identified by The Times in eight states where records were available.
As a result, scores of accidental killings are not reflected in the official statistics that have framed the debate over how to protect children from guns.
The National Rifle Association cited the lower official numbers this year in a fact sheet opposing “safe storage” laws, saying children were more likely to be killed by falls, poisoning or environmental factors — an incorrect assertion if the actual number of accidental firearm deaths is significantly higher.
In all, fewer than 20 states have enacted laws to hold adults criminally liable if they fail to store guns safely, enabling children to access them.
The major newspaper in Minnesote ran the article with this title, "Rate of kids' gun deaths could be twice what's reported" which seems to suggest that some deaths are left out. But when you read the article, you discover that the death is still being reported, but is misclassified. So accidents are being underreported, and homicides are being over reported. And this at a time when homicides are still dropping.
ReplyDeleteAs Sarge said, the numbers may need shifting around a bit, but the total is the same. It's not as though these deaths are being attributed to alien abduction or that people are burying the bodies in the woods and telling no one. And Mikeb, you put your faith in law enforcement to control guns, but you keep pointing out cases where such government employees screw up. I'm still curious to know why you think that they'll suddently become so much more competent if they're given a lot more work to do.
ReplyDeleteOnly a cold-hearted motherfucker, to quote Jim Carrey, could make alien jokes when we're talking about kid deaths.
DeleteI don't thing the government would suddenly become more functional, but they'd do a helluva lot better than you guys are doing on your own.
Mike, I suspect Greg was referring to the aliens that come from space and not the more local kind.
DeleteMike,
DeletePut the damn drama llama back in the stable! Greg wasn't making jokes about children's deaths; he was commenting that these deaths were not being hidden by being misattributed to other causes or by some other subterfuge to avoid reporting them.
The offense you took is completely over the top and silly.
Exactly, Tennessean and Sarge, which is why I pointed out that the total number will remain the same, even if the specific type needs to be reclassified.
DeleteIt is funny to see what offends Mikeb, especially since violating people's rights apparently doesn't.
As per usual, killing kids and maiming them with guns is just collateral damage. The capital crime is trying to stop homicidal gunsucks from killing more children.
DeleteI knew what kind of aliens Greg was talking about. I find it repulsive how nonchalantly he accepts the death of children. He knows damn well that stricter gun control laws would lessen the number, in fact he's admitted as much, but then he retreated back into the lying position that it wouldn't.
DeleteThe real reason he opposes any and all additional gun control initiatives is not because they would not work, as he dishonestly insists, but because they might inconvenience him in his ability to exercise his obsession for guns.
1. Show me where I've made any statement agreeing that your proposals would make a significant change in rates of violent crime.
Delete2. Stop using the word, inconvenience, when you mean total disarmament of private citizens.
Otherwise, you're a liar.
I'm not going to look for it, but you remember when you admitted that my proposals would work but the price in the loss of freedom would be too high. Of course you won't admit it, and naturally you've had to back off that fairly reasonable, for you, statement, but you said it.
DeleteI said that at most, your proposals would give slight reductions in some types of crimes, until the black market added guns to the many other illegal importations. The fact that violent crime of all types is down over the last several decades, though, calls into question how we'd distinguish your desires as the cause.
DeleteMike, notice how they don't have a special category for negligence. Negligence is a subset of accidents.
ReplyDeleteCome on Mikey, can you just be a little less dense.....
ReplyDeletehttp://definitions.uslegal.com/h/homicide/
Homicide is the killing of a human being due to the act or failure to act of another. Criminal homicides include murder and manslaughter.
Non-criminal homicides include killing in self-defense, a misadventure like a hunting accident or automobile wreck without a violation of law like reckless driving, or legal (government) execution.
I have a problem with this statement: "Suicide is a homicide, but is rarely prosecuted." since suicide is not committed by another and if successful is un-prosecutable.
But since it is a death at the hands of another accidental deaths are being reported as homicides.
Who's being dense, Thomas? What you just laid out like a bumbling prosecutor is exactly what the article says. The problem is when you have a specific category like "accidents" you should not place these child deaths in the more general "homicides."
DeleteYou hillbillies promote the death of children all the time. As you have said, they are just the collateral damage (deaths) of defending your 2nd amendment rights. Cold, cut, and dry. The fact that you refuse to even consider options to end some of those deaths just makes you toothless grin NRA hillbilly jack asses.
ReplyDeleteIt is the Cult of Moloch, in which children are deliberately murdered to appease this bloodthirsty deity.
DeleteWow! Not only does Anonymous try to paint us as deliberate killers of children, taking Jim's twisting of our statements another step further, but now a Moloch comparison.
DeleteI find it hilarious and ironic to have a statist who wants to disarm the masses accusing the proponents of liberty and small government of being the "cult of Moloch"--especially given the meaning of Moloch and the association of the cult with the power of "god-kings." Kinda shows the same cognitive dissonance that led Mike or someone here to accuse libertarians of being fascists a while back.
Truth hurts hillbilly
DeleteJim, Tennessean wouldn't know the truth if it jumped up and bit him on the ass.
DeleteHe said, referring to you I suppose, "a statist who wants to disarm the masses." Yet, he knows we only want to disarm the unfit and unqualified ones.
We know exactly what you want, Mikeb. You're fooling no one.
DeleteActually, if you look at my comment it was aimed at the Anonymous commenter who periodically shows up and talks about dancing every time a gun owner or one of their family members is shot--whose comments indicate that HE DOES want to disarm everyone.
DeleteYou claim not to want to. Jim claims to own guns, but hasn't said who he wants disarmed or why.
As for your charge about knowing the truth, it's pretty rich when your comment lies about who I was talking about--especially when my comment singled out who I was talking about. Pretty sad when most of your comments that accuse me of lying actually lie about what I just said.
There's no twist about it; your stance kills innocents, including children. When asked if you would support known steps that would lesson those needless deaths, you refuse. I'm not in the habit of replying seriously to ass hole hillbillies that lie about me. So go kill a kid, it will make you feel better.
DeleteI reckon we can call commenter Jim the "Joe Biden" of the Mike B blog because he always sticks his foot in his mouth.
ReplyDeleteOh, a stutterer.
DeleteHooray for gun control advocates! Not only racist bigots, but also making fun of disabled folks and those with speech impediments!
DeleteSome schoolyard bullies grow up. Others become progressivist trolls.
Speech impediment? He's just a SLOW toothless grin NRA deliverance boy. You know, an idiot!
Delete