Accidental shooting involving a kid

[chickenfried]

Hey I know a good hiding spot for a gun, a kid would never look there .

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2009/12/16/national/a132715S33.DTL&tsp=1

[pingpong]

I'm kind of surprised at not filing charges.

That's some pretty bad parenting IMO.

[Noobert]

Of all places...

[usctrojan]

There has to be more to this story... No charges?!?!

[B.D.Dubloon]

Cause ya know, every knows the one thing kids avoid like the plague is Christmas trees.

[chickenfried]

Well I'm not sure there should be charges. Their kid got shot, I'm pretty sure they learned their lesson. What's to be gained with charges.

[Gio]

Sounds pretty crappy to me, what a nice start to Christmas Season. Santa says Lil Timmy's been a bad bad boy and is on the Naughty List Forever!

-Gio

[Synergy]

Who keeps a .22 pistol loaded for home protection? Seriously!

[usctrojan]

Who keeps a .22 pistol loaded for home protection? Seriously!

If you can stop an attacker with a 22... then by all means keep one available. Wouldn't be my recommendation.

[Synergy]

If you can stop an attacker with a 22... then by all means keep one available. Wouldn't be my recommendation.

It wasn't clear why the weapon was hidden there. Wallace says the boy was "digging around" when he found it. His father had other weapons locked in a safe.

Something is not adding up?

[BillCA]

The story says other family members took the kid to the hospital. Perhaps the .22 was intended for the other relatives to use as a last-ditch response to trouble. I can see that... dad puts it behind the tree and leaves a note for sleeping family "guests" in the house who will watch the kid later in the day. It's not real bright, but I can see it happening.

For a real "bad parenting" rap, you have to read the other child-related article in the sidebar... about the Brazilian 2 year-old with needles in him...

[stormy_clothing]

Well I'm not sure there should be charges. Their kid got shot, I'm pretty sure they learned their lesson. What's to be gained with charges.

So other people can feel good about themselves - my parents should be imprisoned for buying me a dirt bike because not only could I hurt myself at those speeds but other people and wildlife and the environment, plus puppies can hear really good and the muffler is loud

[audihenry]

I wonder how many people on CalGuns will qualify as similarly bad parents. Some dudes here have a gun in every room. With a kid around, that's a recipe for disaster.

[Definately Not Monkeyboy]

Well, you see... They needed somebody to play Tiny Tim for their family production of A Christmas Carol...

[audihenry]

The story says other family members took the kid to the hospital. Perhaps the .22 was intended for the other relatives to use as a last-ditch response to trouble. I can see that... dad puts it behind the tree and leaves a note for sleeping family "guests" in the house who will watch the kid later in the day. It's not real bright, but I can see it happening.

For a real "bad parenting" rap, you have to read the other child-related article in the sidebar... about the Brazilian 2 year-old with needles in him...

Why does every gun related crime have to be justified in this way? Don't justify it: they were bad parents, they illegally stored a gun (no lock), and the end result is their kid got shot.

PC Section 12035-12036

" In most cases, if you keep any loaded firearm within any premise which is under your custody or control and know or reasonably should know that a child (person under 18 years of age) is likely to gain access to the firearm, you may be guilty of a felony if a child gains access to that firearm and thereby causes death or injury to any person unless the firearm was in a secure locked container or locked with a locking device that rendered it inoperable."

Bring on the charges.