If only there were some rules people could follow ...

RicInOR · May 6, 2014

http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2014/05/...le-demonstrating-laser-sight-on-his-forehead/

PA man shoots 11-year-old nephew dead while demonstrating laser sight on his forehead

"Olm stated that he did not check to see if there was a round in the chamber, but said that the handgun did not have a magazine in it. Olm said that he pointed the laser at the walls and ceiling. And then he pointed it at his nephew.

"Look, you have a red dot on your forehead," Olm recalled one of the boys saying.

Olm said that when the nephew reached out for the gun, he pulled the trigger. A single bullet struck the child above the eye, causing him to start bleeding and fall over."

RicInOR · May 6, 2014

From the news comments

"Terrible and tragic accident." Wrong - Negligent
"Quite simply why guns need to be registered and gun owners need to be
licensed. " Wrong - That would not have helped.
"We should have way more education. I could get behind some free classes at the Y." -- Can you imagine Firearms training at the Y ... well back in day, sure, but now?!
"Guns are a big responsibility. Maybe we should start teaching a mandatory class in school. " - I like that idea, gun safety taught in school. Same time they teach sex ed. Starting in kindergarten.
"Just remember: Guns don't kill people. Altho, I think if that had been a golf club, this might have ended better."
"He insisted that he did not keep the guns loaded. Yes, by all means, stick to the magic bullet defense."
"America seems to have an unlimited supply of dumbbubblegums with guns." - True, still true if you drop the last 2 words.
"Every time a child is shot an adult should go to jail." -- See my post from yesterday, At least 40 percent of crime with a gun is being done by children in gangs - Chicago / NYC.
"Sounds like a great death penalty candidate. What a f-ing moron. I hope they do a public hanging on this one."
"It's too bad the uncle can't be charged, tried and executed for gross stupidity."
"Wouldn't have happened with a smart gun, but the NRA won't allow those." -=- commenter has no idea what that technology is about. Probably things wont let gun fire if pointed at a person.
"The second amendment was intended to protect your right to have a musket, NOT an arsenal of high-powered and semi-automatic weaponry. "

John H · May 6, 2014

And that is why we have stupid magazine safeties, because of stupid people.

40calruler · May 6, 2014

It is beyond me to even consider pointing the gun for fun....At your nephew?!!? If my kids told me their uncle had "demonstrated a gun laser on their head" I would call the cops on the spot and never allow them to be near him again. Hopefully that would be the case and not this awful scenario here.
How can you even pick up a gun and point it around the room without checking the chamber?!?
I have played with my dog with the laser but had the laser off the gun and no chance of anything but maybe accidentally touching the flashlight on button.
Laser on the gun means it is in the safe or on my hip or pocket.

Flopsweat · May 6, 2014

40calruler said:
It is beyond me to even consider pointing the gun for fun....At your nephew?!!? If my kids told me their uncle had "demonstrated a gun laser on their head" I would call the cops on the spot and never allow them to be near him again. Hopefully that would be the case and not this awful scenario here.
How can you even pick up a gun and point it around the room without checking the chamber?!?
I have played with my dog with the laser but had the laser off the gun and no chance of anything but maybe accidentally touching the flashlight on button.
Laser on the gun means it is in the safe or on my hip or pocket.

Furthermore, where exactly was his finger in relation to the trigger if he pulled it when his nephew reached for it? Monumental stupidity. I just ran a Boy Scouts shoot for about 100 kids over the weekend and every one of them had more common sense that this idiot will ever dream of having.

Diatribe · May 6, 2014

Violated what... EVERY rule of firearm safety? "Thought" it was unloaded? Pointed it at his nephew's head? Had his finger on the trigger (clearly). Just wow.

Morpheus · May 7, 2014

All I can say is ... Things like this break my heart and tick me off to no end!

That is all.

Hook686 · May 7, 2014

-- Can you imagine Firearms training at the Y ... well back in day, sure, but now?!
"Guns are a big responsibility. Maybe we should start teaching a mandatory class in school. " - I like that idea, gun safety taught in school. Same time they teach sex ed. Starting in kindergarten.

I would support going back to high school R.O.T.C with small bore ranges in the basement.

Hook686 · May 7, 2014

,

And that is why we have stupid magazine safeties, because of stupid people.

I don't think so. Personally I think the anti group does whatever they can to increase the cost of the gun with the thought that consumers will not buy it. I constantly see comments about over priced guns on these boards. I can imagine the thoughts of a consumer that has never bought a gun looking for the first time and seeing $800 plus guns. Lack of sales can lead to businesses going under. I do not know of any manufacturer that will be marketing their pistols in California in the near future. The only way I see to play the game is to stop complaining about costs and continue buying the product.

In cases like this, education at an early age is important. The four rules need to be very much like the 'Muscle memory' folks on these boards talk about.

Mark W. · May 7, 2014

I want an explaination of how a smart gun would have prevented this? The guns owner was holding the firearm the way he's supposed to if he was going to shoot it. (granted this is just one of the four rules broken)

Does this person that made the comment think a smart gun will have target recognition abilities?

evltwn · May 7, 2014

Such a sad and unfortunate tragedy. How many of us can state whether or not their gun has a magazine interlock? Can YOUR pistol fire without its mag?

Throckmorton · May 7, 2014

the NRA has been offering the Eddy Eagle gun safety program for YEARS,with little success in getting schools to embrace it. This guy could have sure used it.

ak56 · May 7, 2014

evltwn said:
Such a sad and unfortunate tragedy. How many of us can state whether or not their gun has a magazine interlock? Can YOUR pistol fire without its mag?

Whether my gun has - or if I do or do not know it has - a magazine interlock is totally irrelevant.

YOU DON"T POINT IT ANYONE AND PULL THE TRIGGER.

Tbucket · May 7, 2014

^^^^ what the heck does a magazine interlock have anything to do with this guys stupidity? Never point your gone at anything you do not want to shoot! Basic rules should always be followed, this guy was a idiot.