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<kids shooting themselves or their family> Realize that a lot of these press and anecdotal reports are false. Depicting an innocent (and more importantly, unp
by DrScump 11y ago
<kids shooting themselves or their family>
Realize that a lot of these press and anecdotal reports are false. Depicting an innocent (and more importantly, unprosecutable) child as the shooter lets a negligent (or perp) teen or adult evade investigation and prosecution.
There were several stories last year about a 2-year-old finding a handgun and shooting a family member with it. Given the hand strength and coordination of even your strongest 2-year-old, the idea that any could actually lift, grip (given the hand size vs. the frame size of even the smallest production handgun) aim, enable (e.g. take off safety where appropriate), and squeeze a trigger with the action necessary to make it fire straight is at best lottery odds. I don't think it's ever been demonstrated in a laboratory condition (which you would think anti-RKBA researchers must have attempted).
I could theoretically picture a kid pulling a trigger with thumb strength, but that could only hit the child or somebody directly behind him.
- scott_s 11y agoAre you aware of any documented incidents of this happening?
- hga 11y agoI know of one akin, in my home town: http://www.koamtv.com/story/13749977/joplin-teen-dead-after-being-shot-during-slumber-party http://www.koamtv.com/story/13749977/joplin-teen-dead-after-... TL;DR and details probably left out of that article: 14 year old had some "friends" over for a slumber party. Father had left a gun outside of the safe while working on getting a holster to fit, in an area of the house where they weren't allowed to be in. Of course they ventured there, one "friend" saw the gun, picked it up and pointed it at her head, and pulled the trigger. It was ruled a "tragic" accident when it was at minimum manslaughter.
- LyndsySimon 11y agoGP's post was about a 2-year-old. Obviously a 14-year-old has the strength to operate a firearm.
- hga 11y agoThat's why I said it was "akin", a like case, where in a different way, it was officially scored as an accident when it was obviously was nothing of the sort. He used 2 year olds as an example where, physically, they couldn't have done what was officially blamed on them. Bottom line, the authorities are known to lie, in my home town they white knighted the killer and blamed the father. Be especially wary of statistics from cities with high murder rates when the politicians apply pressure to reduce the murder statistics, Chicago being only the latest example I've heard of.