Funeral services will be held Friday in Louisiana for little Alexis Mercer, a chubby-cheeked toddler who picked up a handgun her father had left in the living room and shot herself with it.
The 3-year-old died at a nearby hospital in Calcasieu Parrish on Monday. She had just returned home with her mother and two siblings when she picked up the weapon that was unlocked and in plain sight, along with two rifles and another handgun.
"It makes me angry," Sheriff Tony Mancuso told KPLC-TV. "It makes my heart hurt. It's just something that shouldn't happen."
The girl's father had been cleaning his guns while his wife and three children were out, the sheriff said.
For some reason, the man failed to put way the weapons, leaving them in the living room, out in the open. Then he went to work.
When the mother came home with her 1-year-old, 2-year-old and Alexis, the eldest child managed to grab one of the handguns and fire it.
I could literally post a heartbreaking story about children killing themselves or somebody else with a loaded gun EVERY DAY OF THE WEEK.
And the truly terrible thing is that posting it will change nothing. Never does, and probably never will.
But I will still keep on posting these stories. Because I believe it is important that we know the danger of every moron in this country owning an instrument of death, that they somehow convince themselves make them and their families safer.
Because I also never change, and probably never will.
No charges filed??
ReplyDeleteIf this was an AA home, the kids would be removed, the parents in jail.
Disgusting double standards.
Does anyone remember when the Quitter Queen was giving HER famous NRA screech (she was still GINO then) and a Anchorage toddler at the exact same time blew its brains out from a handgun on the TV stand!
DeleteI hate to stay it but its RW birthcontrol. Cute kid above, such a shame.
Oh and speaking of quitter queen, how long before a gun accident in that home....with a "Palin" personalized gun?
I know "what could go wrong"? All kinds of kids roaming about in that house. And the Quittah waving a glock around? What could go wrong?
When it is a black family with children that close in years, it is assumed that mom is taking advantage of the system. The gun would be a gang/crime weapon. At least now, when we hear these stories with whites involved, we assume religious right wing nuts, rednecks, method heads/dealers. We are making progress, slowly.
DeleteSo, this family has a 1-year-old, a 2-year-old, and a (now dead) 3-year-old?!? Of course since they're white, they won't be called mindless breeders, nor will any charges be filed.
ReplyDelete"nor will any charges be filed"
Delete---------------------------------
Probably true. Some damn fool will claim the parents "have suffered enough." No, no they haven't.
Criminal charges should be filed against the father, the surviving children should be removed from the home, and if/when returned, the parents should be subject to unannounced home visits until the children survive to 18.
the parents should get life in prison..every accidental gun death of a child should result in parents doing hard time. Then we will see how many gun lovers really exist just like if we reinstate the draft and then we will know how many love the troops .
DeleteHey! My mother had a 3 year-old and an 11 month-old when I was born. In the baby boom era that was all that unusual.
DeleteAfter Sandy Hook, it became blatantly obvious that this country will never do anything about guns.
ReplyDeleteSickening, isn't it?
DeleteDays after Sandy Hook, Palin gave her husband a “nice, needed powerful gun” in direct response to the “anti-gun chatter coming from Washington” immediately following the massacre. “He’s got the rifle but I’ve got the rack,” Palin wrote in her 'war on Christmas' book.
I also thought that the massacre at Sandy Hook would be the wake up call America needed about sensible gun control laws. Unfortunately that call was unanswered as the NRA controls the switchboard.
DeleteIt's obviously a bargain with the devil. What would you rather have, a longer, harder, more masculine symbol of your manhood, especially when you feel thrwatened by every other human being thatcrosses your path......or a child? If youu are a NRAhole, the the choice, as it plays out every day with a new story of ruined families is .....the gun!
ReplyDeleteExactly, which is why that pic of $arah with her glock is so darn stupid. NRAhole indeed.
DeleteThank you for continuing to post these stories. This information must continue to be made known. Maybe someday it will occur to sane people how insane this is.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.gunviolencearchive.org/
It's only February...that total # deaths is staggering.
DeleteOkay maybe I'm just extra cynical. But does anyone else think this increased rash of tot "so-called self shootings" is suspicious? Now I know there are idiots out there leaving guns around, but just like I do with many children dying locked in cars, I am beginning to wonder about why we are seeing more and more of these cases.
ReplyDeleteAnd I'll tell you why, I am a gun owner( mine are locked in safes, in a locked room) but most of mine, even without the safety on the gun factor, I really don't think little fingers could pull the trigger on most of mine. It takes a lot of pressure to pull most triggers.
We are seeing more of these cases because of the hugely increased numbers of guns out there in the last few years, because of poor or no gun safety training of all these new gun owners and because of all the new idiot gun owners with no training who don't think they need to lock up their guns.
DeleteWe are also hearing about more cases because of the internet and national media. Twenty-five years ago, I wouldn't have know that a little girl was dead in Louisiana.
DeleteYou must have some really old rusty gun, because now a days, guns will they seem to just go off when they're in your pocket, or hitting the floor, or my all time fav blowing your buddies head off while your rifle is pointing at his head in the rifle rack of your truck.
Delete"For some reason, the man failed to put way the weapons, leaving them in the living room, out in the open. Then he went to work."
ReplyDelete------------------------------------------------------------
What blessed reason would he have to leave loaded weapons where his children would have access to them. At the very least he should be charged with criminal negligence.
At the very least he should be charged with criminal negligence.
Delete****
He won't b/c he is WHITE. Anyway his wife is prob preggo with another, remember the Pope told them not to breed "like rabbits"! but what does HE know....this guy is prob getting all kinds of tea & sympathy, and go fund me pages for a funeral and enough to buy another gun. Should get the Darwin award, also,too!
Some men just like to stroke their guns before work, it's a stress reliever, and now he only has two mouths to feed, nice strategy.
DeleteWell, don'tcha know that guns don't kill people, it's people killing people?! It is people's god-given right to own guns, and god-given right to leave lieing around unlocked and loaded, so that anyone, including little tykes, can get a hold of them and shoot anyone - including themselves.
ReplyDeleteRI.P., little one! unfortunately, you had a moron as a father who did not think beyond his own pecker and did not believe that guns are there to kill people - including (and unfortunately mostly) innocent people.
I agree with the above commenters, since this was a white family, no charges will be filed, because 'the family is already so much in despair'. If it was a black family, the rest of the kids would be in foster homes, and the father in jail, the mother probably too.
Just wondering, just WHAT it will take until some laws will be passed that impose hefty fines for not having a safety on any gun. The technology exists already, where a gun can only be activated by the owner with his/her fingerprints.
To anyone who thinks a child can't pull a trigger, your gun rights are in danger, there aren't too many guns or that we don't need strict regulation of guns: go to hell.
ReplyDeleteSo I should go to hell because I question if all these deaths are accidents and that some may just be children murdered by their parents? I suppose I should lose my drivers license because I also think some of the children that have died from being left in cars were murdered by their parents also?
DeleteBTW I am a huge proponent of stricter weapons laws ( I also think they need to include other weapons such as bows, compound bows, and crossbows). I think required safety classes should be the law, I also think if you have to prove you have invested in a certified gun safe. I also wish that the finger print safety locks would be required on all weapons. But sorry, I still think some of these so called accidents are just plain old murders.
I agree with you that some of these grossly negligent shootings are murders. Although I don't read anything to suggest that this one is.
DeleteYou don't stroke (clean ) three firearms and leave them out for toddlers to fondle. Ever, and if you feel that's a right, than pay the price of loosing, and also restitution to those in wake of your ignorance.
DeleteAs far as I'm concerned ever person should have personal liability insurance if they chose to have a weapon.
We do with cars.
Maybe if we started putting these child killers in prison and taking away their guns we see fewer of these deaths. Instead, as usual, gun rights are more important than the lives of kids.
Delete@Liz L
DeleteAre these shootings ever really fully investigated?
@anon 11:20am
Yes I do think there needs to be charges in cases like these, very serious penalties, but then, just like with kids left in cars, everyone rallies around because "these families have lost so much".
Insurance is a good thought.
DeleteIf you own a German Shepherd, Rottweiler, Pitt Bull or one of several other breeds, your insurance company can charge you more because of the higher likelihood they will have to pay out when your dog bites someone and you get sued.
Well, how about insurance companies start charging higher rates and deductibles for every gun you own? You can get a itty bitty break if you own and use a trigger lock and gun safe, but you still have to pay for every single gun, rifle, grenade launcher, anti-tank missle launcher and atom bomb you own. the more you own the MORE you pay. You do not get a multiple gun discount.
Insurance companies like nothing better than to make easy money. I should think this would be a no brainer.
Gryphen, I'm glad you post these stories, and I appreciate that you will keep posting them.
ReplyDeleteOur media these days prefers to focus on what the Kardashians are wearing instead of stories like these, that really matter.
People need to see that guns in America are killing innocent children, and how frequently it is occurring.
Thank you for all that you do.
R in NC
What a tragedy. How in the world can a parent leave guns out when they have children? How incredibly irresponsible. I hate guns. All you have to do is look at the statistics in the UK and US and see who made the right choice!
ReplyDeleteSo was he cleaning his loaded weapons, or did he load them after he cleaned them. I have a feeling there was no cleaning going on and they were always out, you know, JUST IN CASE.
ReplyDeleteSounds more logical to me.
DeleteI was wondering the same thing. The guy is cleaning a loaded gun? Or are his cleaning habits so bad that he didn't notice there were bullets in his gun?
DeleteAnd why did he just leave them and go to work? That makes no sense at all.
And if you read the article you'll see that in that state EVERY gun sold comes with a LOCK. The sheriff (?) was wondering why the guy didn't install the lock that came with the gun?
This person is just too dumb or arrogant for words. And a little girl dies and her siblings suffer her loss for life.
(Don't have a lot of sympathy for Mom, something tells me this guy leaves his guns out a lot. If so, she's also to blame. If not, then I apologize and offer her my heart.)
Why does this country continue to allow people to get away with this killing?
If you think you're tired of posting these stories, Gryphen, think how tired David Waldman (@KagroX) is. His Twitter feed is an end-to-end litany of these stories, every day.
ReplyDeleteThis is just the last 15 minutes:
David Waldman @KagroX · 2m 2 minutes ago
Road rage stray bullet flies through Jacksonville home. http://www.firstcoastnews.com/story/news/local/consumer/on-your-side/2015/02/13/i-dont-feel-safe-at-all/23380991/ …
David Waldman @KagroX · 5m 5 minutes ago
Bullet flies through bedroom window of North Portland teen - one of 180 shots fired in Portland over last six weeks http://s.oregonlive.com/G9F8FNV
David Waldman @KagroX · 13m 13 minutes ago
Man indicted in theft of handguns from Ottawa County gun shop http://s.mlive.com/8quUbml Almost as if guns attract crime.
David Waldman @KagroX · 14m 14 minutes ago
Handguns stolen in Jasper County gun store robbery http://www.islandpacket.com/2015/02/13/3591177/handguns-stolen-in-jasper-county.html … Almost as if guns attract crime.
It was an accident and the family has suffered enough, right? No need to arrest the dad for criminal negligence or take away his guns, right? No need for him to serve any time for causing his daughter's death, right?
ReplyDeleteSame old shit.
Agreed! I can't understand how some people can lock up their porn stash and sex toys, but leave loaded guns out like if they were doilies.
DeleteThe NRA should have to pay all funeral and hospital expenses for every one of these tragedies.
DeleteNo lawsuits. No dodging. Time for the NRA to step up and be forced to pay for the results of their irresponsible policies.
I hope they donated her organs so some good can come of this senseless tragedy.
ReplyDeleteI hope so too. This tragedy could and should have been avoided. Rest in Peace little one.
DeleteHe just cleaned them.
ReplyDeleteWhy did he LOAD IT?
Why did he LEAVE IT LYING AROUND? Without a lock BTW.
I curse the NRA and everyone involved with them.
I will NEVER watch Blue Bloods because I can't stand to see Tom Selleck's face.
Every time a child dies, every time someone dies in one of these "accidents" an 8 x 10 glossy of their face should be mailed to the entire NRA board, starting with Selleck. Let the blood be on his hands for not only doing nothing but supporting their current policies putting guns in the hands of children.
F Tom Selleck.
Woah, 1,2,3 year olds? I guess these kind of people might find a certain relief in having one less mouth to use their food stamps on!
ReplyDeleteHow could you say such a horrible thing.
DeleteYou know it's even more sad when you KNOW her! THAT WAS MY SISTER WHO EVEN POSTED THIS STUFF?
ReplyDeleteI don't know who the f@$k you people think you are, but my brother in law and sister in law are GREAT parents. You don't know them to be running your dick beaters the way you all are. It was a glock, WHICH DOES NOT HAVE A SAFETY, and he hunts for sport so he has 13 or more guns WHICH TYPICALLY STAY LOCKED UP. He cleaned the glock first, reloaded and set it to the side ON A BLACK COUCH and it slipped between the cushions. He cleaned his other guns and relized he was running late for work (hint hint, they don't get food stamps or even childcare assistance. Nothing from the state whatsoever. He's an aeronautical engineer and she's a dental assistant so shut your lopsided faces cause it's not YOUR business how many children they decide to have) so he took a shower, came out, grabbed all the guns in sight, locked them IN HIS CASE and went to work. He didn't see the glock or the 2 riffles UNDER THE COUCH. They were IN VIEW because their mother moved them to keep them away from her other children!
ReplyDeleteNot that ANY of you are owed an explanation! YOU DIDN'T LOSE A BELOVED FAMILY MEMBER THAT DAY!
Thank you Brandi. These people are wonderful caring parents. This was a terrible accident. You should all be ashamed of yourselves. You are horrible people.
ReplyDeleteMr. Gryphen,
ReplyDeleteAs you state, "This blog is dedicated to finding the truth, exposing the lies, and holding our politicians and leaders accountable when they fall far short of the promises that they have made to both my fellow Alaskans and the American people.", your blog is dedicated to the truth. The information in this blog is taken from a secondary source that isn't local. The New York Times has no way of knowing what really happened. I am good friends with the family and the information stated is incorrect and false. It is a disgrace to Alexis and her family to post things that are not accurate. This tragedy should not be used to push any agenda. Please take this blog down. I am appealing to your human decency. The comments that you have approved are cruel and hateful. These are good people that you are allowing your readers to attack. Many of us have guns because we hunt to provide food for our families. That is the situation with this family. Handguns are necessary when we are alone in the woods. Animals such as wild hogs are very dangerous. If you've ever been chased by an adult wild hog you would understand. Please do not continue to misconstrue the truth and rely on hearsay in an attempt to push an agenda. I respectfully remind you that newspapers post incorrect information all the time. Most recently they posted the date as February 30th. I ask you to please think critically and compassionately and verify your information before posting. You are hurting people and that has showed me that you have no interest in the truth and you lack the very integrity that you say is so important to you.
No no no, wait! Why this one has the same with Sandy Hook? Can you compare it?
ReplyDeleteP.S.: Oh yea, another one. Emillie Parker died at where? And she shot at where? This is mysterious.