The grandparents were babysitting the boy and said they had put him down for a nap in the master bedroom, according to detectives.
"When they went in to check on him, he had apparently located a .380 semiautomatic pistol that was in the bedroom and had apparently accidentally shot himself in the head," said Sgt. Ben Beall.
The boy was taken by Life Flight to Memorial Hermann Hospital.
Detectives said it appeared the loaded pistol had been left on the nightstand next to the bed. If true, detectives said the grandparents could face a misdemeanor charge of making a firearm accessible to a child.
The charge can result in a fine and up to a year in jail.
Wow a whole year in jail, or a fine.
Somehow that does not seem to be nearly punitive enough for people who carelessly left a death dealing weapon within reach of a toddler.
Of course the police had an opinion about that:
"There's nothing that the state of Texas can do to the parent or grandparent that's going to be anything close to what they're going to do to themselves."
Perhaps that is true, but it still does not seem to be enough to deter other gun owners from leaving their weapons within reach of small children, as evidenced by the overwhelming number of "accidental" shootings involving young children almost every day in this country.
It should not take the injury or death of a loved one to convince a gun owner to take great pains to make sure that their weapons are locked up tight and out of reach of children. After all, by then it is too late.
According to police logic let's not punish any criminals. I'm sure they're all beating themselves up over the crimes they commit.
ReplyDeleteWait for it.....you just know some gunnutter is going to say in all seriousness, "Tragic, but my 2nd amendment rights trump your kid's life."
ReplyDeleteThis isn't about any rights, this is about child neglect.
DeleteAnd yes, these Grandparents should be serving a very long sentence. Felony child neglect lead to the death of this child and that's how they should be charged.
The horror stories always come to mind every time a fanatic right-winger talks about 'exceptionalism' 'greatest country in the world' or "God-appointed".
ReplyDeleteThere is a madness that has spread in the minds of these people, who worship the gun, who worship their freedom and specialness, above all else, even the god they say they worship. They have really gone fully insane. Little children can't even enjoy the protection and freedom from their own parents and grandparents from danger in the great Republic. Children are at the mercy of their gun-loving parents and statesmen and governments, who give license to own guns and guns and more guns.
This story is tragic. These people must be in misery. But, why oh why did they put their grandson down for a nap next to a loaded gun on a nightstand???????? Do they think they can reason with a 3 year-old? Just because he/she says, "yes daddy, granddaddy, grandma, I understand, I won't touch it" does not mean that the better curiosity of a child is that he WILL touch it? This is a testimony to the Texans who love their guns more than they love their children and grandchildren. The hubris is so ingrained in them, they've lost all reason.
"If only that kid had his own gun, he would have been able to defend himself"-NRA
ReplyDeleteEric was to busy...
ReplyDeletehttp://www.salon.com/2015/07/07/why_eric_holders_new_job_is_an_insult_to_the_american_public/
This is not a second amendment issue, it is an issue of horrid judgment. It is as preposterous as saying they laid the child down next to a running buzz saw, an open container of drain cleaner, an open flame, or anything equally outrageously dangerous.
ReplyDeleteI found the wording of this story strange so I went to the link and listened to the report.
ReplyDeleteThe officer actually said "when they went in to check on him" they found that he had shot himself. There was no mention of a shot being HEARD by the grandparents and them rushing into the bedroom to see what had happened.
You would think that the sound of a gunshot and how the grandparents reacted would be part of the narrative, especially in a news report since it's dramatic.
Didn't they hear the gun go off and, if not, why not?
Yup. That's the first thing I noticed. Unless the gun had a silencer (often illegal), they should have heard the shot from half a block away. They didn't. How long were they absent???
DeleteNo neighbors called about a gunshot? Is gunfire such a common noise in their area that folks screen it out?
Felony child neglect at a minimum. There may be more to this story that would add to the charges. (I would have had the gun fingerprinted.) Both of these "responsible" adults need to face jail time.
Gryphen,
ReplyDeletehttp://www.amazon.com/Hope-Like-Heck-Selected-Kindle-ebook/dp/B0056U9KM8
A misdemeanor for being so fucking stupid your grandchild dies? Whatacountry!
ReplyDeleteGryphen, when the good Lord wants a three year child to spend eternity at His feets in Heaven He will find a way to make it happen. Try to see unsecured handguns accessible to children as doG's instruments of eternal salvation and blah blah blah blah blah... That little boy is a now a blessed martyr to the Second Amendment.
ReplyDeleteWhere were the grandparents when the gun was shot? Shouldn't they have heard something?
ReplyDeleteBeaglemom
So, ladies and gentlemen, once your kids are too big to be cooked to death in your car, you can relieve yourselves of the burden of parentage by leaving them alone with a loaded gun appropriate for the kid's age, strength, and coordination. Be sure to look seriously distraught and the judge will pass you a kleenex and let you go, because You've. Suffered. Enough.
ReplyDelete/sarcasm
Of course in happened in Tejas. Where all the loco people live. The kid didn't die at least not yet - still in hospital.
ReplyDeleteHe did pass on, sadly. I can't imagine leaving a gun in a bedroom where a child could get it. Why aren't these fools locking up their guns! This kind of thing keeps happening over and over.
DeleteOops...bet the parents are a little pissed.
ReplyDeleteThe Grandparents "put him down for a nap", alright. In the cruelest way, by "accident" of course. It's ALWAYS an "Accident" and they get a slap on the wrist because "haven't they suffered enough?".
ReplyDeleteHow many of these stories have we seen and will we continue to see? I'm sure they kept the loaded gun in the bedroom for "protection" and their "constitutional right". Forgive my ignorance, but how didn't they hear the gun go "boom" when the bullet fired? Did they have FOX news on really loud because they're hard of hearing? Too vain for hearing aids? Drunk?
Add one more "collateral damage" statistic. Rest in Peace to the innocent little boy. The world will never know what your full potential could have been.