Part two.
Courtesy of Raw Story:
Toddlers have shot a total of 23 people this year, and the issue of accidental shootings involving small children getting hold of guns has been making headlines.
So local Charlotte station Fox46 investigated the issue to see just what children would do when faced with the opportunity to pick up a gun. They enlisted the help of Mecklenburg County Sheriff Irwin Carmichael and some pint-sized volunteers using a harmless but authentic-looking BB gun.
“So if you find a gun do you touch it? No. No, what should you do? Tell and adult…go tell an adult,” is the message Carmichael sends to children.
But as it turns out, curiosity and the desire to play can override the instructions of adults when children don’t think they’re being watched.
About a half-dozen parents, including Carolina Panthers player Thomas Davis and his wife Kelly, along with station employees. volunteered with their children to participate. The guns were placed in a conference room along with toys and games, and the parents watched their children via hidden cameras.
Within 60 seconds, a little boy picked up the BB gun and dropped it. Within four minutes, the kids were pointing and firing the gun at each other.
“It happens that easy,” a Davis said.
If you are anything like me your heart was in your throat the minute that first child picked up the gun. And I don't think I took another breath until the end of that first video.
As somebody who has worked around children my entire life, and spent hours teaching them about being safe, that represents just about every nightmare I have ever had.
And the incredibly sad part is that this is something that happens every single day in this country. Only in many cases the gun is not a toy and the child does not survive the encounter.
And what about the child who kills?
ReplyDeleteThere life is altered forever because of the stupidity of the adults involved.
We have to hold adults responsible.
So the NRA's "Eddie Eagle" program isn't effective? Color me surprised. It's about as effective as the RW's refusal to teach teens about birth control, insisting that all they need to do is not have sex. Ooohhhkayy. Ask Ms. Abstinece spokesperson how that one worked for her...how many times?
ReplyDeleteAnd it is only a matter of time before one of the Palin young people sees a gun lying around, picks it up, and aims it at someone. We know they know how to shoot it-their parents have proudly tweeted about how much 'fun' it is at the gun range. And we have photos of Tripp and the MOH jerk and BIG guns. So why wouldn't Tripp think it cool to handle a nice gun just his size (say the cool flat ones his grandma owns?)
I don't wish to see anyone die, but when you are an idiot about owning guns, and an obviously unfit parent, well, there are no coincidences, right Sarah? Anyone else wonder of maybe Tripp was also on that snow machine that crashed..maybe driving it??
When I was a child, my dad kept a loaded pistol in his dresser drawer. We were told not to ever touch it. My sisters and I would regularly bring our friends in and show them the pistol. We didn't touch it, but our friends did. So much for instructing kids about weapons.....
ReplyDeleteOT?
ReplyDeletehttp://www.motherjones.com/media/2016/03/gutsy-girl-caroline-paul-macnaughton-women-lean-in
I remember when "the discussion" parents had with their kids was about 'birds and bees,' not 'bullets and BB's'.
ReplyDeleteAnd I'm not that old. Just weary.
Thanks for posting this Gryph. Terrifying. -sjp
ReplyDeleteGee, my kids five and we haven't had "the talk yet" chortle chortle, gee, I wonder what he'll do, we bought him to the shooting range.
ReplyDeleteBoys will be Boys, what a coincidence!! But did this exercise really change anything for the better? They're referring to it as accidental shooting, well what about the kids doing the shooting just out of curiosity?