Thursday, October 14, 2004
The Children
This is a sad story, but one that should be told without mush and bias from an obviously slanted paper:
http://www.visaliatimesdelta.com/news/stories/20041014/localnews/1411923.html
Before beginning, full disclosure. I am single. I live alone. I have no children, pets, or even insects. I hold myself to a much lower standard as far as monitoring how secure firearms and ammunition are than most people with children do.
The Porterville Police Department said the child, whom it did not identify, was in the bedroom of an apartment in the 1000 block of West Grand Avenue where she and three other children, ages 2 and 4, were playing with the loaded gun. It discharged, and she was shot in the head.
Now to begin with, what the hell is an unsecured handgun doing around a 7-year old? If you aren't carrying it, which you should be, it should be removed from you children's access. And when you are getting ready to have company that is as young as "2 and 4", that whole wing of the house should be locked. That's not what really chaps my ass though:
Neither he nor any other adults were at the home when the children were playing with the gun, Porterville police said.
So somehow, a 7- 4- and 2-year old manage to get the house to themselves to throw a kegger. During the set-up they happen upon a handgun (the police won't say if it is a service revolver.) And What? Your wife is getting a manicure and you're picking up auto parts?
Porterville police Sgt. John Hall said investigators looking into how the fatal shooting occurred.
"We have no idea if there's going to be any arrests. It's too early to tell," he said. "It depends on where the evidence leads us."
Call me dumb, but I think I have figured out how "the fatal shooting occurred."
This is an even-handed story though, and here's how they wrap it up:
Gun safety
Hall stressed that anybody who owns a gun should store it safely.
"To safely store a firearm, it should be locked up," Hall said. "Simply hiding a gun is not a sufficient step to keep kids from getting a gun."
Porterville police as well as all other county and city police departments are part of Project Child Safe, a program that gives away gun locks.
"We will provide gun locks for anyone who comes in and asks for them," Hall said.
In 2001, 386 youths, ages newborn to 19 years old, died in California in firearm-related deaths; it was the most recent year for which information was available from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The death of a child is an extremely tragic thing, and clowns like Sheriff Hall do them no favors. To begin with, maybe Porterville police should set an example by training their own deputies about gun safety, children, lethality, and all that other good shit. As far as gun locks go, I don't want one and I don't need one. And maybe you shouldn't wait for "the public" to ask, maybe you should issue them to your officers.
Finally, the fact that they "are a part of Project Child Safe" should me more of an embarassment than a boast, no?
http://www.visaliatimesdelta.com/news/stories/20041014/localnews/1411923.html
Before beginning, full disclosure. I am single. I live alone. I have no children, pets, or even insects. I hold myself to a much lower standard as far as monitoring how secure firearms and ammunition are than most people with children do.
The Porterville Police Department said the child, whom it did not identify, was in the bedroom of an apartment in the 1000 block of West Grand Avenue where she and three other children, ages 2 and 4, were playing with the loaded gun. It discharged, and she was shot in the head.
Now to begin with, what the hell is an unsecured handgun doing around a 7-year old? If you aren't carrying it, which you should be, it should be removed from you children's access. And when you are getting ready to have company that is as young as "2 and 4", that whole wing of the house should be locked. That's not what really chaps my ass though:
Neither he nor any other adults were at the home when the children were playing with the gun, Porterville police said.
So somehow, a 7- 4- and 2-year old manage to get the house to themselves to throw a kegger. During the set-up they happen upon a handgun (the police won't say if it is a service revolver.) And What? Your wife is getting a manicure and you're picking up auto parts?
Porterville police Sgt. John Hall said investigators looking into how the fatal shooting occurred.
"We have no idea if there's going to be any arrests. It's too early to tell," he said. "It depends on where the evidence leads us."
Call me dumb, but I think I have figured out how "the fatal shooting occurred."
This is an even-handed story though, and here's how they wrap it up:
Gun safety
Hall stressed that anybody who owns a gun should store it safely.
"To safely store a firearm, it should be locked up," Hall said. "Simply hiding a gun is not a sufficient step to keep kids from getting a gun."
Porterville police as well as all other county and city police departments are part of Project Child Safe, a program that gives away gun locks.
"We will provide gun locks for anyone who comes in and asks for them," Hall said.
In 2001, 386 youths, ages newborn to 19 years old, died in California in firearm-related deaths; it was the most recent year for which information was available from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The death of a child is an extremely tragic thing, and clowns like Sheriff Hall do them no favors. To begin with, maybe Porterville police should set an example by training their own deputies about gun safety, children, lethality, and all that other good shit. As far as gun locks go, I don't want one and I don't need one. And maybe you shouldn't wait for "the public" to ask, maybe you should issue them to your officers.
Finally, the fact that they "are a part of Project Child Safe" should me more of an embarassment than a boast, no?
