Why in the world didn’t the woman have the safety on? Don’t they have a law mandating that concealed guns have the safety on? If they don’t, they need to think about passing one because evidently, gun owners aren’t doing it.
A 4-year-old girl shot herself in the chest Monday after snatching her grandmother’s handgun from the woman’s purse while riding in a shopping cart at a Sam’s Club store, authorities said.
[...]
The girl was rushed to a hospital in critical condition and was recovering Monday afternoon after surgery, said police department spokesman Brick Lewis. Hospital officials would not release her condition after the operation.
Lewis said the grandmother, Donna Hutto Williamson, has a permit to carry a concealed weapon and the purse containing the small-caliber handgun was in the cart near the child. The 47-year-old Williamson, of Salley, was not immediately charged with a crime.
An interpretation of this post from the Reformed perspective:
I believe that we have the right to protect ourselves, this right has been given to us by God and our constitution recognizes this right but with rights comes responsibilities. We bear the responsibility to insure that our children do not get a hold of our guns. This is very easy to do by installing a gun safe and making sure that the kids don’t know where the keys are or learn the combination. Also teaching a child gun safety is a must, before a child (or adult) picks up a gun, they should know all the rules for gun safety.
posted June 10, 2008 at 3:18 pm
Plus isn’t it kind of foolish to keep it in her handbag?
This is one of those reasons I feel like restricting pistol ownership to cops, veterans, and the well-trained.
posted June 10, 2008 at 5:06 pm
i really hope that you don’t expect that having the safety on would have stopped this. the safety on a gun is not “child-proof” by any stretch… and excuse me, but are you proposing a common-sense restriction on guns? let me pick myself up off of the floor while you infringe upon gun owners’ rights.
posted June 10, 2008 at 5:15 pm
The problem here is that a gun lock takes time to unlock before you can use the handgun. The idea of carryning a concealed handgun is to be able to use it quickly when the need arises. I don’t think the bad guy is going to give you time to unlock your gun before using it. This is why you keep hearing about kids shooting themselves and others with guns they find. If you are using a gun for self-defense, you need to use it quickly, which makes it inherently unsafe around children.
posted June 10, 2008 at 6:53 pm
I’ll have to agree with Tom above, but for that matter, CARS are unsafe around children. A family we know lost their daughter in a single vehicle accident in which her father was driving irresponsibly.
posted June 10, 2008 at 7:58 pm
Gun ownership and possesion is not a right (though it has been made one by the 2nd Ammendment). It is a privilege that ought to be earned – hard. This sort of careless foolishness is only one of a multitude of reasons we ought to grow up enough to relaize that the days of NEEDING a gun have long passed by. No longer do we use them to hunt or for protection in the wilderness or for communication. Instead they have become false security, a psychological displacement for other inadequacies, and simple status. These are the things that toys accomplish, not things as dangerous as guns – in any and all forms. Until and unless we demonstrate that the gun is as necessary as it was 100 yearw ago on the frontier, no one can feel truly safe. This incident is simply “one more brick in the wall”.
posted June 11, 2008 at 12:54 am
Just because something is a right guaranteed by the US Constitution, at least for me, doesn’t mean it’s something Christians do from their walk in Christ. If you’re at the point of having to protect yourself, could you possibly have failed to listen to the Spirit’s leadership (of course, whether the Spirit speaks to individuals is another issue) to get there? Are the Beatitudes optional?
posted June 11, 2008 at 6:54 am
cars aren’t a good analogy here. in order to legally drive and operate a car, the state requires that you prove that you are proficient at operating it for your safety and the safety of others; you must be licensed; your license must be periodically renewed; the vehicle is subject to safety inspections; most cars require a special key to operate. it’s a lot harder for a 4 year old to turn a car on herself to end her life.
now, if the government required the same safety training on gun owners…
posted June 11, 2008 at 10:33 pm
I cannot see why a Christian would be precluded from owning/carrying a gun. Clearly, in this case the adult was irresponsible. However, this does not mean that other responsible people should have laws forced on them by the government. Washington DC is about to find out how wrong they are in the Heller case.
As for the earlier comment as to whether the Beatitudes are optional . . . the argument is inapposite. You cannot take a passage out of one of the Gospels to the exclusion of all others. Yes, to turn the other cheek is clearly commanded in some instances; however, you cannot make this command apply in all circumstances. To do so would eliminate all justifications for self defense, just war, defense of others, etc. I believe I am biblically allowed and commanded to protect my family. If someone comes into my house with the intention of hurting my children or spouse, I feel I am justified biblically in defending them with a gun.
Remember, when seconds count, the police are just minutes away.
posted June 12, 2008 at 4:33 pm
“teaching a child gun safety is a must”
Yeah, Michele, THAT’S the spirit. Teach that 4 friggin’ years old kid how to shoot a gun ‘properly’ in a Sam’s Club.
U R 2 funneee.
America is one of the most dangerous places to be anymore. To think your fellow K-Mart shoppers are likely armed and dangerous! What have you all devolved into?