"He kept the gun on a closet shelf wrapped up in a green towel."

[Robb]

"He has a .22 Chipmunk that his daddy had when he was a kid and he's shot that gun probably five, six, seven, eight times. We sat them all down and they know not to touch the gun unless momma and daddy are around."



- Wallace says he would shoot at cans and targets when he took the kids shooting.

- Wallace says he was raised around guns his entire life.



Read More: Parents found not guilty of accidental shooting death of toddler

[Robb]

1. Earlier story:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/10022949288

[onehandle]

2. When you tell a kid not to do something, that kid stays told...

...in stupid world.

[alittlelark]

3. Time to start jailing these parents... even if only for a few months.

There is NEVER an excuse.

[unblock]

4. if the prospect of losing your child doesn't do it, tacking on some jail time won't do anything.

people who expose their kids to gun risks might do so for a variety of reasons, but for the most part they're thinking that the chance of a disaster actually happening is negligible. so the price to pay in the event of a disaster isn't really a consideration.

i don't think that after-the-fact judicial punishment for people who have already been punished by the incident is particularly effective. it may be morally "correct", but it won't really accomplish anything.

better would be mandatory safety training, continuing education, and some way to have safety inspections.

this last one is tricky because you certainly don't want the government randomly inspecting your home. but the government could require a safety certificate and/or gun accident insurance issued by private companies who would only do so if they had the right to "audit" your storage of insured weapons.

[Ilsa]

7. Actually, for some people, I think it might help.

I've heard families in the news rationalize a death of a child by saying it must have been god's will. Sure, they grieve, but they make excuses.

Tacking on a jail sentence might give them secondary motivation to abide by the laws of the state. Loss of liberty might do it for some.

[alcibiades_mystery]

5. Horrific...it's stories like these that tell me I'm right to prohibit my kids from gunner homes

Anyone who keeps guns in the house with small children lacks the judgment to supervise any children effectively. It's not merely the danger of gun-related death: they lack the necessary judgment, period.

[arcane1]

6. Why are these horrors always called "accidental"?

When you're dealing with young kids who have, at most, a cartoon-like notion of what happens when someone is shot. It always seems like the shooter knew exactly what they were doing.

I'm not saying this poor child was a cold-blooded killer, but rather that he was too young to understand the ramifications. The notion of shooting someone, at that age, means they will simply fall down.

Too many of these stories sound like this kids were playing, or fighting, and a gun was pointed on purpose, because that's what the kids see people do in tv and movies.

[kimbutgar]

8. This Man will suffer the rest of his life for his negligence

I had an aunt who had 2 boys one shot the other while playing with the gun his mother owned. The dead boy was 3 and the older brother was 5. My aunt never was the same after that according to my mother. She was a haunted women and the son who shot his younger brother was a kind man who always looked sad. He had 2 children and was major anti gun person. He died a few years ago and I remember his wife saying he was haunted all his life about this incident. My aunt,his mother became a Jehovah witness and also was a bitter women. As a child I remember staying there for a weekend and I remember my dad asking my mother before they dropped me off if she still owned a gun. My mother said she threw the gun in the river and vowed to never have a gun in her house again. Needless to say I waited on the porch for 2 hours waiting to be picked up on Sunday. I remember hearing her cry at night in the next room. It's as if she never had peace in her life. She died at 65 of a heart attack I always think it was because her heart was broken.

[postulater]

9. As horrible as this is, there are still people who drive after drinking alcohol.

We frequently have serial drunks being arrested repeatedly, let go, and eventually killing someone.

My wife's brother was killed by a drunk driver.

[Tikki]

10. This is a lifestyle choice..these people would rather die than live without a loaded gun within...

arm's reach. At some level this 'having a gun lying around' is their self esteem.

Tikki

[MerryBlooms]

11. None of these 'accidents' are accidents, they're negligent homicides and should be tried as such.n/t

[ManiacJoe]

13. They were tried as such.

The jury found them not guilty.

[RC]

14. +100 Many here agree with what you said.

[randr]

12. So people think the parents have been through enough?

What the hell do they think the parents' thoughtless and criminal actions put the poor child through?
It is time we prosecute all "accidental" gun slayings and up the penalties.

[Robb]

15. Kick. nt

[Rex]

16. All I can say is that I know he did not want to lose his child.

And the hell he will have to live with for the rest of his life is without his little girl. That he was indirectly responsible for her death will be torture enough imo. Maybe other parents can learn from this man's mistake. I hope so.

[premium]

17. People,

lock your firearms up when children are in the house or when not in use.
This was 100% preventable, now this man will have to live with the terrible guilt knowing that this didn't have to happen.