Teenager Mistakes Little Brother for Intruder, Shoots Him

[Ghost in the Machine]

110. I guess it all depends on where, and how, you were raised..

At 16, out in the backwoods of Tennessee, I had an 8mm Mauser, a 30-06, a 12 ga shotgun and two .22 rifles, one of which was my first gun I got when I was 7 years old. Of course I wasn't allowed to even touch it without my dad present, and always, Always, ALWAYS! had safety drilled into my head~~~ "There is NO SUCH THING as an UNLOADED GUN! The deadliest gun in the world is an "unloaded gun", so treat every gun as if it was loaded until YOU check it, double check it, then triple check it, then *still* treat it as if it were loaded. ALWAYS be clear and certain of your target, as well as what is BEHIND the target. NEVER shoot at 'a noise in the bushes' (it *could* be a turkey hunter in a makeshift blind, using a turkey call). ALWAYS keep your muzzle pointed toward the ground, away from anyone else, and ALWAYS keep your safety on, until you are ready to shoot".

Bear in mind though, I lived in Miami, Fla until I was 13, then we moved to Tenn. When I turned 14, I was able to take my .22 out whenever I wanted, after school & on weekends, as I had proven myself responsible enough by that time. When we lived in Miami, we only got to go target shooting on the weekends (we never hunted) at a place on the Tamiami Trail, at the fringe of the Everglades.

Also, where we lived in Tenn., our county line was the Tennessee River. Every year, from the time I started 8th grade here, we had a Game Warden who came to the school twice a year and taught both Hunters Safety and Boaters Safety.

Peace,

Ghost