This is a really sad story:
Scott Hammond doesn’t blame the 15-year-old boy accused of killing his only son during a game of Russian roulette at a sleepover in a small Pennsylvania town earlier this month. Instead, he prays for him…The gun was left unloaded in a basement drawer, the third boy, who has not been named and who also faces charges, told police. As midnight drew near and they talked about things boys talk about, McConoughey allegedly took the gun and two bullets out of the drawer. He spun the revolver’s cylinder, loading and unloading bullets — “pointing the gun and joking around,” police said.
“Let’s play Russian roulette,” the boy allegedly heard McConoughey say, according to court documents.
A moment later, McConoughey allegedly pointed the gun at Hammond’s head. “He pulled the trigger thinking it was going to click,” police said.
Neal Hammond was struck in the right temple and died the next morning, July 20, at 9:30 a.m.
Now had this been a bunch of adults being stupid, I’d have been glib. I’d have played the “Play Stupid Games, win stupid prizes”, and I would be calling for the shooter to be at least facing manslaughter charges, if not worse.
But these are kids.
Now also I COULD point out that one shouldn’t be leaving unsecured guns around where kids can access them, but my own childhood is littered with me playing around unsecured guns. My Great Grandparents lived in rural Maine. They had a nice garden that bordered the woods. Pretty typical with Maine there was an old single-shot .22 by the back door, and my Grandfather would keep a handfull of shells in an ashtray near the counter (a relic from his days as a smoker).
Now this setup was so if he woke up and saw some pest animal doing harm to his property he could dispatch it and get on with his day. Even at a VERY young age I was told that under NO circumstances could I touch that gun, or the ammo. They never laid a hand on me in anger their entire lives, and as Great Grandparents they spoiled me ROTTEN…but I knew that while they were more lax than my parents when it came to rules…this was NOT one I could cross.
Hell my Grandfather even let me play with the rifle when he was watching. I actually didn’t like it much, as it was heavy, and my toy guns made a nice “Click” or “Pop” when I pulled the trigger…this gun did nothing, because it was unloaded and the striker in the down position.
I had other relatives that had guns in closets and hanging on the wall, and I’ve known many people who grew up around guns, and many who even had their own rifles at a young age, and were even allowed to go out unsupervised to clear the farm fields of harmful pests.
So access isn’t the key…the key is RESPECT. Guns are inherently dangerous. This doesn’t make them BAD, many things around the home are dangerous, from cleaning chemicals to kitchen knives, to wood-working tools. The most dangerous gun is the one that isn’t talked about.
Just because you don’t have guns at home doesn’t mean kids will never encounter one!
Eddie Eagle and The Safety rules should be taught to all age appropriate kids. (Younger kids to not touch, leave and tell an adult, older kids to know how to safely handle a gun).
Its stupid to load any ammo into a revolver and pull the trigger at something you’re not willing to see destroyed…even a 1 in 3 chance are bad odds….but I wouldn’t even point an UNLOADED gun at a friend, because Rule #1: All guns are loaded, and Rule #2: Never point a gun at anything you don’t want to see destroyed.
This scenario just CAN’T safely happen, and these kids obviously didn’t realize that until it was too late.
And who opposes safety training? Those who use “Gun Death” as political capital of course!
