The Associated Press has our “Passively Constructed Firearms Story of the Day” with this gem about an unfortunate event outside a Pennsylvania gun store:

A man’s handgun went off while he was holding it as he got into his truck in the parking lot of a western Pennsylvania gun store Saturday, and the shot killed his 7-year-old son, authorities said.

Bullshit . . .

That gun did not “go off.” That gun fired at the command of a man’s trigger.

Joseph V. Loughrey, 44, of Sharpsville, was getting into the truck when the 9 mm handgun discharged, wounding Craig Allen Loughrey in the chest, according to state police. The boy died at the scene at Twigs Reloading Den in East Lackawannock Township, 60 miles north of Pittsburgh.

Investigators said Loughrey told them he didn’t realize there was a bullet still in the chamber. “This happens all too often where people think the gun was empty,” Lt. Eric Hermick told The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.

Let’s count the firearms handling rules that were completely ignored. Namely, all of them:

  1. Always assume the gun is loaded, even when there’s no magazine in it.
  2. Never point your gun at anything you don’t intend to destroy, including your son.
  3. Keep your finger off the trigger until you have made the decision to fire, which usually doesn’t include placing the gun in the car.

What happened to this man and his son sucks, but this was not the fault of the gun. It was negligence on the part of the father, pure and simple. He squeezed the trigger and the firearm did what it was designed to do by dropping the hammer on a live round.

There’s a reason I go all Safety Suzie whenever the firearms come out and this is a prime example.

It may not be fast and easy or look cool, but proper firearms handling is something that should be so ingrained in your mind that its second nature. I’ve trained my minions so well that whenever they pick up a Nerf gun their trigger finger immediately goes to its position along the gun, not the trigger. That’s the level of “muscle memory” you need to ensure that nothing like this ever happens to you or someone you love.

And as for the reporter who wrote the story, all I ask is this: Does a baseball bat ever “go off” and beat someone to death? Does a car just run someone over without anyone at the wheel? Guns don’t just go off, it’s the idiots behind the trigger that make them fire.

Loughrey was questioned by state police, who said he was cooperative and distraught. The shooting is being investigated as an accident, although Loughrey could face charges, including manslaughter and negligence, Hermick told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

Seems like the police understand that concept, at least.

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100 COMMENTS

  1. Too bad some people don’t “live” the safety rules.

    Especially at gun stores and gun shows.

    And then they wonder why I’m “unreasonably” pissy when they sweep me with the muzzle while their goddamn finger is on the trigger.

    John

  2. The phrase, “the gun went off” is so oft-repeated in the media, that it is widely accepted as physically feasible. I’ve tried to dispel the myth at any opportunity with the sheeple. But, they assign far more credibility to the press that to someone like me, who actually has fairly extensive knowledge of guns.

  4. “Does a car just run someone over without someone at the wheel?”

    Only if you forget the parking brake.

      • Thank you, thank you, thank you for that video. Honestly, you could not have filmed that intentionally any better than the real thing. The frustration and anger of the cop running after his rolling car was priceless – which is no knock against cops. It’s just a human thing.

    • Then it would be negligence on the car owner part for not following the safety rules of owning and driving a car and it would be the person who forgot to put on the break or the owners for not servicing the car and making sure the parking break is working fault legally.

      Thanks
      Robert

    • Well, yes they do – in the media reports about SUVs involved in accidents. “SUV kills man.” “SUV runs into front of store.” “SUV backs over child.”

      Of course, these headlines reflect the media bias against “eeeevil, gas-guzzling SUVs” in the same way that the “gun goes off” stories reflect their bias against guns.

  6. This totally sucks, for everyone involved. It’s devastating. I can’t begin to know how this guy feels.

    But that’s why safety is SO important.

    I’ve had two guns “go off” when I didn’t expect it, but because I followed the rules, specifically rule #2, nothing worse than a surprise *BANG* happened.

    The first was on an old bolt-action .22 that belonged to a friend. The inner workings had gotten full of crud at some point and never been cleaned out. After several hundred rounds, I worked the bolt, and the gun fired without me pulling the trigger. We stopped, figured out the problem, cleaned it and had no trouble after that.

    The other was when I put the hammer down on a single-action revolver (incorrectly, but I didn’t know that at the time) and my fingers slipped. Scared me, but because I was pointing in a safe direction, no harm was done.

    Oh…but look at that. In neither incident did the gun just “go off.” There was a mechanical reason (improper cleaning) and user error.

    • Actually, a 1903A3 can be made to fire without touching the trigger, closing the bolt after having manipulated the safety. The range at Laguna Seca has a nice hole on the roof attesting as much. Just saying.

  7. Why the disdain for non gun nuts? Just wondering. How about this, Since it is unrealistic to keep morons like this guy from owning guns, just don’t let anyone including police have them. Then maybe I can go to a f’n movie without worrying about some ahole blowing my brains in.

    • “just don’t let…”

      And how do you propose we impose this gem of prohibition? No, don’t bother trying to come up something, because your idea is completely impossible. Also, millions of gun owners have a natural right to not have arbitrary laws passed against their way of life simply because a fraction of a percent of the population is too dumb or too mean at times to make it in our society. If one jerk can’t figure out how to tie his shoes and falls down the stairs, we don’t ban shoelaces and stairs for the other 300million people in this country.

      And as far as going to the movie, I don’t know about you but the only gun I have ever encountered in a theater was the one my police officer buddy carries at all times. You are at a far greater risk of dying on the road or in the parking lot going to the theater than you are of ever seeing a real gun in the theater (open carry States excepted).

      • Exactly Chris, guys who can’t tie their shoes are walking around with guns. My proposal is whatever they do in England and Canada. The whole world thinks we’re nuts.
        You should tell that pile of dead bodies in Colorado they had good odds.

        • QuietJim,

          By your logic, we should then only allow the police to have automobiles as cars are more dangerous then guns. According to Wikipedia, there were 31,224 firearm-related deaths in 2007, 17,352 of which were suicide (So really only 13,872 where the user killed someone other then themselves), but we’ll still use the higher number of 31k. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gun_violence_in_the_United_States)

          In the same year (2007), once again according to Wikipedia, there were 41,059, automobile related deaths. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_motor_vehicle_deaths_in_U.S._by_year)

          So since automobiles are statistically more dangerous then guns; and I think we can all agree that there are plenty of stupid, uneducated, morons out there driving, we should take away cars from everyone since they are the bigger threat to all of our safety.

          The point being if you are going to make an argument against something at least have some facts. Your point, while flashy and sure to wow the crowds at anti-gun rallies, is flawed and not supported by the facts.

          Please do me a favor, in the future when trolling the internet, use it to look up some facts first.

          • Chris, Why am I doing this at 2am. I dunno. Know your facts and you quote Wikkipedia Irony anyone? Your analogy blows. You need to do guns per person vs. miles per person or cars per person or whatever. Like Mark Twain said there’s 3 kinds of liars, liars, damn liars and statistics. IS everyone who disagrees with you a troll? I surfed in here earlier today after Googling Airsoft, Morality. Good day sir.

        • You know, as much as I like the sense of security that comes along with arming myself, it’s pretty hard to argue with this guy Quiet Jim. I’m going to do my part, I’m handing in my arms at the PD tomorrow morning. I don’t even care if I get a gift card out of the deal, I’m just getting rid of them. At least I’ll be doing my part, who’ll join me?

        • Adam, haven’t you learned not to feed the MikeB’s? (Can’t use the T word or Rob gets angry)

        • Jim,
          Don’t be fooled for one minute about those other nations you’re so enamored with. Those nations’ governments ban the private ownership of arms (although you’re wrong about Canada) in order to protect THEMSELVES, not the public. Those governments enjoy having nothing to fear from their peoples while their peoples have a lot to fear from their governments.

          Who has killed more people over the last 100 years… private citizens or governments?

          • So, Hal if I start going hard core against the “Drone Program” and Obama’s kill list you’re with me?

        • Jim, the rates of total violent crime per capita is higher in England. I haven’t seen the stats for Canada but Australia has also seen a massive increase in violent crime since their gun registration/ban/confiscation went into effect.

          The highest rates of victims are women and elderly who are now helpless against rapes, murders and assaults with knives, bludgeons, and bare hands.

          As I age and look at my wife and daughters, that is not a future I would welcome here in America.

        • “The whole world thinks we’re nuts”

          …so what’s your point? I don’t go around trying to Americanize people from other countries and I respect their culture and beliefs. Foreigners shouldn’t want our government to disarm us or incrementally legislate our rights into oblivion just because we can own more guns with less restrictions and they can’t. My hobby of collecting firearms isn’t going to interrupt the average Brit’s tea break, so why should they care?

          Also, societies that heavily restrict firearms ownership end up totally banning it in some way or another later. Government sponsored genocide usually follows this, be it weeks, months, or years down the road. It’s a historically proven fact throughout human history that if you disarm a populace, they not only become easier to persecute and control but they always are at the hands of their governments.

          Another Holocaust can still happen today, even in first world countries. All it takes is the right political climate, a subjugated populace, and a leader to start it. Anyone who says what happened in the 40’s doesn’t matter today is either a conscious enabler of such atrocities or a damn fool.

        • QJ, according to mikeb a brother in gun control of yours we can’t use the family massacre of the Petit family as justification for owning a gun because this type of event is so rare it’s like getting hit by lightning.

          Using his logic it would seem that it would not be right to ban guns based on such a rare event as the theater killings in Colorado.

        • “The whole world thinks we are nuts”

          Well the whole world is a more restricted, lower performing world that lives and dies with our economy and counts on us to protect freedoms. If you like the world away from America, move there.

          “You should tell that pile of bodies in Colorado they had good odds”

          Have you bothered looking at any of the facts of Colorado? He purposely went to the only gun free theater in the area, passing up closer ones. The police were called before hand and didn’t do anything. It was a mess.

          Also, don’t give us that crap with statistics. They prove your wrong and ignorant. If you aren’t mature enough to handle being corrected when you make a mistake, maybe you shouldn’t post on the internet. Mature grownups can accept when they are wrong, immature ones can’t? Which one are you?

        • An American (that certainly voted a straight republican ticket, or further right, no less) claiming that they “don’t go around trying to Americanize people from other countries and respect their culture and beliefs”

          I think my irony meter just exploded!

        • The UK and Canada still have both violence and accidental deaths. Disarming the law-abiding population solved nothing as there are still plenty of illegally owned guns in the UK, owned by who else but the criminals.

          Even in a world without stairs and shoelaces, that guy is going to trip over a rock, or be struck by moving vehicle, or fall to any one of the number of other pitfalls waiting for the hapless and the fools in the world.

        • QJ I’m not sure if what I am reading is sarcasm, but as a matter of fact I do not like the idea of drones in US skies unless those skies are along the border. Also, I’m against Americans being on the kill list. Foreign enemies? Green light!

          Also a big +1 to Milsurp. Step one: think it can’t happen to us. Step two: act like it can’t happen to us. Step three: elect the wrong leaders. Step four: genocide.

        • Well hmmmmm, I’m actually a proud libertarian. I’m as pro-choice and pro-gay marriage as I am pro-gun. Not once have I advocated that everybody in this country be forced to keep a firearm in their home or go buy one. Not once have I advocated that everybody should be christianized like that nut Rick Santorum wanted. I don’t force people to follow my way of life, I just don’t like it when others try to force theirs on me and strip away my civil liberties.

          It’s truly sad that you would assume I’m a hard-line racist and member of the Republican party solely because I’m an American citizen who owns firearms. Like I said, I don’t judge people because of their sexual preference, race, or religious beliefs. Believe whatever you want, but that’s the truth.

          • That’s commendable Mil but ummmmmmmmmmmm is English your second language. I neither said or implied any of that nor would I. You talkin to me? I apologize

        • “That’s commendable Mil but ummmmmmmmmmmm is English your second language. I neither said or implied any of that nor would I. You talkin to me? I apologize”

          First off, he wasn’t writing that in response to you. Also, perhaps you should refrain from being critical of others’ writing. Your grammar is terrible.

        • hahahaha I see we’re not on the same page, Jim. Yes, english is my first language. “Hmmmm” is the name of someone who comments here once in a blue moon. She just labeled me as a hardcore Republican and I sought to kindly prove her wrong.

        • You want to worry about the greatest threats to you? Worry about heart disease. Worry about cancer. Worry about stroke. Worry about other drivers.

          You want to change mortality rates, to make the world a less deadly place? Take every cent the Brady Campaign and MAIG have and put it towards fundamental science/medical research and driver training.

          The movie theatre is safe compared to the highway.

    • Here’s an idea, folks: now that the Supreme Court has ruled that there is, indeed, an individual right to bear arms guaranteed by the Constitution – make the right to carry guns outside the home contingent on the same types of licensing and training that we require of people that drive cars on the public streets.

      Imagine a world where the AAA fought goverment regulations regarding car ownership and operation the way the NRA fights gun regulations:
      * No car registration (this would just make it easier for the car-grabbers to take away your car.)
      *Minimal or no requirements to obtain drivers licenses (The Constitution guarantees a right to travel within the US, so people shouldn’t need to prove to some government bureaucrat whether they can safely operate a car when exercising that right.)
      * No enforcement of speed limits or traffic safety laws unless and until an accident occurred.

      My concern with our gun-obsessed culture is quite similar to my concern about folks seeking to operate cars and boats: they think that the act of purchasing such goods, they acquire the skills of a NASCAR driver, the boat operation skills of a harbor pilot, and the combined weapons skills of Dirty Harry, John Wayne, and Marshall Dillon. The results are the same in each case: serious injury and/or death resulting from carelessness, negligence, or just plain stupidity.

      I believe that obtaining a hunting license typically involves first attending safety classes. We really need to set up marksmenship and gun safety classes (with periodic retesting) as a requirement for purchasing firearms. (If the government wants to seize everyone’s guns, they’ll start with credit card records – far more revealing than gun registration records would be.) Just as with cars, our society needs to be protected against the dangers posed by untrained and unskilled operators of items that can cause serious injury or death if handled improperly.

        • Nuts huh?? I guess you base this on some type of facts?? Do you have any type of proof?? Kind of funny to hear someone on here telling us we are nuts when in a earlier post you were being the Atypical media biased anti and literally dancing in the blood of the Aurora victims!!!
          Do you perhaps have a degree in phsyciatric care or mental health that allows you to qualify your statement??
          Instead if sitting here ranting and raving about how dangerous guns and gun owners are why don’t you do something about the criminals out there who are the problem.
          It doesn’t matter what weapon you ban because you know, whether you will admit it or not, that the thugs and bad guys will just use something else or illegally obtain whatever weapon they want. You aren’t trying to cure a problem, you are just instigating arguments and spreading biased and discriminatory lies.
          Banning guns and enacting stricter gun ownership laws will only benefit the bad guys, thugs and the black Market for illegally obtained and/or stolen weapons.

          • you guys keep draggin me back, speed. does this mean you think i am not a troll? we should date. unless im on my soap box i dont mean totally nuts, i mean gun nuts. means you’re irrational about guns. that =nuts. no one needs a handgun. make them harder to get than a drivers license and more expensive than a divorce and the tax on bullets higher than cigarettes . you cant deny that just like making safer cars and getting drunks off the road that would save lives. thinking you need armed protection is just paranoid commie under the bed nonsense. get over it. i don’t dance in anyone’s blood. ewww, that would be your soapbox. i mean literally, come on.

      • Considering that the ‘privilege’ of driving is not comparable to the ‘right’ to keep and bear arms, your argument is moot.

  8. The gun should get the gas chamber (a high humidity salt environment) until dead by rust. The bullet should hang (around the stupid fathers neck) until death (of the bullet… and father).

  9. You know, maybe that whole “it just went off” thing is why the anti-gun guys are so terrified of them in the first place. Seriously, the idea of my loaded CCW or shotgun by the bed deciding to go all “Christine” on me and start going BLAMMO! would absolutely scare the bejeebus out of me if I believed it.
    ….I’m pretty sure I don’t believe it. That can’t happen…..right?

  10. Our sympathies and prayers are with the family. The dad has just started living through what is probably going to be hell on earth for a long time!!!

  11. For myself, I punish myself whenever I catch myself performing an unsafe action with a firearm.

    Something along the lines of 25 pushups is what I’ve inflicted on myself, only once, and it didn’t even result in a negligent discharge it was just me being incredibly stupid.

    For example:

    If I forget to check if the firearm is unloaded before handling it:

    25 pushups.

    When I was at a gun store buying a new Sig recently, I even went so far as to put the unloaded (I checked.) handgun back down on the counter until the clerks were done walking around back there so I wouldn’t inadvertently point it at them.

    I’ve even asked clerks at gun stores, before pointing the firearm at a door behind the counter “Is anyone in there?” as I didn’t want someone to walk out of their little office, and come face to face with an unloaded (again, I checked.) rifle.

    3-5 seconds of easy work will save you 30-50 years of heartache.

    • I can only do about 20 push ups in one go right now, but I might have to remember that one. Good thought.

  12. OK I understand that we recount safety rules and bitch about how stupid the asshole who killed his son is but stop for a minute. A young boy who will never get the chance to be a man died way to early and it’s damn heart wrenching.

    That’s enough news for me today, I’m signing off. Good luck and be safe.

  14. As much as I agree with the sadness about the father and the old it just went of line, I also can’t forget the history of the Remington 700 and the 200 plus Remington has paid out in lawsuits for “opps discharge”

  15. The current, ongoing IGOTD category here at TTAG is a valuable resource.

    Expand upon it by creating the Media Moron Of the Day (MMOTD) category. Be sure to use the so-called reporter’s name to track these jackholes.

    • The problem with your idea is that with 95% of “journalists” eminently and daily requalified to be awarded a “Media Moron” award, TTAG would go bankrupt on trophies and shipping costs!

  16. In today’s local paper, the headline reads.. I kid you not…

    “Dad’s gun misfires in truck, killing son.”

    MISFIRES??? The GUN “misfired.” The GUN did it. Good god.

    I dare say the media plays a part in these tragedies, as they perpetuate the myth of animated guns. The unintended consequence is an apathy towards safe gun handling and even bigger apathy regarding accountability.

  17. Jim:

    The biggest determinant of gun deaths from crime, suicide and stupidity is culture not the gun. Back in the recent past there Canadians had the same access to guns as Americans yet their murder rate was about a quarter of ours. The murder rate in the UK has actually gone up since guns were effectively banned. Japan’s murder plus suicide rate without guns is twice are rate. A subset of 10% of our population is responsible for 50% of the murders. For the 90% life here is safer then your gun free paradises.

    Just remember that when the bill comes due for your social democratic paradise and we can no longer pay for enough police you are going to be the victim not the law abiding gun owner.

    • Switzerland. The United Kingdom. Maybe I don’t know something glaringly obvious about Geneva, but I’d rather walk around there at 3 AM than London.

    • You guys sure loves ya some statistics, TD. Mark Twain said there’s three kinds of liars, Liars-Damn Liars-and Statistics. When is common sense going to enter into the equation? Your last paragraph is jaw-droppingly irrelevant to the conversation.

      • Really, that’s not what the DA in San Bernidino CA says. His city is bankrupt and the police department is being cut back. His advice is to “lock your doors and load your guns.” That is the of play in the deep blue states today. The right to bear arms is more relevent today then it has been since the close of the 19th century.

        We would do better to instill a sense of moral agency in the people again instead of preaching against inanimate objects. Socialism destroys moral agency so it can liberate the individual to commit horrific crimes. I like Charles Barkley had to say: “it’s not a gun problem, it’s a crrime problem.” Our crime problem is a direct result of our refusal to make people morally accountable for their behavior.

        • TD, I’m guessing Sir Charles had you in mind when he said he didn’t want to be a role model. There’s really no point in you and I having a dialogue. Are there any reasonable people here who do not think in talking points, mostly ones irrelevant to the thread?

        • Pure projection Jimbo

          It is you who argue in talking points.

          Those who quote Twain on statistics are usually the ones who find that the facts contradict their talking points.

      • But it makes sense. The supreme court ruled that cops are not a 24/7 personal protection squad for anyone, and yet people make them out to be these mythical heroes who show up just in time, every time. They’ll try their hardest to get to the caller’s location before something tragic happens, but how often does that work out vs. them arresting the perp and cleaning up the mess after the damage is done?

        People rely much too heavily on police officers as a crutch for survival. Senior citizens and little kids I understand. Healthy middle-aged men and women (and especially teenage girls) should learn to defend themselves and take responsibility for their own lives while the cops are on their way. Learn a martial art; carry pepper spray or a taser. You never even have to touch a firearm, but just TAKE RESPONSIBILITY for your own safety.

        • Mil, You give cops a lot more credit than I. My expectations are traffic control and excessive force in all circumstances. As far as actual crime goes they tend pick the low hanging fruit. I’m referring to suburban cops only. I support cops right to beat the piss out of drunk drivers.

          You may want to re think your idea of the masses walking around with tasers. All women should have pepper spray ready to go.

      • The early bird gets the worm. Haste makes waste.

        “Common sense” is a gigantic mishmash of cultural detritus, inane sayings and vague pontifications that can all be mutually contradictory and are easily used cop-outs that people use to avoid thinking critically about a particular situation or topic.

        Statistics can be used to lie, absolutely, but it becomes a hell of a lot harder when people have a functional knowledge of statistics, the entire data set the statistics describe, and the skills and skepticism to think critically about what is presented to them.

        Also, it’s “Lies, damned lies, and statistics.” Ignoring that, what you wrote is inconsistent. It would have to be “Liars, damned liars, and statisticians”. Petty? Yes. Caring? Not really.

      • So you don’t like what the statistics say and quote Mark Twain to try to deflect the truth. Give me a break and grow up. If you don’t like the Constitution, get the hell out of the country and go where guns aren’t allowed. This is America and I’m sick of people like you. I enlisted in the Marine Corps to protect the Constitution and you would rather piss on it.

        You don’t believe in guns, then prove your point. Go without any type of protection and walk the streets of the worst parts of Detroit, Chicago, D.C., New York, L.A., etc. at night. I bet you are too chicken to do so but if you did, I bet you would want a gun.

        • Translation:
          I will disagree out of spite while knowing d*mn well I won’t ever place myself in that position. Hasty and rude remark marginalizing the pro-arms community. I’m out but let’s face it I will probably be back later because I am an internet entity that rhymes with “stroll.”

      • So you propose we replace statistics with fantasy and make-believe? Mark Twain has a great many quotes for folk like you, none of them positive.

  18. While I cannot even imagine what must be going through the minds of the Loughrey family, the long and short of it is that Nick is correct… it was the negligent handling of a firearm that was the root cause of this terrible event. The most practical solution for this is to practice safe firearms handling.

    Nick’s story above regarding his kids picking up Nerf guns also struck a cord with me… recently, I was in the midst of loading a Nerf gun (it was sitting on a table) when someone walked over to speak with me. The moment that I saw her moving towards me (out of the corner of my eye), my immediate reaction was to put down the Nerf “rounds” and spin the gun so that it pointed away from the approaching individual. Once I realized what I had done, I had a good chuckle (after all, once I loaded the Nerf gun, the other person and I were going to shoot at each other), but IMO the reaction is telling… the people who trained me in firearms safety did such a good job that safe firearms handing was, in this case, a thoughtless reaction.

    I guess that I said all of that to say this: while extremely unfortunate, the accidental shooting about which this story was written was completely preventable by following the most basic tenets of both common sense as well as well known safe firearms handling procedure.

    • +1

      Before I even purchased a firearm, I used Nerf guns to practice safety stuff. Check chamber, watch where you point the thing, finger off the trigger.

      Having a Nerf war with neighborhood kids feels so weird now. XD

  19. This is a tragedy that affects the parents, community, state and country. Right now, there’s a lawmaker in PA drooling because this happened. He’ll give his condolences and prayers to the family, as we all should but his are with a purpose. He’s going to say that this would have never happened if guns were banned. Hell, Costas may even chime in with a “see, I told you so”. In a way, they’re right. We fellow gun owners are killing ourselves. Yes, the little boy could have just as easily been hit in the parking lot by a vehicle but I don’t know of to many anti car/truck people. On the other hand, there are millions of anti gun people. All these bad uses by gun owners is giving anti gun people everything they need. So what’s the answer? I don’t know that there is one. If the father had followed safety rules like the ones we all know(i’m sure he knew them too), things would probably have turned out differently.
    I like my guns. I practice with them, I carry them(I have my CCW card in my wallet) and I don’t ever want to use it. This is my right and priviledge but i’m afraid of what is going to happen in the next few months. I’ve seen the stories on here. “Gun sales and ammunition sales hit records” “Up blah blah %”. Why is that? We all know the answer. I would say that in 2013 our President is going to try to pass some laws that are going to try to ban ALL guns. Rifles, shotguns, handguns, everything. Will it pass? Not sure but he sure as Hell isn’t going to ask you or me just like they don’t need to ask us to raise taxes. I have a question. When Costas went on his rant about gun control, where was the NRA? Maybe a commercial? Newspaper ad? Rebuttal not attacking Costas but something about our rights? Non gun owners are scared. I wore my Glock hoodie into a restaurant last night and had some lady ask me, “you don’t carry those awful guns do you?”. My answer? “I do ma’am but they’re not awful, people are awful”.
    I don’t care if have Glock, Smith&Wesson, Springfield, Sig, Ruger, whatever. There are people that are going to be coming after our guns. Contact your State Rep. Did that. Contact your Governor. Did that too. I won’t waste the ink to contact President Obama though. I know his stand.
    I am a law abiding person with not even a parking ticket and I am doing everything I can but I fear what’s coming.

    • When Costas went on his rant about gun control, where was the NRA? Maybe a commercial? Newspaper ad? Rebuttal not attacking Costas but something about our rights?

      Just as it was inappropriate for Costas to dance in the blood, I do not believe it would have been prudent timing for the NRA to publish a rebuttal or even a PSA type message.

      • I know Racer but it also makes them look like they don’t care too. This is a hot topic right now. It should be about getting unemployment down or the homeless, Hell, anything. The past few months have had some pretty bad press about guns in general.

  20. Arguing with people like Jim tends to be counterproductive, because those who protect gun rights always end up arguing about the wrong thing. They talk about policy, rather than rights.

    Concomitant with the right to life is the right to protect one’s life, and that means the ownership of the effective means of defense: i.e., guns. The right to own a gun is a natural one. It is every bit as important, and every bit as protected, as the right to free speech.

    It’s true that some speech–libel, slander, incitement to riot, etc.–is punishable under law. But prior restraint of speech is a no-no, and nobody needs a permit, or needs to undergo approved training, before he’s allowed to speak in public. Yet just think how the world could have benefited if, for instance, Marx had not been allowed to publish, or Obama to campaign. On the other hand, just mention that perhaps we should institute a permitting system for speech, and watch anti-gunners hit the roof.

    The point is: free speech is a right. So is gun ownership. We need to stop defending ourselves on ground of their choosing. Defend the right, not the law.

    • “The point is: free speech is a right. So is gun ownership. We need to stop defending ourselves on ground of their choosing. Defend the right, not the law.”

      holy fudruckers…do you…mean…actually…defending the bill of rights!?

      you might want to be careful subject. talk of rights and applying logic to your constitutional rights might earn you a hellfire missile through your roof. 😉

  21. In a case like this I actually think it was the “right thing” for the local news to NOT print a more damming and sensationalist headline like “Father shoots and kills own son!!!” This is simply a tragedy and the father has completely screwed up the rest of his life–nobody needs to remind him of that fact or make it more clear that he could have prevented the death of his son…he fucking KNOWS that all too well and he’ll forever have to deal with the fact that he took his own son’s life by not doing something that seems so obviously simple and prudent. No, I’ll give the media a pass on this one.

  22. “This happens all too often where PEOPLE think the gun was empty.”

    STOP! Hold the presses! Emphasize and reprint!

  23. Seriously, this is sad and the dad is a moron. I don’t really feel bad for him though because I have owned and carried for over six years and not once have I pointed one of my guns at anyone. It’s kind of hard to shoot someone when you never point a weapon at them.

  24. This was terrible and completely avoidable. Beyond that, such events serve to fuel the antigunners’ propaganda machine and make us all look bad. Sadly, we all know that effective uses of handguns in self defense are never reported.

  26. “A man’s handgun went off” – That’s putting it mildly.

    More like ‘the man pulled the trigger while sweeping his own son’. Very tragic nonetheless, but he blatantly broke 2 of the firearm safety rules. Why was he handling the gun to begin with?

  27. Stories like this are tragic. Both in the loss of a young life, and the subsequent degradation to gun rights in general. I couldn’t give less of a shit about the guy’s sorrow – he killed his own son. Anyone who tries to couch it in terms other than those is being dishonest. The gun didn’t load itself. The gun didn’t jump into the guys hand. The gun didn’t go off on its own. The guy failed at so many levels to fdo the right thing. Tragically the rest of the family has to suffer the consequences of his stupidity, and a young boy’s life ended far too soon.

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  29. I work at shooting range and customers always wonder why I freak out on them when they unknowingly turn weapon away from down range toward other customers or myself with finger on the trigger. It should be mandatory to take weapon safety classes before you can purchase your weapon. Being in military almost 10 years as infantry grunt and weapons instructor safety is second nature and it kills me you have millions of untrained individuals carrying weapons now. We don’t need gun control we need gun safety.

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