All children should be taught The Four Rules of Gun Safety as soon as possible. If sprogs understand and appreciate the One Rule to Rule Them All — keep all guns pointed in a safe direction — they stand an excellent chance of avoiding firearms-related injury. And death. This lad did not . . .
A 10-year-old Wisconsin boy shot and killed his brother while playing “cops and robbers” with his father’s loaded rifle, according to police.
The unidentified boy in rural Loganville and two other kids were playing around on Tuesday morning before their game turned deadly, Sauk County Sheriff Chip Meister said.
He said the playmates thought the weapon was unloaded when the 10-year-old pointed at his 14-year-old brother and fired.
The gun’s magazine was removed, but a bullet left in the chamber struck the brother in the chest. He died at the scene.
The nydailynews.com piece ends by quoting stats from their anti-ballistic brethren at Everytown for Gun Safety. I’ll end this piece by saying that the Four Rules are not enough. All due respect to Eddie Eagle’s lessons for smaller kids, children of a certain age should be taught how to check a firearm ASAP to make sure it’s clear and safe.
Because you can’t be too careful with a gun. And competent gun handling begins with safety checking a firearm. It’s the first thing you should do when you pick up a gun. And the last thing you should do before you store it. Lest something like this happens.