and to top it off they say it may be suicide.
I have issues with this on so many levels.
1. This child should not have been able to load and use this weapon. As a gun owner with kids responsibility is key. This story terrifies me. We have our weapons secured with at the very least trigger locks. Ammo is not anywhere near the guns. Uggg.......
2. In my eyes a child of 10 is not old enough to be considered a suicide. I'm sorry but they just aren't. No matter what is going on no child truly can grasp the consequences and finality of taking their own life. When I was in grade school I had my first "love". We would secretly hold hands and he would sing me beach boys songs. He was my Nanny's nephew. One day my dad pulled me aside to tell me that Peter, at the age of 11, had committed suicide by hanging himself on his swing set. I did not believe that then and I do not believe that now. He was to young to understand what that meant just as this boy is.
3. Adults were home? So this boy was able to load a gun and shot himself with adults in the house? Where was the supervision? NEGLIGENCE!!! Holy crap. This poor family. It makes me want to figure out even more measures to take to secure our things.
Wednesday, December 14, 2011
3 comments:
We love comments! We are happy to answer questions, join in debate and conversation, or just say hi. All we ask is for respect. Respect us and others. Keep it civil. Obviously we aren't afraid of cussing but we don't like anyone degraded or invalidated.
We also know we make mistakes. Feel free to call us out. You can't improve things that need it if you aren't aware of it.
If you have an opinion share it but know if it is going to cause hurt to someone we care about we will not approve it.
Most of all have fun!!
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
To me this just reinforces the need for parents to continue to talk with children and keep educating them so they can talk openly about things they are think and feeling.
ReplyDeletePeople are maturing and growing up faster and younger than ever. When I was 10 or so I was able to have conversations, adult level, with my dad about love, life, death, sex, etc.
Tragic.
This was one of my biggest fears. I played the imagine of one of my children getting a hold of a gun in my mind so many times.
ReplyDeleteI am a big, big proponent of being a responsible gun owner and keeping guns away from irresponsible folks, but I am with Max, education is the key.
While every child is different and only the parent knows what is best and most safe for their child, I have found that the more I educate my kids and familiarize them with guns, the less I am concerned about them getting a hold of one.
Of course I think responsible parenting starts way before guns.
My brother did kill himself with a gun and it was not an accident. I think a great deal could have been done to prevent this and it doesn't start with hiding the ammo. I realize you are talking about children and my brother was 32, but I am just saying there are many steps to keeping children safe.
Love your blog. Your very passionate.
Max I agree. Communication is such a key factor in raising healthy kids. My girls have some quirks. Bug and her weird fear of her closet but love of all things scary is my little conundrum kid these days. BUT she knows we can talk about anything. Honesty and open talk is our rule. Detailing what exactly sperm was wasn't the most enjoyable conversation but she knows she can ask me any question she wants to and I will be honest with her. AND age appropriate lol.
ReplyDeleteAGAHG- That was probably a large part of my own fear about having guns in our home. My husband grew up with them but I didn't except for the rare times my dad hunted or my grandparents had a snake or other critter around. I wasn't really exposed a lot and so I had a fear. Add all the news of accidents involving children and I was terrified. My husband though is a pretty smart guy and knew what steps to take to settle my fears. We also let both girls be around and handle our guns in safe conditions as we discuss the safety rules. Even the little one. She is a very smart girl and her main rules right now are "Never point a gun at a person." and "Never touch a gun without mommy or daddy" Being 2 we drill those often with her.
I hate seeing stories like this because I feel like they are so preventable. Between safety precautions and open dialogue it has to be. I have had my dark moments. As a teen I tried to commit suicide. So I know the hopelessness. I just hate hearing stories of those so young succeeding. Apparently the same night as this story a 13-year-old girl attempted to shoot herself locally as well. It breaks my heart. My thoughts are with you over the loss of your brother. My grandfather did the same and that loss is so hard on those left behind.