And yet more irresponsible gun owners....

[the 4th survivor]

I'm just waiting for 4thSurvivor to turn up.

Hey I agree this kid was way too young to have his own gun. When I have a kid you can be sure they won't be using a gun until they're old enough and even then only when someone is watching over them. The difference is unlike liberals I'm not gonna use this story to push an anti-gun agenda. This kid could have easily drowned in a pool, drank poison or slipped and fell on a knife. The problem here is the parents were irresponsible and they should be held accountable for that.

[moodygirl86]

Hey I agree this kid was way too young to have his own gun. When I have a kid you can be sure they won't be using a gun until they're old enough and even then only when someone is watching over them. The difference is unlike liberals I'm not gonna use this story to push an anti-gun agenda. This kid could have easily drowned in a pool, drank poison or slipped and fell on a knife. The problem here is the parents were irresponsible and they should be held accountable for that.

Your first two sentences and the last I agree with. The rest in between is just silliness.

[CelticGoddess]

I grew up around guns. The rules were simple.

1) Guns are always locked up unless being transported. (and then, they are still in the trunk)

2) Always assume the gun is loaded and NEVER point it at anyone.

3) if you are younger than 12, you don't touch the gun.

My da, sadly, is a teabagger, who really believes that Obama is going to take away our guns and ammo. BUt he still believes in those rules.

BTW: For the 4th survivor, I am a liberal. Most of my friends are liberals. we range from moderate liberal to socialist to communist. And you know what? we all own guns. Except we believe in responsible gun ownership. And that includes background checks.

Ronald Regan wanted to ban assault rifles.

[formergothardite]

We are liberal atheist in this house and we own guns.

Guns are not toys. They are weapons. They do not need to be treated casually like so many gun fanatics do.

[the 4th survivor]

Who are these "gun fanatics" that treat guns like toys? I don't know every gun owner but I'm pretty sure the overwhelming majority of them are responsible and take gun safety seriously.

@moodygirl no silliness at all. Even if these folks didn't have guns one of the kids could have gotten into some pills or bleach or something. No kids that age should be left without supervision whether a gun is in the house or not.

[Bloo]

Who are these "gun fanatics" that treat guns like toys? I don't know every gun owner but I'm pretty sure the overwhelming majority of them are responsible and take gun safety seriously.

@moodygirl no silliness at all. Even if these folks didn't have guns one of the kids could have gotten into some pills or bleach or something. No kids that age should be left without supervision whether a gun is in the house or not.

Re: the bolded- The ones who create guns made for and advertised for children?

[yarabess]

I live in Texas, and actually know a 2 year old (3 in July) with a gun. Her dad bought it for her as a Christmas present last year. It's small, one of the Crickets I think, pink and "just perfect for a little girl." Dad has a picture of her holding it in a field of wild flowers sitting on his desk. The ironic thing...I work at a large construction site and her dad is the site safety person. We constantly do safety programs, and not just construction safety either. Last year we had water safety, trick or treat safety, food safety, and hunting safety in addition to construction related topics. I just don't understand sometimes.

[doggie]

[formergothardite]

Who are these "gun fanatics" that treat guns like toys? I don't know every gun owner but I'm pretty sure the overwhelming majority of them are responsible and take gun safety seriously.

@moodygirl no silliness at all. Even if these folks didn't have guns one of the kids could have gotten into some pills or bleach or something. No kids that age should be left without supervision whether a gun is in the house or not.

The same people who come here and say that they keep loaded guns laying around their house unlocked because it would never cause an accident. The fundie guy who shot his wife point blank in the chest with a shot gun because they ran around playing with guns and he forgot that it wasn't loaded. There used to be a whole blog devoted to people like this called "Idiots with guns". And it was all pictures of gun fanatics who treated guns like toys.

[PennySycamore]

Well, I live in Kentucky, and I was born in the county where this happened. My Dad and my Granny still live there. The attitude really doesn't surprise me, to be honest. It's very rural, very "good old boy," very country, and in many ways, rather backwards as well. Not to say that all Kentuckians have those ideas, or even that everyone in Cumberland County does. Just saying I'd be more surprised to hear prominent locals condemning the parents for buying the kid a gun than I am to hear the parents being supported.

Wildcatgrrl, my dad was from Cumberland County, too! He met my mom when they were students at Berea in the 40s. I wonder what part of the county the family was from. It doesn't look like Burkesville from the picture of their house. Kettle? Bow? Judio? That area can be quite beautiful, but I would have to be able to get away frequently if I lived there. I would like to go back to visit though even though we don't have close (or maybe any) family there anymore.

No parent should have to bury a child. I can only imagine the guilt these parents will eventually feel.

[wildcatgrrl]

How funny! The interwebs is a small world. Did he move out of the county after college?

It's not Burkesville for sure. The articles say it's a mobile home on a long, winding road. Could be Kettle, Bow, Judio...Dubre?

This article (http://www.nydailynews.com/news/nationa ... -1.1333069) shows a pin in CUMBERLAND, KY, not Cumberland COUNTY, KY. Derps.

[roddma]

Your first two sentences and the last I agree with. The rest in between is just silliness.

Ditto. The poison and drowning are such strawman arguments.

The wya my husbnd learned about the reality of guns is when hi dad took him hunting about 7 or 8. See Mr. Rabbit, Squirrel? Boom. They can't come back now. It freaked him out but lesson learned.

[OkToBeTakei]

Hey I agree this kid was way too young to have his own gun. When I have a kid you can be sure they won't be using a gun until they're old enough and even then only when someone is watching over them. The difference is unlike liberals I'm not gonna use this story to push an anti-gun agenda. This kid could have easily drowned in a pool, drank poison or slipped and fell on a knife. The problem here is the parents were irresponsible and they should be held accountable for that.

:lol: You are just as stupid as normal. I find it comfortingly familiar.

[Dinorah]

Yeah, I heard it was a "gun for children" and was like WTF?? What's wrong with these people? Here children are even discouraged from playing with toy guns...

[moodygirl86]

Yeah, I heard it was a "gun for children" and was like WTF?? What's wrong with these people? Here children are even discouraged from playing with toy guns...

Seconded. As a Brit, I don't understand the inconsistency/illogic behind some US laws. So you can have a gun at five in KY, drive at 14 in some states, with parental consent in other states you can marry and have children under 16, and join the army at 18 - all major responsibilities - but you can't be trusted to drink a beer until 21? Insanity!

[Sola]

Who are these "gun fanatics" that treat guns like toys? I don't know every gun owner but I'm pretty sure the overwhelming majority of them are responsible and take gun safety seriously.

@moodygirl no silliness at all. Even if these folks didn't have guns one of the kids could have gotten into some pills or bleach or something. No kids that age should be left without supervision whether a gun is in the house or not.

Oh I dunno, maybe those who thought it was a great idea to buy a FIVE YEAR OLD a deadly weapon?

As for your second comment, well if that is the case lets do away with all safety precautions shall we? FFS, do you realise how stupid you sound? Responsible parents supervise their children. They make sure medicines are out of reach, they make sure chemicals are locked away, and they sure as hell make sure a five year can't get hold of a gun.

[Sola]

The same people who come here and say that they keep loaded guns laying around their house unlocked because it would never cause an accident. The fundie guy who shot his wife point blank in the chest with a shot gun because they ran around playing with guns and he forgot that it wasn't loaded. There used to be a whole blog devoted to people like this called "Idiots with guns". And it was all pictures of gun fanatics who treated guns like toys.

Its still there http://idiotswithguns.blogspot.co.uk/

[RosyDaisy]

Who are these "gun fanatics" that treat guns like toys? I don't know every gun owner but I'm pretty sure the overwhelming majority of them are responsible and take gun safety seriously.

Sure they do, they take it so seriously that they buy a child a gun and leave guns where children can get to them easily. :roll:

[sparkles]

I'm just astounded at the photos of those guns for kids. PINK guns? Seriously? They look exactly like toys, they're probably marketed like toys and I have no doubt that's exactly how kids see them, as TOYS, not as weapons designed to kill. Sorry, you can try to teach a 5 year old about gun safety until the cows come home, but when you hand a kid a real gun that looks like A TOY, you're creating confusion and the potential for disaster. I'm absolutely disgusted.

My heart breaks for that poor little boy and what he'll have to live with for the rest of his life. His parents, on the other hand, will probably find some way to rationalize that IT WASN'T THEIR FAULT.

[GolightlyGrrl]

The same people who come here and say that they keep loaded guns laying around their house unlocked because it would never cause an accident. The fundie guy who shot his wife point blank in the chest with a shot gun because they ran around playing with guns and he forgot that it wasn't loaded. There used to be a whole blog devoted to people like this called "Idiots with guns". And it was all pictures of gun fanatics who treated guns like toys.

The same people who think Ted Nugent is still musically relevant? Snerk.

[PennySycamore]

Re: the bolded- The ones who create guns made for and advertised for children?

I would add that draft-dodging chicken hawk, NRA board member and all around idiot Ted Nugent to that.

ETA: I see that Bloo already mentioned Mr Nugent.

[PennySycamore]

How funny! The interwebs is a small world. Did he move out of the county after college?

It's not Burkesville for sure. The articles say it's a mobile home on a long, winding road. Could be Kettle, Bow, Judio...Dubre?

This article (http://www.nydailynews.com/news/nationa ... -1.1333069) shows a pin in CUMBERLAND, KY, not Cumberland COUNTY, KY. Derps.

My parents moved to South Carolina when my mom got pregnant with my oldest brother. My mom had terrible morning sickness and my dad didn't trust the doctor in town to treat my mom properly. Fortunately, we moved close enough that I could be transported to the old Greenville General Hospital when I was born with severe Rh jaundice. It did always drive my dad nuts, though, that Kentucky managed to pay for kids' schoolbooks while SC charged a book fee. He said that SC spent too much of their taxes on roads and not nearly enough on schools.

I had a couple of great aunts (sisters of my granddad) that lived near Kettle and an aunt who lived in Bow or nearby. Her husband ran a country store and she taught at the elementary school. My grandfather also taught school, 4th grade IIRC and went to Western Kentucky to get his education degree after Kentucky decided that all teachers needed to have their degrees and be certified. He would have been grandfathered in due to his experience teaching. My grandmother moved into town after he died and lived across from the jail. The cokes from the soda fountain at Smith's Drug Store were the best I've ever had. They were wonderful!

The town of Cumberland is in Harlan County, I think, which is not all that close to Cumberland County.

Back to your regular programming.....

[oil]

I carried M16 assault rifle for two year on my body never leaving me except to shower. It became a part of me and my best friend. I loved it because it protected me and helped me protect innocent people and I knew it inside and out. But now that my service is over, I am too scared to have a gun in my home. I know how to use it safely, to lock it safely and still no fucking no to have it here where my little cousins and friends and family come to visit me. I know I am a neurosis of it irationally, but I will not take any chance for accident to happen. I believe if you want to have a gun in your home, do it, yes I support you. Only for me, I too worried over it and I goaled to remove all worry from my life as much as I can do it. That's just me.

[desertvixen]

Oil, I can agree with you on that one. I've been in the Army for almost 15 years, and don't own one.

[BoomerLynn]

It just doesn't fucking stop. :angry-banghead:

An 8-year-old boy in Texas accidentally shot and killed his 5-year-old friend:

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/nationa ... -1.1342802

A 4-year-old-boy in NJ accidentally shot and killed his 6-year-old neighbor:

http://www.nbcnews.com/id/51872915

At least the father of the 4-year-old boy in NJ has had charges filed against him. Two more kids dead, two more traumatized for life. So NRA, where exactly are all these responsible gun owners again? :pull-hair: