# Dangerous Sleepwalkers

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dangerous-sleepwalkers/67006>\
**Category:** Cecil's Columns/Staff Reports\
**Created:** [May 30, 2001, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dangerous-sleepwalkers/67006 "2001-05-30T18:55:52Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![sjgouldrocks](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/47e85d/32.png) [@sjgouldrocks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sjgouldrocks)\
**Post date:** [June 23, 2001, 12:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dangerous-sleepwalkers/67006/21 "2001-06-23T12:38:55Z")

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> [@](#):
>
> Dr. Epstein provides a list of precautions for parents of habitually sleepwalking children, including . . . locking up firearms . . . .

Umm, how about locking up your guns even if your child is not a sleepwalker?

Or (gasp) not keeping guns in your house?

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**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\
**Post date:** [June 24, 2001, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dangerous-sleepwalkers/67006/22 "2001-06-24T20:16:47Z")

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The Canadian case was [R. v. Parks,](http://www.lexum.umontreal.ca/csc-scc/cgi-bin/repere.cgi?corpus=pub_en&tout=sleepwalk&language=en&form=csc-scc%2Fen%2Findex.html&range=1&numdoc=1) which went all the way to the Supreme Court of Canada. The Court held that on the facts of this particular case, the sleepwalking was a form of non-insane automatism, and therefore a complete defence to the two murder charges.

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**Author:** ![tracer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tracer/32/20578_2.png) [@tracer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tracer)\
**Post date:** [June 24, 2001, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dangerous-sleepwalkers/67006/23 "2001-06-24T21:24:08Z")

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Now now, **sjgouldrocks** , you don’t want this thread to get thrown into Great Debates, do ya?

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**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\
**Post date:** [June 24, 2001, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dangerous-sleepwalkers/67006/24 "2001-06-24T21:52:46Z")

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I think that **sjgouldrocks** forgot to put in a winkie smilie ( 😉 ) to indicate that he was giving a completely off the wall, humourous suggestion, that people shouldn’t take seriously.

😉

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