# How is this possible? (Mother shot by toddler at Walmart) **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [December 30, 2014, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-this-possible-mother-shot-by-toddler-at-walmart/708569 "2014-12-30T21:49:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 11
**Author:** ![agilpro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3e96dc/32.png) [@agilpro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/agilpro)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2015, 4:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-this-possible-mother-shot-by-toddler-at-walmart/708569/201 "2015-01-05T04:52:08Z")
Long story short, the woman had the gun for protection and it ended up killing her, it happens probably more often than we think it does. Guns a two year old and a purse don’t mix. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2015, 4:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-this-possible-mother-shot-by-toddler-at-walmart/708569/202 "2015-01-05T04:57:10Z")
nm, wrong thread. ---
**Author:** ![CrazyCatLady](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/dfb087/32.png) [@CrazyCatLady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CrazyCatLady)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2015, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-this-possible-mother-shot-by-toddler-at-walmart/708569/203 "2015-01-05T14:29:16Z")
> [@you\_with\_the\_face](#): > > Calling the cops “just to be on the safe side” might very well get an innocent person killed, assaulted, or arrested. But this person is clearly ready and equipped to deal with the threat of assault or death, because he or she has a gun specifically for such occasions. And honestly, “we can’t trust trained professionals to accurately assess risk and use their guns responsibly” doesn’t exactly bolster the case that obviously we can trust random folks off the street to accurately assess risk and use their guns responsibly. ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2015, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-this-possible-mother-shot-by-toddler-at-walmart/708569/204 "2015-01-05T23:38:05Z")
> [@CrazyCatLady](#): > > But this person is clearly ready and equipped to deal with the threat of assault or death, because he or she has a gun specifically for such occasions. > > And honestly, “we can’t trust trained professionals to accurately assess risk and use their guns responsibly” doesn’t exactly bolster the case that obviously we can trust random folks off the street to accurately assess risk and use their guns responsibly. 3 dead in O hi o. One 12 year old in Cleveland, 1 customer buying an air rifle in Beavercreek. The Beavercreek one was a two-fer. Another Customer died from a heart attack because of the panic that was created. ---
**Author:** ![you\_with\_the\_face](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/ecccb3/32.png) [@you\_with\_the\_face](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/you_with_the_face)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2015, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-this-possible-mother-shot-by-toddler-at-walmart/708569/205 "2015-01-06T20:00:16Z")
> [@Magiver](#): > > 3 dead in O hi o. > > One 12 year old in Cleveland, 1 customer buying an air rifle in Beavercreek. The Beavercreek one was a two-fer. Another Customer died from a heart attack because of the panic that was created. Yup. I’m not saying that cop overreactions (fatal or otherwise) occur everyday, but I think these events are much more likely than a concerned caller thwarting a crime from a random gun carrier who is otherwise minding their business. I’m not even pro-open carry or anything; I just think there needs to be a lot more than a holstered gun to arouse reasonable suspicion. And I wouldn’t put it past most 911 callers to unconsciously exaggerate things to justify their concern. This wouldn’t be a problem if such bias was always taken into account by first responders when triaging urgency, but we know this doesn’t happen. In some parts, “black man carrying a gun” is like yelling “bomb” in an airport. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-this-possible-mother-shot-by-toddler-at-walmart/708569.md?page=10)