# So you killed your kid while cleaning your gun. **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [March 26, 2013, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-you-killed-your-kid-while-cleaning-your-gun/654020 "2013-03-26T17:03:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Machine\_Elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2013, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-you-killed-your-kid-while-cleaning-your-gun/654020/1 "2013-03-26T17:03:44Z")
[Father cleaning shotgun shoots 10-year-old son in the head in N.C.](http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/03/26/17470862-father-cleaning-shotgun-shoots-10-year-old-son-in-the-head-in-nc?lite) Congratulations on demonstrating an astounding level of negligence when it really, really mattered. Not only did you _not_ check to see that your gun was unloaded, you actually managed to point it at your son’s head and pull the trigger. Now your son is dead, his sister is severely traumatized, and I hope you suffer a lifetime of ostracism and horrible guilty feelings as a result of your felonious stupidity. In fact, if [Johannes Mehserles](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johannes_Mehserles) can be made to serve two years for grabbing (and firing) the wrong weapon in a high-tension moment, then you surely deserve at least that much time behind bars for neglecting just about every firearm safety rule ever created. ---
**Author:** ![miss\_elizabeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/838e76/32.png) [@miss\_elizabeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/miss_elizabeth)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2013, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-you-killed-your-kid-while-cleaning-your-gun/654020/2 "2013-03-26T17:44:09Z")
Holy fuck, if true, what a sad story. I mean, sure, Dad’s a complete dumbass. But what a way to learn a lesson… ---
**Author:** ![Debaser](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/3da27b/32.png) [@Debaser](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Debaser)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2013, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-you-killed-your-kid-while-cleaning-your-gun/654020/3 "2013-03-26T17:52:56Z")
> [@Machine\_Elf](#): > > I hope you suffer a lifetime of ostracism and horrible guilty feelings as a result of your felonious stupidity. He will. Is there any doubt about that? Why you are so eager to celebrate this is quite odd. ---
**Author:** ![Machine\_Elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2013, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-you-killed-your-kid-while-cleaning-your-gun/654020/4 "2013-03-26T18:11:45Z")
> [@Debaser](#): > > He will. Is there any doubt about that? Yeah, there’s that little smidge of doubt. He managed to completely shirk his responsibilities as a gun owner before the fact. It’s entirely possible he’s telling himself and his wife right now, “how was I supposed to know it was loaded?” and “I was cleaning it, and it just _went off._” I could easily see him trying to spin the whole thing as nothing more than an unfortunate accident in which he played no particular role. > [@](#): > > Why you are so eager to celebrate this is quite odd. “Celebrate?” Strange verbage there. I’m just tired of seeing incidents in the news where a parent’s galactic stupidity in the face of well-known threats results in grievous bodily harm to the very children with whose safety they are charged. And this is an extreme case: the guy didn’t do just one thing wrong, he did _everything_ wrong. And in my recreational outrage, I desire to see him twist in the wind for it, to be hoisted aloft with a big sign that says to the world, “don’t ever be as stupid as I am.” ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2013, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-you-killed-your-kid-while-cleaning-your-gun/654020/5 "2013-03-26T18:19:29Z")
> [@](#): > > Christopher Stanlane was wiping the gun down Polishing the knob. ---
**Author:** ![smiling\_bandit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9a140/32.png) [@smiling\_bandit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smiling_bandit)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2013, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-you-killed-your-kid-while-cleaning-your-gun/654020/6 "2013-03-26T18:25:37Z")
Whenever I hear about these cases, I’m always curious if it really happened that way. Not easily provable, but it’s at the very least suspicious. ---
**Author:** ![SmellMyWort](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ea5d25/32.png) [@SmellMyWort](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmellMyWort)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2013, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-you-killed-your-kid-while-cleaning-your-gun/654020/7 "2013-03-26T18:31:08Z")
There should be a mandatory prison sentence and the moron should never able to own a firearm again. ---
**Author:** ![Machine\_Elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2013, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-you-killed-your-kid-while-cleaning-your-gun/654020/8 "2013-03-26T18:44:07Z")
> [@SmellMyWort](#): > > There should be a mandatory prison sentence and the moron should never able to own a firearm again. Manslaughter is a felony, so if he gets convicted, yes, that should preclude future possession of firearms. ---
**Author:** ![Bill\_Door](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/50afbb/32.png) [@Bill\_Door](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bill_Door)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2013, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-you-killed-your-kid-while-cleaning-your-gun/654020/9 "2013-03-26T18:44:28Z")
The part that angers me about it is the reporting. The father didn’t accidently shoot his son in the head. The father negligently shot his son in the head. Let’s call it what it is. ---
**Author:** ![SmellMyWort](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ea5d25/32.png) [@SmellMyWort](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmellMyWort)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2013, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-you-killed-your-kid-while-cleaning-your-gun/654020/10 "2013-03-26T18:53:22Z")
> [@Machine\_Elf](#): > > “Celebrate?” Strange verbage there. I’m just tired of seeing incidents in the news where a parent’s galactic stupidity in the face of well-known threats results in grievous bodily harm to the very children with whose safety they are charged. And this is an extreme case: the guy didn’t do just one thing wrong, he did _everything_ wrong. And in my recreational outrage, I desire to see him twist in the wind for it, to be hoisted aloft with a big sign that says to the world, “don’t ever be as stupid as I am.” You must have missed the memo. “Celebrating” is how the gun rights people try to spin tragic events like this one and remove irresponsible gun ownership as a topic of discussion. If you point out some way in which our culture of guns is damaging to society it turn into: “Why are you celebrating \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_?” ---
**Author:** ![Jman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jman/32/4416_2.png) [@Jman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jman)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2013, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-you-killed-your-kid-while-cleaning-your-gun/654020/11 "2013-03-26T18:54:09Z")
I just can’t imagine being so dumb. I don’t currently own any firearms, but when I was in the Army…the first thing you do to clean the weapon is remove the magazine, clear the chamber, and then disassemble the weapon. Of course this was taught, but let’s face it…you don’t have to be a genius to realize this is what you need to do first. I’m assuming this shotgun doesn’t really disassemble, but I’m assuming it’s breach loading or break-action…so the first thing you do is clear the breech, right? I mean, I’ve never owned a shotgun, but it’s just common sense. I mean, if you’re cleaning the gun, the entire POINT is to clean the chamber and the barrel, and well, BOTH of those things require you to remove any ammunition. How colossally dumb can one be? Of course, I would never have a loaded weapon in my house unless I was planning on using it at that moment…go out hunting, bring the shells and load when you get to the woods. Before you leave, clear the weapon. ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2013, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-you-killed-your-kid-while-cleaning-your-gun/654020/12 "2013-03-26T18:58:02Z")
And you never, ever, point the gun at anyone you are not intending to shoot! That’s like, Rule One. Gun training classes should be offered, for pretty cheap, every place a gun is sold. ---
**Author:** ![Lord\_Ashtar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ea924/32.png) [@Lord\_Ashtar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Ashtar)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2013, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-you-killed-your-kid-while-cleaning-your-gun/654020/13 "2013-03-26T18:58:29Z")
> [@Debaser](#): > > Why you are so eager to celebrate this is quite odd. Because guns are bad. You shouldn’t have guns, m’kay? ---
**Author:** ![Rachellelogram](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rachellelogram/32/8689_2.png) [@Rachellelogram](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rachellelogram)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2013, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-you-killed-your-kid-while-cleaning-your-gun/654020/14 "2013-03-26T19:03:09Z")
Accidents happen. I have no opinion on the gun debate (except that I’m heartily sick of it). But every kind of retardiculous accident of which the imagination can conceive has probably happened at some point in history. Sucks to be him, and I mean that sincerely. ---
**Author:** ![billfish678](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7bcc69/32.png) [@billfish678](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/billfish678)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2013, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-you-killed-your-kid-while-cleaning-your-gun/654020/15 "2013-03-26T19:06:34Z")
> [@Anaamika](#): > > And you never, ever, point the gun at anyone you are not intending to shoot! That’s like, Rule One. Gun training classes should be offered, for pretty cheap, every place a gun is sold. Fucking THIS times a thousand. I am a staunch right to bear arms guy. And I think most “gun control” is bullshit at best. OTOH I’ve never owned a gun and get a bit pissed at some of the idiots that do. There have been a couple of times where I’ve been around where somebody was showing off/passing around a gun. Nothing wrong with that. However, let me just say I turned into the asshole from hell toot sweet when those barrels were pointed anywhere other than the sky or the ground. IMO, you act like any gun could at any moment could magically have a bullet appear in the barrel from some freak time traveling transporter accident and fly out the end at the worst time possible. ---
**Author:** ![Lemur866](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lemur866/32/434_2.png) [@Lemur866](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lemur866)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2013, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-you-killed-your-kid-while-cleaning-your-gun/654020/16 "2013-03-26T19:06:44Z")
> [@Lord\_Ashtar](#): > > Because guns are bad. You shouldn’t have guns, m’kay? You shouldn’t point a loaded gun at your kids and then pull the trigger. But when you do, you shouldn’t act all surprised when the kid’s brains end up splattered all over the living room. Because that’s what happened in this case. Guns don’t go off by accident. They go off when you pull the trigger. They don’t shoot in random directions. They shoot where they are pointed. They don’t go off when they aren’t loaded, guns don’t kill people, bullets kill people. Without a cartridge loaded the gun is harmless. Anybody who isn’t capable of not pointing a gun at a kid and pulling the trigger should not own a gun. This father wasn’t capable of this challenge. He pointed a gun at his kid and pulled the trigger. Maybe he didn’t mean to point his gun at his kid and pull the trigger, maybe when he pointed his gun at his kid and pulled the trigger he didn’t mean for the kid to end up dead. But that’s what happened. This is proof that this particular person should not be allowed to own a gun, because HE WAS SO FUCKING STUPID HE WASN’T ABLE TO NOT POINT A GUN AT A KID AND PULL THE TRIGGER. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2013, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-you-killed-your-kid-while-cleaning-your-gun/654020/17 "2013-03-26T19:09:35Z")
> [@Lord\_Ashtar](#): > > Because guns are bad. You shouldn’t have guns, m’kay? The OP laid all the blame on the father for being negligent. Nothing was said about the gun being bad. But you’re acting like Machine Elf should apologize to the gun for possibly hurting its feelings. ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2013, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-you-killed-your-kid-while-cleaning-your-gun/654020/18 "2013-03-26T19:10:17Z")
> [@billfish678](#): > > Fucking THIS times a thousand. > > I am a staunch right to bear arms guy. And I think most “gun control” is bullshit at best. OTOH I’ve never owned a gun and get a bit pissed at some of the idiots that do. > > There have been a couple of times where I’ve been around where somebody was showing off/passing around a gun. Nothing wrong with that. > > However, let me just say I turned into the asshole from hell toot sweet when those barrels were pointed anywhere other than the sky or the ground. > > IMO, you act like any gun could at any moment could magically have a bullet appear in the barrel from some freak time traveling transporter accident and fly out the end at the worst time possible. People act like they are toys and not the instruments of death they are. Sure, go target shooting, enjoy yourself, I am by no means against gun-owning, I own two myself. BUT remember what their original purpose was. I have seen grown-ass men at target ranges pointing the gun elsewhere than down the range. NO, BITCH! DON’T FUCKING DO THAT! I have no idea if you have balls for brains or what and I have no idea if that gun is loaded or not. And I have to say in sorrow, not every range master is paying attention or alert to this sort of shit. I wish people like you were around more often. Who’s going to listen to me if I say anything? I feel like I’m barely tolerated at the ranges around here as is. (I seriously have been called “little lady” at one of them. I’m almost forty fucking years old. It’s like a goddamn time warp.) ---
**Author:** ![FoieGrasIsEvil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foiegrasisevil/32/16638_2.png) [@FoieGrasIsEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FoieGrasIsEvil)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2013, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-you-killed-your-kid-while-cleaning-your-gun/654020/19 "2013-03-26T19:15:18Z")
> [@Anaamika](#): > > I feel like I’m barely tolerated at the ranges around here as is. (I seriously have been called “little lady” at one of them. I’m almost forty fucking years old. It’s like a goddamn time warp.) “Are you sure you want to be shooting _that_? That’s way too much gun for you, sugar tits. Here, try this snub-nosed purse gun. Isn’t that better?” ---
**Author:** ![billfish678](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7bcc69/32.png) [@billfish678](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/billfish678)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2013, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-you-killed-your-kid-while-cleaning-your-gun/654020/20 "2013-03-26T19:15:47Z")
If you put a few caps in some asses you might get a bit more respect :)\ “Accidentally” of course… [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-you-killed-your-kid-while-cleaning-your-gun/654020.md?page=2)