Keeping little hands away from house guns

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Keeping little hands away

This is very sad.

http://theday.com/re.aspx?re=c6364db...2-562a8781f99c


A 2-year-old Jewett City child died this morning after a gun that he had picked up in his home discharged.

The child, who was not identified, received emergency care at his home and was taken to The William W. Backus Hospital in Norwich. He was taken by Life Star to Connecticut Children's Medical Center, where he was declared dead at about 11 a.m.

Police responded to the 17 Green Ave., Apt. A, about 9:13 a.m. after receiving emergency calls about a possible shooting. They said one shot was fired.

Both parents and a 4-month-old were home at the time of the shooting, according to state police. Police said they have had a brief interview with the parents, who have not been identified. No charges have been filed.

The four-unit apartment house is owned by former Norwich Alderman Mark Eaton and Charlotte Eaton.

Detectives from the Eastern District Major Crime Squad are investigating.

“State police detectives will investigate this incident to determine answers to all of the questions regarding exactly what took place today at this residence,” the statement said.
 
Unreal. Sadly, no amount of prosecuting the parents will bring the little boy back. It's hard to figure out what the right thing to do here is - there is no doubt that this family is suffering big time. [sad]
 
You are all assuming the story is true; i.e., that the toddler found a loaded gun and shot himself with it.

That may be a smoke screen to cover the real story.
 
A heavy reminder of our responsibility, especially those with children and guns.
My stomach just balled in a knot when I heard this news.

edit:
Sry, I did look, but missed this thread
 
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It's an awful thing, that never needed to happen. I wouldnt call it an accident, because its plain stupidity on the part of the gun owner. That person has to live with that for the rest of their life.....

There is absolutely no excuse for keeping a loaded firearm in the house with kids, even if it is in a safe.....keep the mag loaded maybe, but never keep one in the chamber.
 
Stupid people, who not only allowed the tragedy to happen, but added a hundred dollars to the anti-gunners account [angry] Is it so difficult to keep your guns, medicines, tools and whatever potentially dangerous items away from your kids?
 
God I hope there isn't more to the story. [sad2]

If there is, we'll probably never know it. Unfortunately, this is one of those cases where everything that could go wrong did go wrong (assuming it was an accident as reported). So many places this could have been prevented that all were failed.

-Gun stored safely, where the average child can't get it: FAIL
One of the easiest means of preventing an incident like this one. Hell, in this case, even the top shelf of a closet would have sufficed. If the gun was for home defense, a trigger lock or cable lock are out of the question, but there are definately ways to have immediate access to the gun should it be needed.
-Gun stored without a round in the chamber: FAIL
If it was a revolver, this is kind of a moot point, but for a semi-auto, no two year old would be strong enough to cycle the action and cock the gun.
-Trigger pull hard enough that the average child can't do it: FAIL
Not the best or most reliable method by any means, but it is a third round of protection.

Hindsight is great, I'm sure the family would not make these mistakes again, but for their child it is too late to think about restricting access. It's sad to hear about things like this, and what makes it even sadder is how preventable it is, with the most simple of measures.
 
There is absolutely no excuse for keeping a loaded firearm in the house with kids, even if it is in a safe.....keep the mag loaded maybe, but never keep one in the chamber.

I'm going to respectfully disagree with you there, Mark. I fail to see how a loaded gun securely locked in a safe would be more conducive to an accidental home shooting than one which is unloaded. I know I'm going out on a limb here, but I'm assuming that this terrible tragedy would have been averted if the loaded gun in question had been securely stored when it was not under the direct control of a responsible adult.

Speaking as a father who is perhaps excessively protective of my family, I have absolute confidence that my children are completely safe from the firearms which I securely store in my home, regardless of whether or not I choose to store them in a loaded or unloaded state.
 
I'm going to respectfully disagree with you there, Mark. I fail to see how a loaded gun securely locked in a safe would be more conducive to an accidental home shooting than one which is unloaded. I know I'm going out on a limb here, but I'm assuming that this terrible tragedy would have been averted if the loaded gun in question had been securely stored when it was not under the direct control of a responsible adult.

Speaking as a father who is perhaps excessively protective of my family, I have absolute confidence that my children are completely safe from the firearms which I securely store in my home, regardless of whether or not I choose to store them in a loaded or unloaded state.

I agree on all accounts.
 
Wow tragedy. When I have kids no gun with be anywhere but on me or locked where they can't go.

+1. There is no requirement in NYS to lock up your guns. But, except when carrying I did lock them just to keep the kids and babysitters away from them.

Very wise doobie!
 
I'm going to respectfully disagree with you there, Mark. I fail to see how a loaded gun securely locked in a safe would be more conducive to an accidental home shooting than one which is unloaded. I know I'm going out on a limb here, but I'm assuming that this terrible tragedy would have been averted if the loaded gun in question had been securely stored when it was not under the direct control of a responsible adult.

Speaking as a father who is perhaps excessively protective of my family, I have absolute confidence that my children are completely safe from the firearms which I securely store in my home, regardless of whether or not I choose to store them in a loaded or unloaded state.

I understand your how you feel. For me it's just another safety measure I take to feel just a bit better. My kids have been taught gun safety know they are not supposed to touch them or go near the safe without me. I worry about the very slim probability, should one their friends find the quick access safe, and get lucky enough to pop in the right code. At the very least the gun will not have a round in the chamber.....I know they could rack the slide, but at least if I know they just pull the trigger it won't go off. Just my piece of mind....plus I've been conditioned for years on having unloaded guns in the house, it's what I grew up with.
 
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+1. There is no requirement in NYS to lock up your guns.

May well be true, but irrelevant here.

When we lived in Groton, CT, we used to subscribe to the New London Day newspaper. My former boss lived in Jewett City. Both are in CT and not in NY.

No idea about the gun laws (storage/children) in CT, so I can't speak to the legality of loaded storage, unlocked/locked, etc. issues.

Stupid people, who not only allowed the tragedy to happen, but added a hundred dollars to the anti-gunners account [angry] Is it so difficult to keep your guns, medicines, tools and whatever potentially dangerous items away from your kids?

Back as a teenager, we would have occasional meetings from an org I was a member of at a club officer's home in Abington (MA). He was a nuclear scientist (at MIT, IIRC), always carried a gun and had an extensive collection spread out all over his house! There were loaded guns in damn near every drawer and rifles (loaded status unknown) leaning against every corner in the house. What I (and my Parents who were anti-gun) found disconcerting is that he had a 3 year old Son who was wandering around his house all the time!

Our home is not kid-proof (e.g dangerous chemicals under sinks, sharp objects easily reachable by kids, etc.) and thus I don't allow little kids to be "guests" here. A couple of times the children (they live in Israel, but visit their folks in NJ a few times/year, and relatives that live North of Boston for events) of my Wife's school-hood friend have called and asked us if they could stay with us overnight . . . of course they don't mention that they are bringing their 3 or 4 small kids with them until I asked specifically about that. My Wife doesn't understand . . . not to mention that their little ones get into everything and the parents think nothing of it. We ate at a Brookline restaurant with them a few years ago and I swear that they needed to hose down the entire restaurant after we left! [thinking]
 
-Trigger pull hard enough that the average child can't do it: FAIL

Toddlers shoot themselves in the face with handguns because their hands are too small and weak to pull the trigger.

They set the butt against a firm surface with the muzzle towards themselves, and then push down on the trigger with both thumbs.

If the gun is ready to fire, they never find out that they were successful in doing so.
 
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May well be true, but irrelevant here.

When we lived in Groton, CT, we used to subscribe to the New London Day newspaper. My former boss lived in Jewett City. Both are in CT and not in NY.

No idea about the gun laws (storage/children) in CT, so I can't speak to the legality of loaded storage, unlocked/locked, etc. issues.



Back as a teenager, we would have occasional meetings from an org I was a member of at a club officer's home in Abington (MA). He was a nuclear scientist (at MIT, IIRC), always carried a gun and had an extensive collection spread out all over his house! There were loaded guns in damn near every drawer and rifles (loaded status unknown) leaning against every corner in the house. What I (and my Parents who were anti-gun) found disconcerting is that he had a 3 year old Son who was wandering around his house all the time!

Our home is not kid-proof (e.g dangerous chemicals under sinks, sharp objects easily reachable by kids, etc.) and thus I don't allow little kids to be "guests" here. A couple of times the children (they live in Israel, but visit their folks in NJ a few times/year, and relatives that live North of Boston for events) of my Wife's school-hood friend have called and asked us if they could stay with us overnight . . . of course they don't mention that they are bringing their 3 or 4 small kids with them until I asked specifically about that. My Wife doesn't understand . . . not to mention that their little ones get into everything and the parents think nothing of it. We ate at a Brookline restaurant with them a few years ago and I swear that they needed to hose down the entire restaurant after we left! [thinking]

True here as well. I have 2 teens, both well versed in firearms safety since a young age. Visitor, however, are another factor altogether. No notice visits by friends (with few exceptions) are not permitted. No toddlers at all unless I have at least a few hours to "childproof" and not just firearms either. Poor kids could kill themselves with half my cleaning supplies, for which I take no care to store "safely".

A tragedy to be sure.
 
Parents' Gun Used In Boy's Fatal Shooting

Parents' Gun Used In Boy's Fatal Shooting
Police Say 2-Year-Old Shot Self In Face

POSTED: 9:33 am EDT August 28, 2008
UPDATED: 8:19 pm EDT August 29, 2008

JEWETT CITY, Conn. -- Police are investigating whether a toddler used a gun stored beneath a pillow in a Jewett City home in what is being called an accidental shooting.

Lt. Paul Vance of the state police said that 2-year-old Wyatt Matteau died after shooting himself in the face with his parents' gun.

Wyatt was airlifted to Hartford Hospital after the shooting at a home on Green Avenue at about 9:30 a.m, Vance said.

The boy's parents were home with Wyatt and their infant daughter, police said, but Wyatt was alone in a room when the shooting occurred.

The infant was staying with a relative on Thursday, police said, and the state Department of Children and Family.

"A 2-year-old got hold of his parents' gun," said neighbor Laure Magee. "It was under a pillow in the bedroom and he shot himself in the eye."

Magee said the boy's mother was outside screaming following the shooting. Police said both of the boy's parents were home at the time.
"She was screaming and screaming and my friend Dawn, who lives across the street, told me that the baby had shot himself," Magee said.

Wyatt was transported via ambulance to Backus Hospital and was then airlifted to Hartford Hospital, where he died at about 11 a.m.

The home remained roped off by members of the state police Major Crime Squad for much of the day Thursday. Channel 3 Eyewitness News reporter Aleesha Chaney reported that the family was taken away from the area in a police cruiser.

"It's the scariest thing -- especially knowing that you have little babies and you have your guns not locked up," said Magee. "It's horrible."

E-mail news tips to Eyewitness News, or dial: 866-289-0333.
Connecticut's latest breaking news is on WFSB.com and Channel 3 Eyewitness News.
 
You can't make stupid illegal, but you can make gun ownership illegal - or at least very restricted. Sadly, stupid often sets the rule.

Maybe it was a gun illegally possessed by a felon or some such circumstance, or just a fool exercising their rights with no responsibility. Either way, an innocent child had to pay the price.

Jailtime, or less, for the parent(s) seems pitiful recompense, but that's all we demand for drunk drivers causing similar deaths of innocents. Or people who beat their kids to death. We don't ban cars or license parents, so why the demand to ban license/restrict guns?
 
Why do expectant parents spend hundreds or thousands of dollars baby-proofing a home with those plastic outlet blanks, cabinet latches, gates, pads and so on, and then leave a loaded gun under a pillow?

Ridiculous state law aside, it is SMART to keep your guns secure. Accessible to you, fine. Accessible to your toddler that still giggles over teletubbies, not fine.
 
Why do expectant parents spend hundreds or thousands of dollars baby-proofing a home with those plastic outlet blanks, cabinet latches, gates, pads and so on, and then leave a loaded gun under a pillow?

Ridiculous state law aside, it is SMART to keep your guns secure. Accessible to you, fine. Accessible to your toddler that still giggles over teletubbies, not fine.

+1 sir.
 
the parents need to spend the rest of their life in jail.

Legal ownership, illegal ownership, doesn't matter.
 
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