BEARING ARMS Children and Guns: The Hidden Toll

Sunday NY Times Front Page ^ | 9-29-13 | MICHAEL LUO and MIKE McINTIRE

[Pharmboy]

The .45-caliber pistol that killed Lucas Heagren, 3, on Memorial Day last year at his Ohio home had been temporarily hidden under the couch by his father. But Lucas found it and shot himself through the right eye. “It’s bad,” his mother told the 911 dispatcher. “It’s really bad.”

A few days later in Georgia, Cassie Culpepper, 11, was riding in the back of a pickup with her 12-year-old brother and two other children. Her brother started playing with a pistol his father had lent him to scare coyotes. Believing he had removed all the bullets, he pointed the pistol at his sister and squeezed the trigger. It fired, and blood poured from Cassie’s mouth.

Snip

Cases like these are among the most gut-wrenching of gun deaths. Children shot accidentally — usually by other children — are collateral casualties of the accessibility of guns in America, their deaths all the more devastating for being eminently preventable.

snip

And there are far more of these innocent victims than official records show.

A New York Times review of hundreds of child firearm deaths found that accidental shootings occurred roughly twice as often as the records indicate, because of idiosyncrasies in how such deaths are classified by the authorities. The killings of Lucas, Cassie and Alex, for instance, were not recorded as accidents. Nor were more than half of the 259 accidental firearm deaths of children under age 15 identified by The Times in eight states where records were available.

As a result, scores of accidental killings are not reflected in the official statistics that have framed the debate over how to protect children from guns.

[Pharmboy]

It will never end. They cannot stand that citizens have guns, and when one way fails them in their quest to disarm us, they trot out another tactic. Here, it is that we grossly undercount th number of accidental shootings.

Be prepared to hear about accidental childhood shooting deaths for the next few weeks from your media outlets.

[Pharmboy]

Sorry about the dumb typos—haven’t had my coffee yet—saw this first thing on the Times’ site. And make sure to read the comments on the site—some are arguably worse than the article.

[Pharmboy]

Selected Causes of Death, Ages 0-19, per 100,000 Population (2007)
Cause Number of Deaths Mortality Rate
Natural 36,272 44.1
Perinatal Conditions 14,570 17.7
Congenital Anomalies 6,896 8.4
Neoplasms 2,302 2.8
Respiratory Disease 1,442 1.8
Circulatory Disease 1,666 2.0
Nervous System Disease 1,609 2.0
SIDS 2,453 3.0
Unintentional Injury 11,560 14.0
Motor Vehicle 6,683 8.1
Drowning 1,056 1.3
Fire/Burn 544 0.7
Poisoning 972 1.2
Suffocation/Strangulation 1,263 1.5
Firearm 138 0.2
Homicide 3,345 4.1
Firearm 2,186 2.7
Suicide 1,665 2.0
Firearm 683 0.8
Suffocation/Strangulation 739 0.9
Poisoning 133 0.2
Source: National Center for Health Statistics

[Darksheare]

” and shot himself”

Gee, and just a few words before they were making it sound like the gun acted on its own.
Strange, the common denominator is “human finger on trigger, ergo, human action”.
Yet they demonize an inanimate object with a superstitious and cult like dread.
See thread two or so over about terror of a...keychain.

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/3072545/posts
The keychain was just going to morph like a transformer you know!
/ sarc.

[expat1000]

“The killings of Lucas, Cassie and Alex, for instance, were not recorded as accidents. “

So what were they classified as? Probably homicides thus driving up the ‘children killed by gun violence’ stats.

[Vaquero]

did you consider posting this as a Barf Alert? or do NY Slimes articles contain an automatic Barf Alert?

[Pharmboy]

Yes...I DID consider adding a barf alert, but figured it was superfluous for the reason you mentioned. After all, has there EVER been a NY Times article that anyone alive can remember that supported 2A?

[Pharmboy]

The reason for posting this was to alert Freepers and other patriotic Americans about the new arguments likely to get substantial press about accidental gun deaths in children.

[Pharmboy]

Yes...they are classified as homicides according to this article. But one of the medical examiners defends this by saying that the term ‘homicide’ does not necessarily include intent.

[GailA]

What is wrong with these idiot parents, we had guns in the house growing up, YOU DID NOT TOUCH THEM. They were put up high out of your reach. Not even locked up as we do today.

My carry piece if it is not on my hip is on the night stand, and IF I cannot carry it to a place I need to go then it is locked in the gun safe. Memphis is a crime riddled city, my son’s killer is out of prison, I don’t like to be with out protection, it takes the LEO 30 mins or more to respond.

The true reason we are seeing this is 0 need’s us unarmed so when he starts WW3 with Syria we won’t be able to fight the terrorist just like Europe. And will be victims.

Then we have the forced installment of 0’care, we are not far from rebellion like our Founders were.

[GailA]

murders 2011
323 by assault weapons,
496 hammers, 650 knives, 12,000 drunks,
195,000 medical malpractice.

looks like doctors kill more people than criminals.

[rktman]

Hmm. Seems like someone “forgot” to check the “causes” list before engaging their (if they had one) brain. Sounds like the typical panty waste/nancy boy tact these asshats would take so, not really surprising. Looks like they’re going all out. Yet another mass attempt to betray the constitution.

[The_Media_never_lie]

What about the hidden toll of abortion?

[AdaGray]

They always trot out the childrden. They just can’t help themselves.

[ThePatriotsFlag]

What about the Ford Focus that killed little Jeremy Patterson who’s mother was driving the car? It is time for Car Control legislation.

[Glenmore]

Tragic deaths, yes. But being used to ‘teach’ the wrong lesson. Lesson should be - ‘guns are not toys and are in fact dangerous tools: treat them that way.’ A loaded pistol should not be where a 3-year-old can get to it. A 12-year-old should have known the basic rules of firearm handling for at least half his life - including 1) the gun is ALWAYS loaded, and 2) never point a gun at something you don’t intend to shoot.

[Graybeard58]

A few days later in Georgia, Cassie Culpepper, 11, was riding in the back of a pickup with her 12-year-old brother and two other children.

I don't know about Georgia but in my state, children cannot ride in the back of a pick up truck.

Several years back, a young boy was in the back seat of his grandpa's car, where there was a loaded .22 rifle, the kid shot his grandpa in the back of the head, killing him. Grandpa died of stupidity.

[jsanders2001]

They know the liberal knee jerks will fall for that trick everytime (using children, save the whales, save the trees, etc...) while at the same time advocating Planned Parenthood who kills 10 times as many babiex every year. They want your guns and the will lie, cheat, steal, deceive, manipulate, distort, etc...whatever it takes to get the job done. They don’t want you to be able to defend yourself from them or any of their thugs.

[Pharmboy]

Yep...when my grand kids come for the weekend, I disassemble the shotgun, and all handguns are completely inaccessible to them.

Why can’t others figure this out?

[jsanders2001]

I’d lay bets just about every one of thos accidental deaths involving children were in idiot lib homes. Conservatives know to put their firearms in a safe place oit of reach of children; at least all I know that have firearms and children.

[Pharmboy]

Exactly correct.

[Vaquero]

yeah....understood.

I just hate that marxist rag so much, that, even though anything that comes out of it has a de facto ‘barf alert’, I personally feel it necessary to post it as such....or

post this in the #1 comment

[riverrunner]

I have very hard time believing any three year old could operate a .45 auto. very small hands. One wonders if the mother is covering up something else.

As for the 12 yoa shooting is sister I also wonder if it was quote an unintentional shooting.

[Progov]

Personally I think “Gun Safety” needs to be taught in EVERY SCHOOL in this country. I learned at the ripe old adge of 7 on how to respect, use and care for a gun. To this date, I remember every detail my father taught me.

Teach them “right” and kids will remember, do nothing and the “accidents” will continue.

[Apple Pan Dowdy]

With reasoning such as this article presents, we should also then ban:
backyard swimming pools
cars
matches
poisonous household cleaners

[Pharmboy]

...or at least make a big deal about safety issues regarding pools, cleaners, etc.

[verga]

Growing up my father kept a gun in the house. My sisters and I knew where it was and where the ammo was. The rule was simple, don’t touch the gun. When I got old enough I had one and it was kept in my closet with a box of ammo as well. Never had a problem.

[moovova]

His many children will die AFTER the socialists/Marxists/communists/jihadists have disarmed America?

[txrefugee]

More children drown every year than die in gun accidents. Subtract the teen gang bangers shooting each other in our ghettos, and the number is very small.
Hundreds of thousands of rural youth have used guns responsibly for generations and lived to ripe old ages. Children who are irresponsible will always be in danger of some kind.

[BlueStateRightist]

Articles like this exemplify the unbridled and take-no-prisoners power of the leftist media. The Slimes’ editors know this type of journalism is highly effective in moving the needle in favor of their agenda. By virtue of this article, low info voters, especially women, will be entrenched as anti-gun and, indirectly, pro-Obama. It takes rock solid opposition to combat this type of attack.

[NY.SS-Bar9]

My kids know if they touch a gun they have to CLEAN said gun.

Wonderful deterrent.

[DaveyB]

Abortion kills at a much higher rate than guns. Where is the concern for those children? ...

[2nd amendment mama]

Here it is formatted. A little easier to read.

United States
Child Mortality, 2007
	Number and Rate of Child Deaths, per 100,000 Population (2007)
	Total Child Population		Number of Child Deaths		Child Mortality Rate
	(Ages 0-19)
	82,304,668		53,287		64.7
	Infant Mortality Number and Rate, per 1,000 Live Births (2007)
	Number of Live Births		Number of Infant Deaths		Infant Mortality Rate
	(Ages 0-1)
	4,273,543		29,138		6.8
	Selected Causes of Death, Ages 0-19, per 100,000 Population (2007)
	Cause			Number of Deaths	Mortality Rate
	Natural			36,272	44.1
		Perinatal Conditions		14,570	17.7
		Congenital Anomalies		6,896	8.4
		Neoplasms		2,302	2.8
		Respiratory Disease		1,442	1.8
		Circulatory Disease		1,666	2.0
		Nervous System Disease		1,609	2.0
		SIDS		2,453	3.0
	Unintentional Injury			11,560	14.0
		Motor Vehicle		6,683	8.1
		Drowning		1,056	1.3
		Fire/Burn		544	0.7
		Poisoning		972	1.2
		Suffocation/Strangulation		1,263	1.5
		Firearm		138	0.2
	Homicide			3,345	4.1
		Firearm		2,186	2.7
	Suicide			1,665	2.0
		Firearm		683	0.8
		Suffocation/Strangulation		739	0.9
		Poisoning		133	0.2
	Source: National Center for Health Statistics
	Rates based on 20 or fewer deaths may be unstable.  Use with caution.

[VRW Conspirator]

The .45-caliber pistol that...temporarily hidden under the couch by his father. But Lucas found it...

So, the father made a bad judgment call, ergo, we need to take guns away from everybody.

[Falcon4.0]

" he pointed the pistol at his sister and squeezed the trigger."

Sadly, this is the only kind of gun handling children are exposed to.
"Point a gun at the nearest person and pull the trigger."
When the NRA wanted tried to establish the Eddie Eagle program in schools, where kids are taught to
"Stop. Don't Touch. Leave the Area and tell an Adult."
They were met with howls of protest.
Charles "The Snakeman" Schumer called it "A Cynical plot to turn kids into Shooters, who will grow up to be NRA Members and Voters for Gun Rights".

[2nd amendment mama]

I’d lay bets just about every one of thos accidental deaths involving children were in idiot lib GANG homes.

There......fixed it. LOL

[2nd amendment mama]

I had the same thoughts.

[Wonder Warthog]

"Yep...when my grand kids come for the weekend, I disassemble the shotgun, and all handguns are completely inaccessible to them."

Why?? Better to take them and the guns out to a spot where you can teach them real firearms safety. Even a four-year-old can learn the difference between a toy gun and a real gun if they experience the reality of both.

My dad "inoculated" both my brother and I at age four, by taking us out in the field, and letting "us" fire his .22 handgun (we and he held the gun, our hands on the stock, and his over ours, so perfectly safe, we pulled the trigger).

This was the norm throughout our rural community. Guns were not "disassembled" nor "completely inaccessible"...they were stacked in the nearest corner to the house main exit door (back door) at all times.....loaded. Neither my brother or I EVER touched them without permission, up 'til the time when we, too, were expected to grab and use them at need.

I can recall NO incidents of child gun accidents in that community....ever, although there were a very, very few hunting-related injuries.

"Why can’t others figure this out?"

Because there are ways that work better.

[Condor51]

A contributing factor to these accidental shootings of kids by kids is the lefts 'War On TOY (cap) Guns', aka 'The War On Boys Being BOYS' (don't need any stinking *study* by eggheads to 'prove' it, it's common sense).

When kids were allowed to be kids and play Cop & Robbers, Cowboy & Ind1ans and War, boys learned -- slowly with age and better more realistic 'toys' as we got older -- what guns they could do - BANG!..you're Dead. -- real dead, not play dead.

As such we knew what to do when or if encountering a Real Gun, like not f..king PLAY with it. That familiarity also took away any 'cool' or 'neat factor' and the urge to touch and handle it.

[BCW]

...and when I use a hammer to drive a nail into a 2x4 and smash my finger...it’s the hammer’s fault - not my inability and inexperience in carpentry that caused my finger to be smashed....

IDIOTS abound in the US NEWS and POLITICAL spheres...

[BCW]

what about ABORTION — that has racked up millions in deaths in the US...if they are so concerned with LIFE of the children...NY Times should stories on that...oh wait, they would loose their entire list of subscribers...

[logi_cal869]

...and you know you now have to have a license to drive those evil SUVs, as they kill so many. /s

Errrr...

[OldPossum]

I have very hard time believing any three year old could operate a .45 auto. very small hands. One wonders if the mother is covering up something else.

I know I'll be getting some blowback on this (readiness factor) but if one has a large caliber pistol such as a .45, you shouldn't put a round in the chamber. It is highly unlikely that a child could rack such a gun.

I always carry my semi-automatics with nothing in the chamber--to prevent accidental discharge. Besides, I know that I can rack any of them in about a second.

[BilLies]

Might have been a good opportunity for the NY Times to reiterate Black crime....Oh, that’s right “They don’t do that type of thing.”

“An 18-year-old man was convicted of murder in the shooting of a child whose mother was pushing him in a stroller. De’Marquise Elkins killed Antonio Santiago, 13 months, during an attempted robbery in Brunswick on March 21.......The child’s mother, Sherry West, was also shot. She said a gunman demanding her purse shot her son in the face after she said she had no money.”

[Pharmboy]

Their dad is licemsed concealed carry guy, and I would not instruct them without his knowledge and ok. They are young and I am certain he has.

[riverrunner]

That’s your choice to carry with out one in the chamber(or Israeli style).

A second can be long time also longer if both hands are not available.

I carry with a round in the chamber. I find unloaded firearms poor clubs.

[driftless2]

I live in Wisconsin. I’d guess it’s fair to say there’s a lot more guns here than there are people. The only children who get shot are the ones from Milwaukee with the street gangs. Last year in River Falls, Wis. three young girls were murdered by their father who was upset with his wife over divorce proceedings. He slit their throats. It’s a good thing none of the very young girls had access to firearms. (snicker)

[Yo-Yo]

I always carry my semi-automatics with nothing in the chamber--to prevent accidental discharge. Besides, I know that I can rack any of them in about a second.

Good thing that George Zimmerman didn't take your advice.

[nonsporting]

That’s better.

[al_c]

And how many kids get caught in crossfire between gangs? Also ... what about that punk that shot the child in a stroller? Amazing how this media idiot ignores those stories but focuses on the accidental ones.