12-year-old boy accidentally kills mother's friend at shooting range - Polidicks

[url]http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2460933/Tragic-moment-12-year-old-boy-shoots-mothers-friend-dead-playing-gun-rifle-range.html?ito=feeds-newsxml[/url] [quote]The boy, apparently unaware that the gun was loaded, picked it up and pulled the trigger. A shot rang out, and then the man dropped to the ground, as can be seen in the video. When police were called to the scene, they determined that the victim had died instantly. [/quote] [quote]An instructor was supposed to be supervising the 12-year-old at the time, and could now face legal charges for failing to ensure that the gun was handled safely.[/quote] [quote]The boy is not expected to face any official action, as he was only playing around and could not have known that the gun was in fact loaded.[/quote] [url]http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=181_1381820483[/url] (Video)

so he pointed a gun at a person and pulled the trigger without even ensuring it was unloaded pretty dumb. Instructor too.

[QUOTE=Muthenfrucheir;42579079]so he pointed a gun at a person and pulled the trigger without even ensuring it was unloaded pretty dumb[/QUOTE] the instructor is at fault for not checking if it was loaded.

Why the fuck were those people walking down an area where you could get shot? I mean for fucks sake why the hell were they walking down the shooting area this could've been adverted easily.

[img]http://www.a-human-right.com/RKBA/s_safetyrules.jpg[/img]

[QUOTE]The boy is not expected to face any official action, as he was only playing around and could not have known that the gun was in fact loaded.[/QUOTE] the hell you are supposed to treat the gun like it is loaded at all times

I think it's terrible to die unknowingly because you don't have time to reflect on your life and say your goodbyes, but I also think its terrible to die knowing that you will die because you are going to have that "I am never going to be able to interact with anyone/anything on this world ever again and I have no idea if there is anything after this" thought running through you. I feel bad for the kid though, I would feel absolutely terrible if I accidentally killed someone, especially something so easy to avoid like this. [editline]19th October 2013[/editline] [QUOTE=RG4ORDR;42579091]Why the fuck were those people walking down an area where you could get shot?[/QUOTE] retrieving targets

[QUOTE]The boy is not expected to face any official action, as he was only playing around and could not have known that the gun was in fact loaded. [/QUOTE] Bullshit, you never play around with a weapon especially if you don't know if its loaded or not. These fundamentals should have been drummed into the child before he even went near a firearm.

[QUOTE=dwt110;42579096]I think it's terrible to die unknowingly because you don't have time to reflect on your life and say your goodbyes, but I also think its terrible to die knowing that you will die because you are going to have that "I am never going to be able to interact with anyone/anything on this world ever again and I have no idea if there is anything after this" thought running through you. I feel bad for the kid though, I would feel absolutely terrible if I accidentally killed someone, especially something so easy to avoid like this. [editline]19th October 2013[/editline] retrieving targets[/QUOTE] Retrieving targets or not you shouldn't walk out on something like that EVER.

[QUOTE=thelurker1234;42579095]the hell you are supposed to treat the gun like it is loaded at all times[/QUOTE] Kid was twelve.

You can't people proof firearms.

Why was he even handling the gun when people were walking down the range anyway

[QUOTE=NoDachi;42579129]You can't people proof firearms.[/QUOTE] Make something idiot-proof, and someone will make a better idiot.

[QUOTE=Psychokitten;42579125]Kid was twelve.[/QUOTE] I knew gun safety by heart before I even had an airsoft gun. Age is no excuse, that's like saying if a kid snuck away from his parent and picked up some money laying on a table at a bank he shouldn't be punished because he's 12. Ignorance of the law isn't a valid excuse.

Ah fuck, watching that video hurts. I've had just about enough of life today[URL="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l59cg62wqpY"].[/URL]

so much fail

Better question, why was he aiming toward the man in the first place without knowing the gun was loaded? I mean I've had my share of calls when I didn't think the gun was loaded but that was just shooting a .22 rapidly and having it jam and misfire.

[QUOTE=draugur;42579149]I knew gun safety by heart before I even had an airsoft gun. Age is no excuse, that's like saying if a kid snuck away from his parent and picked up some money laying on a table at a bank he shouldn't be punished because he's 12.[/QUOTE] What if he hadn't had that luxury?

[QUOTE=Psychokitten;42579174]What if he hadn't had that luxury?[/QUOTE] Gun safety isn't a "Luxury." The fact you describe it as one is disgusting. Gun safety is the single most important aspect of firearms short of proper cleaning and maintenance of the firearm. In all honesty, gun safety should be a mandatory requirement to own or use a firearm, pushing either a heavy misdemeanor charge or felony charge for possession and REQUIRED supervision by a range safety instructor at a range if you do not have such paperwork if you wish to use a firearm at a range. Or something similar to that. There are more accidental firearm deaths per year because of morons like this kid, his mom and the instructor than there should ever be.

[QUOTE=RG4ORDR;42579107]Retrieving targets or not you shouldn't walk out on something like that EVER.[/QUOTE] Sometimes you do have to walk downrange to retrieve or set up targets. Of course it should never be done while someone is pointing a gun downrange.

[QUOTE=RG4ORDR;42579107]Retrieving targets or not you shouldn't walk out on something like that EVER.[/QUOTE] Especially if a 12 year old without any kind of trigger disciplin is holding a fucking gun.

[QUOTE=Psychokitten;42579125]Kid was twelve.[/QUOTE] Twelve is more than old enough to understand rule #1, not to mention he had an instructor [i]right there[/i] who should've told him.

[QUOTE=Psychokitten;42579125]Kid was twelve.[/QUOTE] That's 6th grade. You're starting calculus in most schools at that age.

[QUOTE=Psychokitten;42579125]Kid was twelve.[/QUOTE] I knew that shit when I was just 7 years old. Being 12 does not excuse him from knowing basic firearm safety.

[QUOTE=draugur;42579149]I knew gun safety by heart before I even had an airsoft gun. Age is no excuse, that's like saying if a kid snuck away from his parent and picked up some money laying on a table at a bank he shouldn't be punished because he's 12. Ignorance of the law isn't a valid excuse.[/QUOTE] [QUOTE=TestECull;42579248]I knew that shit when I was just 7 years old. Being 12 does not excuse him from knowing basic firearm safety.[/QUOTE] then that's the fault of the parents/instructor who didn't teach him basic gun safety before leaving loaded weapons near him. the kid did a dumb thing but he didn't know any better.

[QUOTE=draugur;42579181]Gun safety isn't a "Luxury." The fact you describe it as one is disgusting. Gun safety is the single most important aspect of firearms short of proper cleaning and maintenance of the firearm. In all honesty, gun safety should be a mandatory requirement to own or use a firearm, pushing either a heavy misdemeanor charge or felony charge for possession and REQUIRED supervision by a range safety instructor at a range if you do not have such paperwork if you wish to use a firearm at a range. Or something similar to that. There are more accidental firearm deaths per year because of morons like this kid, his mom and the instructor than there should ever be.[/QUOTE] Indeed. If you don't understand how to safely handle a gun you shouldn't be handling a gun in the first place. Guns can be incredibly fun to shoot but they're dangerous and should be treated as lethal objects at all times.

The kid shouldn't face criminal charges, but he should be required to take firearm safety courses IF he recovers from the emotional trauma he has likely endured. At most I'd suggest the courts make him see a psychologist for a few months to make sure he's fit to interact with firearms again and then if he is, he has to take firearm safety, he didn't know better, so you may as well make it productive. As for the range instructor, he should be tried for manslaughter and the range has to pay for the funeral cost and medical bills the kid will endure from seeing a psychologist.

[QUOTE=Psychokitten;42579125]Kid was twelve.[/QUOTE] 12 year old should know better.

[QUOTE=draugur;42579268]The kid shouldn't face criminal charges, but he should be required to take firearm safety courses IF he recovers from the emotional trauma he has likely endured. At most I'd suggest the courts make him see a psychologist for a few months to make sure he's fit to interact with firearms again and then if he is, he has to take firearm safety, he didn't know better, so you may as well make it productive. As for the range instructor, he should be tried for manslaughter and the range has to pay for the funeral cost and medical bills the kid will endure from seeing a psychologist.[/QUOTE] It fits the bill perfectly for negligent manslaughter. On the subject that he is to young to know the rules, I learned gun safety with a pellet pistol, and could hit the targets across the yard when I was like 6-7. I'm not talking about an airsoft gun, a .177 pellet gun that fires lead pellets. My dad "hid" the pistol, I knew where it was, and how to unlock it. I never took it out of the case, nor did I do the same thing with the locked up actual pistol(had a magazine lock going through the mag-well and through the slide). The only time I was allowed to use it was with supervision of one other person, and had to make sure there was nothing valuable behind the pellet trap. Well, then again I wasn't even allowed to shoot the target until I was hit by a paintball, just to show that even through something wasn't a weapon, it can still hurt like hell. Only needed that once for me to learn why these things aren't the same as the toys you find in the kids section.

Honestly? There are very few twelve year old kids I'd let anywhere near a gun. The mass majority simply aren't mature enough.