Conservative Columnist Killed In Shooting At His Home In Maine

[Dr. Evil]

Conservative Columnist Killed In Shooting At His Home In Maine

Just because someone is for the second doesn't mean they have common sense I guess.

 

[4excal]

Another one of those negligent accidents eh?

 

[Celt]

That sucks, handing a loaded gun to someone inexperienced is a recipe for disaster.

 

[Glenn B]

Conservative Columnist Killed In Shooting At His Home In Maine

Just because someone is for the second doesn't mean they have common sense I guess.

The accident clearly indicates negligence but does not necessarily mean the man had no common sense nor that he had no gun sense. He was human and as such could and apparently did make a big mistake. Shit Mistakes happen and sometimes are fatal. We can all learn from his mistake and its sad consequences. For instance it would have been easily preventable had he just checked the action and assured the pistol was empty before he handed the gun to the teen, had he made sure to be off to the side or behind the teen but still in easy arms reach of the gun and then directed the teen to point it in a safe direction, and had he made sure the teen knew not to place his finger on the trigger and of course had the teen handled the firearm safely if he had any of that knowledge beforehand. The teen's father could also have helped assure those things were being done if he was knowledgeable about firearms. Yep, easily preventable but also easy to screw up with fatal results due to negligence.

 

[Dr. Evil]

I respectfully disagree. Mistakes are one thing. Handing someone a loaded gun like that is another. Sad indeed.

 

[Glenn B]

I respectfully disagree. Mistakes are one thing. Handing someone a loaded gun like that is another. Sad indeed.

With what do you disagree, do you think it was not a mistake to have done so? He was negligent if indeed he handed a loaded gun to the kid (you never know with these stories, the kid could have loaded it) and that was his first mistake plain and simple. The others I pointed out were also mistakes, all apparently due to negligence from what we know so far. I really do not see us in any disagreement at all except for you saying that you disagree because a mistake is one thing and handing a loaded gun to another person is another thing. You say it is another thing but do not say what is that thing! So, what is it if not a mistake (or accident) due to negligence?

I try to use words most literally in such discussions and when I looked up the definition of mistake it seems to be a well fitted word for this case; just look at the first definition of the word below. You can easily add the word negligence as one of the causes.

noun
1. an error in action, calculation, opinion, or judgment caused by poor reasoning, carelessness, insufficient knowledge, etc.
2. a misunderstanding or misconception.
verb (used with object), mistook, mistaken, mistaking.
3. to regard or identify wrongly as something or someone else:
I mistook him for the mayor.
4. to understand, interpret, or evaluate wrongly; misunderstand; misinterpret.
verb (used without object), mistook, mistaken, mistaking.
5. to be in error.

 

[Dr. Evil]

With what do you disagree, do you think it was not a mistake to have done so? He was negligent if indeed he handed a loaded gun to the kid

This. Handing a loaded gun to a kid is no mistake. It is stupidity and leads me to believe there was no gun/common sense. YMMV.

 

[Saltwater60]

I respectfully disagree. Mistakes are one thing. Handing someone a loaded gun like that is another. Sad indeed.

I agree. Missing your target is a mistake doing what he did is negligent and falls under stupid. Also don't forget the left loves stories like this. I'm sure they have a database of them.

 

[Cleck]

I took 2 things from this: "complacency kills" and "basic intelligence." The teen should have had such intelligence to know not to point a gun at a living thing, period. Beyond that, he should have known not to pull the trigger while it's aimed at another living thing. That seems pretty common fucking sense to me.

The old man was too used to guns and just assumed that the kid wasn't a total fucking idiot and wouldn't point it at him or pull the trigger. Obviously he didn't know the kid didn't have basic common sense, but he didn't know the kid didn't know how to handle a weapon. If I'm handling guns with friends or people that I know are familiar w/ guns, I still check to make sure of the status of the gun. I've handed over loaded firearms multiple times; each time saying "it's hot", "it's loaded and there is no safety", etc. If I'm handing a gun to someone who I don't think I know is familiar w/ guns, I make sure to check the chamber or make sure the magazine (and my +1) isn't in it.

This is why I periodically go over the gun rules w/ my 8yo daughter. I may make her read this today and see if she can tell me what went wrong.

 

[Shadow2]

And if we could talk with the dead I'm sure he wouldn't be blaming the kid, the thugs on the street or other gun owners ... but only himself.

 

[Criticalt]

Mistake....maybe, accident.....not at all.

Its no accident to not clear the weapon.