Quote:
Originally Posted by TexaninVA
Yes, I know, and the uncle was a moron and should be prosecuted or sued. But, in the meantime, most gun owners are responsible so let's not overreact by constraining our legitimate right to self defense. That's where these discussions seem to always lead.
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When I was in elementary school, in a one-square-mile middle-to-upper class suburb of Pittsburgh, our family doctor, who was obviously intelligent enough to get through medical school, kept a loaded gun in the desk in his home office. His teenage son and younger son were fooling around in the office after school one day, and found the gun. The teenager pointed it at his younger brother. It went off and killed the brother. I was there in school when the principal showed up and pulled their young sister out of the classroom. She was younger than I, but the news somehow traveled fast through the school.
This family was never the same. The son and the father retreated to a place no one could reach. We were a close-knit community, back in the '60s, with elementary through high school all at the same spot, within walking distance for everyone. Everyone knew everyone. Everyone used Dr. Koenig. Everyone experienced the devastation that ensued.
My first point is that it doesn't take a moron to fail to practice safety where guns are concerned. It crosses all socio-economic boundaries, all intelligence levels.
My second point is that many of us formed our views about gun ownership from personal experiences. I know I did. I was only in the sixth grade. I knew these people, played with Steve and Danny Koenig, and I am haunted to this day.
I know some will say anecdotal, blah, blah, blah. But it keeps happening, doesn't it?