Four year old shoots self with dad's gun.

[iheartthed]

Has this been posted yet?

The Detroit Police Department is reminding citizens that free gun locks are available through the department after a 4-year-old girl accidentally shot herself in the thigh with her father's gun Sunday night.

Detroit Police Sgt. Eren Stephens said the shooting took place at 11:44 p.m. Sunday outside a home on Monte Vista, just south of 8 Mile. The little girl was playing inside a parked vehicle when she found the gun and accidentally shot herself. The girl is in stable condition at a local hospital and is expected to recover.

http://www.freep.com/article/2012071...h-father-s-gun

I feel bad for the family but it was a very careless mistake on the father's part.

[ndavies]

What the hell was a 4 year old doing outside in an SUV, unsupervised, at 11:44 at night? There are far too many ways for this to go bad even if there wasn't a loaded gun in the glove box of the SUV.

[Danny]

Just crazy folks in the Detroit ghetto can't take care of themselves or their kids.

[cla1945]

I agree with ndavies. I'm glad the little girl will be okay, but I question the parenting of this child at the house. This is typical of those who choose to ignore their kids, let them play outside until all hours, they don't have a specific bedtime and there is a general lack of supervision. This little girl will grow up and join the thousands of young women running with the young male thugs, getting pregnant at 12 or 13 or younger. She should be removed from the care of the parents [[if they are are around) immediately.

[DetroitPlanner]

I am piling on here, I agree with the comments above.

Four year olds should not even know what the front seat of a car looks like. Add that to a kid being unsupervised at midnight behind the wheel... it makes me wonder about the parents.

[jolla]

Who keeps a gun in an unlocked vehicle? Who keeps an unlocked vehicle anywhere, much less in Detroit?

[Scottathew]

Too dang sad.

I'm all for people's right to own guns. However, I'll never own one while I have kids in the house. If I lived in Detroit though, it might be a different story.

Carelessness that could have taken this child's life. Way too close of a call there.

I wish the little girl a quick and full recovery.

[Zacha341]

This is so tragic - thankfully the little girl was not killed! Don't even get me started on the erosion of children's bed times.

I must be old fashioned, but I am amazed at how people allow their kids to be up all hours of the night, 'staring down adults throats' hearing all form of adult conversation, as my parents used to say! Prevy to all kinds of television broadcasts, loud music, commotion and in this case a vehicle and a gun!

Children should be PUT TO BED at regular hours - regularly. But that's not happening... I see kids out all time of night, school day, etc. I guess they just fall out on the floor when they finally cannot keep their eyes open a second longer. That was not the kind of thing I allowed.

What the hell was a 4 year old doing outside in an SUV, unsupervised, at 11:44 at night? There are far too many ways for this to go bad even if there wasn't a loaded gun in the glove box of the SUV.

[Zacha341]

Sounds crazy and STUPID on several levels. Dangerous for the obvious reasons and guns are not cheap... anyone could steal and then there's a gun in the wrong hands.

Who keeps a gun in an unlocked vehicle? Who keeps an unlocked vehicle anywhere, much less in Detroit?

[iheartthed]

Too dang sad.

I'm all for people's right to own guns. However, I'll never own one while I have kids in the house. If I lived in Detroit though, it might be a different story.

Carelessness that could have taken this child's life. Way too close of a call there.

I wish the little girl a quick and full recovery.

I don't have a problem with a person owning a gun either, so long as they abide by certain rules. Issues with the girl being left unattended in a car at midnight aside, there's no reason a loaded hand gun should be left unlocked and alone in a car or anywhere else. It should either be on the owner or it should be unloaded and stored in a secure place. Lately, it seems like Michigan is handing out CCW permits like candy so I won't be too surprised to see more incidents like this...

[cla1945]

Anyone who lives in Michigan applying for a CCW permit has to go through the application process. That includes background checks, fingerprinting, classes, etc. Training to use the gun, how to handle it, how to carry it, where to store it are all covered. The gun should not have been left in the unlocked glove compartment of the unlocked car. Then to allow a 4 year old child to "play" in the car at midnight or 4am is just plain dumb. The permit holder should have to give up his rights to carry because he is irresponsible. I have a permit, carry when necessary, and keep the weapon safely stored where children can't get their curious little hands on it.

When my children were 4 years old, they never were allowed to play in my car, had a dinnertime at the same time each day and were in bed by 8:30pm every night. Irresponsible parents, children left to fend for themselves, all a part of growing up in some cities I guess.

I grew up in Detroit and the kids never ran the streets or played in cars at 4am.

[detroitsgwenivere]

If I bother to carry a gun, trust and believe it will be loaded [[not chambered) and with no gun lock. No one has time to unlock a gun lock when the ish hits the fan, and doing so negates the reason for carrying in the first place.

Where this gun owner effed up is that he/she left a small-arm that was not on their person [[where it does the most good), round chambered, in an unlocked place where children were present. It was in the glovebox of a Cadillac Escalade, which has a lock right in the center of the glovebox door. All late model Caddi's have push-start ignition, so it's not like this gun owner didnt lock it because the keys were in the ignition. He/she probably forgot that the gun was in there in the first place, which happens more frequently with people who become accustomed to carrying all-day everyday without having to take the presence of children into account.

Im not giving this gun owner a pass, he/she being a parent themself, and there is no excuse for leaving loaded guns out in the presence of young children. But I can see how accidents happen, and gun owners need to be ever vigilant if they want to continue doing so without their rights being questioned or their loved ones being hurt or killed. This person's pistol was confiscated, and they will lose their right to carry when going in front of the county gun board.

And some of you helicopter parents crack me up. I don't recall hearing anything about this happening at 4am. I heard 11:30, which isn't exactly unheard of for some kids to be active, especially when school is out, and older brothers and sisters are home for the summer. I know my parents took me out with them and if we were out late, so be it, it was really nobody else's effin business. I had the temperment to handle it. They certainly weren't bad parents, those are fighting words ...

[Stinger4me]

Two things come to mind; "Dumb can't be helped" and "You can't fix stupid". I think both of those apply here.

[detroitsgwenivere]

Lately, it seems like Michigan is handing out CCW permits like candy so I won't be too surprised to see more incidents like this...

The problem isn't the fact that the permits are being handed out. It's that there isn't enough diligence put into the CCW class providers themselves, or a proper vetting process for those who apply.

If you know the right person, you can buy a certificate without any training at all [[ghetto certs). There is no test you must take when filing for your CPL at the county, which blows my mind since you have to take a test to get any other sort of license in this state.

The other problem is that people who have absolutely NO PRIOR EXPERIENCE with gun ownership are rushing to get their CPL. When I took the class, I was the ONLY PERSON in there who already owned my firearm. People didn't know where the safety was or how to load or handle their firearm properly. I know for a fact that these people are not prepared to shoot an assailant let alone carry a gun outside of their home. I'm all for the 2nd amendment and people being able to protect themselves, but there has to be a better way for new carriers to better prepare themselves, so that we can lessen the number of incidents.

[Jimaz]

A similar case happened Friday in Indiana:

Death of man in Salem, Indiana attributed to shooting by 3-year-old

A 3-year-old boy accidentally shot and killed his father after finding the man’s loaded handgun in a Salem, Ind., home Friday night, according to Indiana State Police.

Michael A. Bayless, 33, of Martinsville, Ind., was pronounced dead at the scene.

Bayless was at the house with his wife, three children and another juvenile family member, Indiana State Police Sgt. Jerry Goodin said.

Bayless was watching television with his two other children when the 3-year-old found the .45-caliber handgun near the TV, according to Goodin. The child accidentally fired the weapon, striking Bayless, Goodin said.

The father was the registered owner of the gun.
Loaded handguns and children “don’t mix,” Goodin said.

An investigation is continuing, but Goodin said the shooting was accidental and did not involve foul play. Goodin said the Washington County prosecutor’s office will review the case and make a determination on whether charges could be filed.

The state police post in Sellersburg received a call at 9:55 p.m. Friday from the home, at 3603 W. Vincennes Trail.

A trooper from the Sellersburg post and a deputy from the Washington County Sheriff’s Department responded.

Bayless and his family were at the house doing remodeling work. No one else was injured.

A loaded handgun should never be in reach of a small child, Goodin said.

Gun owners should also consider having trigger guard locks on guns and storing them in “quick access” safes, he said.

He would not say exactly where the gun was because of the continuing investigation. But it was “clearly accessible to the child,” and a child that age “absolutely” can fire a gun, he said.

Goodin said there is no specific statute in Indiana regarding gun storage or safety that specifically addresses such an incident.

“Common rules of negligence apply” in a case like this, said Paul Stanko, a criminal defense attorney in South Bend, Ind., and longtime gun owner. “We don’t have any specific firearm storage requirements.”

Stanko said the common rule of negligence involves breaching a duty in care to another person.

To be criminally liable, a person must be shown to be reckless, which is a higher standard than negligence.

According to the National Rifle Association, there are guns in about half of U.S. households.

The organization recommends talking with children about gun safety and also advises people to store guns so that they are inaccessible to children.

Officials point out that gun shops sell safes, cases and other security devices.

“Make sure you keep all loaded weapons out of reach of children,” Goodin said, adding that there are many options available to help parents store guns more safely.

“In a home where guns are kept, the degree of safety a child has rests squarely on the child’s parents,” the NRA says in its “Parents’ Guide to Gun Safety.” “Parents who accept the responsibility to learn, practice and teach gun safety rules will ensure their child’s safety to a much greater extent than those who do not.”

Darwin Awards

[313WX]

A similar case happened Friday in Indiana:

Death of man in Salem, Indiana attributed to shooting by 3-year-oldDarwin Awards

No Darwin Awards in these two situations.

These are babies, they DON'T know any better.

If they were grown people, then heck yeah they would be good candidates for the Darwin Awards.

[iheartthed]

The problem isn't the fact that the permits are being handed out. It's that there isn't enough diligence put into the CCW class providers themselves, or a proper vetting process for those who apply.

If you know the right person, you can buy a certificate without any training at all [[ghetto certs). There is no test you must take when filing for your CPL at the county, which blows my mind since you have to take a test to get any other sort of license in this state.

The other problem is that people who have absolutely NO PRIOR EXPERIENCE with gun ownership are rushing to get their CPL. When I took the class, I was the ONLY PERSON in there who already owned my firearm. People didn't know where the safety was or how to load or handle their firearm properly. I know for a fact that these people are not prepared to shoot an assailant let alone carry a gun outside of their home. I'm all for the 2nd amendment and people being able to protect themselves, but there has to be a better way for new carriers to better prepare themselves, so that we can lessen the number of incidents.

I agree. I know several people who I wouldn't trust to babysit a pet rock that have recently gotten CCW licenses in Michigan.

[Jimaz]

No Darwin Awards in these two situations.

These are babies, they DON'T know any better.

If they were grown people, then heck yeah they would be good candidates for the Darwin Awards.

I think you misunderstood. I would nominate the parent, not the baby, for the Darwin Award.

Unfortunately they're related and so both suffer the loss.

[fryar]

People didn't know where the safety was or how to load or handle their firearm properly.

I'm just glad these CCW-types aren't the ones keeping Arts, Beats & Eats safe and family friendly.

It's very regrettable that this little girl shot herself in the leg. The death of Adaisha Miller is tragic. But what else is to be expected from a loaded, possibly chambered weapon kept in a glove box / paraded around in a holster, possibly a forward-facing under-arm holster, at a fish fry? A return to law & order?

I hear the gubmint's building FEMA camps, so by all means, arm yourselves. Just be sure to avoid this kind of rinky-dink chicken shit. No need for anyone to get shot in the gut while barrelling over some potholes during a late-night run to White Castle.

[daddeeo]

Isn't that so ......Special?

[313WX]

I think you misunderstood. I would nominate the parent, not the baby, for the Darwin Award.

Unfortunately they're related and so both suffer the loss.

Technically speaking, the parents would have had to shoot themselves dead to qualify.