Originally Posted By RoadTrip <<STRATFORD, Conn. — An off-duty police officer shot and wounded his 18-year-old daughter after he mistook her for an intruder in their Connecticut home.>> Complete story: <a href="http://www.startribune.com/484/story/1214349.html" target="_blank">http://www.startribune.com/484 /story/1214349.html</a> And this was done by a person well trained in the use of firearms. Legal handguns can cause tragedy just as easily as illegal handguns. Any parent should think twice before keeping a gun at home.
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Originally Posted By imadisneygal If she would have had her OWN gun she could have stopped it from happening!
Originally Posted By vbdad55 Although I was trained to use firearms when I was younger..I chose not to have them in my home after we had kids. I sold all my fathers former weapons.... It was my decision, right or wrong, but this unfortunate incident could not happen in my home.
Originally Posted By Inspector 57 <<Shooting before identifying is not what I would call well-trained.>> Why would you expect training to prevent all accidents? It provides knowledge. Knowledge -- or lack of it -- is only one element that factors into behavior.
Originally Posted By trekkeruss I don't expect training to prevent accidents. But this wasn't an accident. He purposely shot someone before determing who he was shooting at, or it least it appears that way, from what little info is in the story.
Originally Posted By Inspector 57 <<But this wasn't an accident.>> Hmmmmmm. Which is the guy more likely to utter when telling the story five years from now?: (A) "I shot my daughter by accident." (B) "I shot my daughter on purpose." But maybe the "mistake" vs. "accident" thing is just semantic. In any event, I would agree with RT that this guy was likely as well trained as anyone, and he still "mistakenly" shot someone. The point I wanted to make is that providing "gun safety" classes to gun purchasers isn't going to eliminate injuries or fatalities caused by "mistaken" or "accidental" gunfire. People don't pay attention to their lessons, they think they can disregard them because "it'll never happen to" them, they forget what to do when they become emotional, they get ahold of the gun while inebriated or high, someone ELSE gets ahold of the gun, etc., etc.
Originally Posted By retlawfan Maybe the daughter shouldn't have been breaking and entering the home of of police officer. SHE should have known better as well. I think this is unfortunate, but he is not solely to blame here. And, I wouldn't call it an accident. I'm sure the father meant to pull the trigger. I do wonder why he didn't tell her to identify herself, or if he did, why she didn't say "Hey Dad. It's me!"
Originally Posted By imadisneygal Yes, he is solely to blame. He SHOT his daughter. First of all, the story says nothing about her "breaking and entering" into her OWN house. And secondly, he SHOT her. How do you know she wasn't just coming home? Or coming home late? Either way, if she lived there and wasn't home then there was a possibility it was her. Give me a break that it was partially her fault.
Originally Posted By DVC_dad Since all of the recent discussion concerning firearms in the home on this site, I have carefully considered finding a new home for my own. However, I recently decided to keep them. I can say with 100% certainty that an incident like this will not happen in MY home. I now open the floor for flying tomatoes.
Originally Posted By retlawfan I don't know all of the facts, just what was in the article. It states that the intruder had been seen walking accross the yard, and had enetered the house through the basement, which, by the way the article sounds to me, was unusual. And, the daughter was thought to be at home, but apparently had sneaked out of the house. So, Dad thought she was in her bedroom, and I don't know felt he was protecting his family maybe? Don't get me wrong, she has some fault here, but she is not faultLESS in this matter.
Originally Posted By Kennesaw Tom What amazes me is that this story is coming out of a state like CT. Notice you don't get news about these kind of incidents from my home town where EVERY HOME OWNER IS MANDATED TO OWN A GUN. Yes I have guns in my home. Yes ALL my neighbors ALL have guns in their homes too. We don't go around shooting each other or our children. Guns don't kill people, people do. This gun didn't magically go off. The guy pulled the trigger. It's his fault, the blame is his. We don't know what the circumstances are around the incident. We don't now if his daughter was sneaking into the home. As far as use of the annalogy that one guy ( a police officer ) shoots his daughter and there for anyone using a gun can potentioally shoot someone ( oh dear!). You can use that annology for just about anything. Gosh, someone was drinking and got behind the wheel of a car, so lets ban ALL alcohol. Gosh, someone got lung cancer from smoking, lets ban all forms of tobaco. Nice anology as long as you don't believe in personal Freedom, Liberty and Individual Responcibility.
Originally Posted By Dabob2 <The point I wanted to make is that providing "gun safety" classes to gun purchasers isn't going to eliminate injuries or fatalities caused by "mistaken" or "accidental" gunfire. People don't pay attention to their lessons, they think they can disregard them because "it'll never happen to" them, they forget what to do when they become emotional, they get ahold of the gun while inebriated or high, someone ELSE gets ahold of the gun, etc., etc.> Mandatory gun safety for gun owners wouldn't eliminate tragic incidents, but I think it might lessen them. After all, people disregard the rules of the road all the time too, but we still insist that people learn them before we give them a license to drive. I still remember the basics (stay one car length back for every 10 mph you're going, and all that), and observe them, and so do many people, even if many others don't. It makes the roads safer, if not completely safe. Any sort of common-sense gun control seems impossible to enact, but it amazes me that we (legally) have no problem with selling lethal weapons to people who may have no clue how to use them properly. That doesn't apply to the situation in this story, of course, I'm just sayin'...
Originally Posted By Kar2oonMan >>Gosh, someone got lung cancer from smoking, lets ban all forms of tobaco.<< Not a bad idea.
Originally Posted By vbdad55 <Since all of the recent discussion concerning firearms in the home on this site, I have carefully considered finding a new home for my own. However, I recently decided to keep them. I can say with 100% certainty that an incident like this will not happen in MY home. I now open the floor for flying tomatoes.<< not from me - this is an individual call - but one who decides to keep them cannot say with the same certainty that I can, that this will NEVER happen. In a moment when one wakes up and the adrenaline starts pumping because of a situation where split second decisions have to be made - bad things can happen. Doesn't mean they will, but they can. That is why I decided against it - but again that is only my decision - not meant to be a lecture. but no one with guns at home, that is going to draw a loaded weapon for protection - can say something like this will NEVER happen. One has to be ready to use the gun if they draw it - otherwise there is no reason to have it - and even the most highly trained people may make the wrong decision. When i learned to shoot when younger - I participated in one of those walk thru decision making courses like you see on TV -- I still remember my score -- it was 31 correct decision and 4 incorrect and I was told I did a very good job. I still remember those 4 'mistakes' -- I may change my mind one day, but for now my house is gun free....
Originally Posted By trekkeruss <<no one with guns at home, that is going to draw a loaded weapon for protection - can say something like this will NEVER happen.>> The key phrase is "that is going to draw a loaded weapon for protection." If DVC_dad keeps guns solely for sport use, and would _never_ contemplate using it to shoot an intruder, then he could say it'll never happen.
Originally Posted By trekkeruss Then again, if someone was in his house hurting his wife or kids, then who knows...
