Toddler dies after accidentally shooting himself with grandfather's gun

[SharonAnn]

Source: WBIR.com (East Tennessee)

A toddler has died after accidentally shooting himself with his grandfather's gun near Chattanooga.

It happened in the Harrison community, just north of the city Thursday night.

Police say 2-year-old Brennan Nowell died after he picked up the .40 caliber gun and shot himself in the side.

There's no word yet on possible charges.

Read more: http://www.wbir.com/news/article/246576/2/Toddler-dies-after-accidentally-shooting-himself-with-grandfathers-gun?odyssey=obinsite

---

And it continues.

[JesterCS]

1. Grandfather should get

Criminal negligence and 2nd Degree Manslaughter

[Buzz Clik]

6. Agreed, and he very likely will.

[taxpayer2000]

34. In many states it's only a misdemeanor

And here in MN they do not charge folks or they settle for probation. IMHO we need to ensure our State AG's and Governors know this is completely unacceptable!

[BainsBane]

59. seriously?

I'm in MN too. I did not realize that. It makes me ill. Of course in Minneapolis there is very little the police bother to investigate, but state wide?

[taxpayer2000]

68. Sadly yes

The guy who left his loaded gun under his pillow where his 4yo son shot his 2yo brother has not been charged. The guy from the August toddler shooting got 5-years probation.

[link:http://www.startribune.com/local/minneapolis/182243551.html?clmob=y&c=n&refer=y|

[samsingh]

72. maybe the grandfather suffers from alzeimer's?

the problem with so many guns is that accidents WILL happen.

the NRA is to blame for this.

[southerncrone]

93. Here's the local story.

http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2012/dec/22/boy-2-latest-shooting-fatality/

[Sky Masterson]

2. Guns don't kill people

Maybe the toddler was just suicidal.

[bucolic_frolic]

23. A Self-Deportation Moment

Did I read we have 2.7 guns for every American?

Guns are more ubiquitous than toasters. And people
accept them as just part of the landscape. They lose
their vigilance over how deadly they are meant to be.

For some reason this news story hits me. The little
guy was not protected as he should have been.

[harmonicon]

37. He must have been mentally ill.

Clearly there should be a national database of those with mental illness. That would prevent such tragedies.

[nilram]

51. Clearly, there should be a policeman in every grandfather's house.

[RKP5637]

52. Yep, why wasn't that cop there, was he loafing around, an armed cop

should have been there. And while we're at it, how about road rage, we need a fully armed cop at every stop sign and street light to keep road rage in line. And what about the loafing nation guard. We need 7x24 convoys running along the major highways with fully armed tanks. Now, with all of these logical solutions what's the problem. Oh, I forgot, free guns and ammo for all citizens, illegals too. Get those toddlers armed too! And what about attack dogs with guns, see no problem with that either.

[samsingh]

73. the NRA should pay for all the increased policing

[SummerSnow]

104. They better check that toddlers hardrive

[AllyCat]

3. So sad. We have to find a way to stop this.

[benld74]

4. Damn,,,,

[Scootaloo]

5. Clearly it was because the toddler played Call of Duty while on antidepressants!

[Bjorn Against]

7. The Grandfather better be charged

He may not have intended this, but if you are going to own guns then you need to be accountable for those guns.

[bettyellen]

8. i bet grandpa thought he was responsible.

[valerief]

9. If only the grandfather had *another* gun in the house...

[Happyhippychick]

10. Obviously a mentally ill toddler

[The Magistrate]

11. The Price We Pay for Freedom, Ma'am....

We should be proud, and honor this little tyke's noble sacrifice by rushing and acquiring a Bushmaster with thirty round clips. It is our duty as Americans to do sol!

[Garion_55]

15. the nra agrees!

[Ed Suspicious]

22. Is that real? n/t

[Garion_55]

36. nah. tough to tell though huh?

i wouldnt have been surprised if that had been them. isnt any worse than what they actually said

[99th_Monkey]

40. I had same question. Revealing that we have to ask that anymore.

Life's becoming the "Onion Meets Sat. Nite Live", and visa-versa.

[tavalon]

42. that's too close to the actual "press conference"

[BainsBane]

62. Didn't you hear?

Obama had the children murdered to provide an excuse to take away everyone's guns.

[Dash87]

56. Praise the lord and pass the ammo. Yeehaw!

[LibDemAlways]

12. I hope grandpa is charged with involuntary manslaughter or negligent homicide. Leaving a

loaded weapon out where a two-year-old can get at it is criminal.

[mbperrin]

14. Yes, he should get actual time in prison, not probation.

And wide publicity.

Let's see how that "guns don't kill people" line plays now.

[Jackpine Radical]

13. This wouldn't have happened if there had been an armed Good Guy…

[Botany]

31. you forgot that the "armed good guy" has to be NRA trained

[Android3.14]

16. If that toddler had read the 10 commandments this wouldn't have happened

It's obvious that there is a direct link between the violence in the media, the lack of prayer in schools, and this child's death.
Thank you NRA for opening my eyes.

[Arkansas Granny]

17. Just feel physically ill when I hear stories like this.

And Grandpa probably won't face charges as they will call it an accident and that he's suffered enough by losing a Grandchild and the burden of guilt he will bear.

[JimDandy]

18. The toddler must have been a master gun safe cracker.

His grandfather must be overwhelmed with grief.

[Throckmorton]

19. Im confused

Does this make the toddler the good guy with the gun, or the bad guy?

[patrice]

38. Sorry to say that's actually a relevant question, given certain chaotic trends that have produced a

whole cohort (which some of us think is heavily represented amongst bourgeosie anarchists) that is NOT kidding about their hopes to see all of the detritus disposed of one way or another, so suicide by one means or another is just fine & and Civil War II is just the ticket for a couple of issue-cohorts (anti-Choice & LGBTQ hate & Red Dawn paranoia) in their milieu. The working-class sense/know this, but the source object of what they sense is diffuse, so it is possible to mistake what's going on and get suckered by those who don't have your best interests at heart and may even be actively supporting the sorts of things that create incidents such as the one reported in this story.

BTW, I saw some of this up close and personal this last year; I have taught high school, some of it for wealthy parents and I have an absolutely enormous family, so I have seen a lot.

[Fantastic Anarchist]

100. What?

You're blaming anarchists? Bourgeois anarchists? There is no such thing. Hate to side track the thread ...so I won't. Read up on anarchist theory and history.

[patrice]

101. Yes. there. are.

Maybe you need to get out more:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/10022057816#post37

And that's only one instance of the sort of stuff that I have seen.

There is a perspective that I am personally acquainted with which assumes that there are no solutions other than as much destruction as possible (Civil War II will suit just fine thank you very much) since they think that's pretty much what is headed our way anyway because of global climate change and the assumed inevitability of the ultimate world war/armageddon, so the sooner it happens the better so "we can start all over" and those who die in the process SHOULD die, because they are part of the problem.

Aside from the fact that anarchy must be inherently chaotic in order to be anarchistic, YOU are probably not one of the sub-type(s) to whom I refer (one example of which would be "the black block&quot but, given the mix of issues out there, guns, the war on drugs, the cannabis movement, our toxic financial sector, Citizens United, the labor movement re-articulating itself, hate-mongering churches, prison over-crowding, LiberTea freelance organizing etc. etc. etc., it would not be even remotely un-likely that there are some pretty exotic hybrids of anarchists out there, because that IS the nature of anarchy, is it not?

[progressoid]

20. I love my father but if he had left a firearm out where my child could get to it...

I don't think I could ever forgive him.

Thankfully, my father would never do such a thing.

[ReRe]

29. My father did...

bring a hand gun into my house once and laid it on the coffee table. I told him immediately to take his gun, get out of my house, and never return, as my son was under age five. He did and never returned, ever. And that was that.

[99th_Monkey]

43. That is a powerful story and so timely.

Hope you write it up more in depth for wider readership someday,
or sooner.

[ReRe]

45. There's nothing more to say about it...

That's what happened and that's how I handled it. I took parenthood VERY seriously. But my father never did (take parenthood seriously.) He was one lost puppy when it came to life.

[progressoid]

91. Jeez ReRe.

So sorry you lost your father in this. But the safety and well-being of son is more important.

[ReRe]

95. Hey, my dad made his choices...

... in life. It made a rough childhood for me and my sibling, but we made it through with little damage. Children really are resilient, and my sibling and I are living proof of the cliche-sounding phrase. The cycle was broken, and that's what is important. As bad as we had it, we both know people who had it much worse than us. So we count our blessings.

[kestrel91316]

21. And yet another irresponsible gun owner murders another child.

[Ikonoklast]

46. Yes. That trigger might as well have been pulled by the grandfather himself.

I am fairly certain that he would never have left a glass full of a deadly poison anywhere a toddler could have reached it, but had no problem leaving a loaded handgun out in the same circumstances.

I'm sorry, but anyone that FUCKING STUPID is a not only a danger to his own family, he's a danger to society as a whole, is NOT A RESPONSIBLE GUN OWNER, and needs to go to prison.

[ZombieHorde]

24. Sad. This will probably tear the family apart. nt

[otohara]

25. Another "Opps" Gun Death

Grandfather needs to go to jail and think each and everyday how fucking irresponsible he was to have a loaded gun where a child could grab it.

Fuck the NRA and guns

Yesterday I was standing in line at the post office and wonder for the first time if someone in the building was totting a gun. As we all know, gun sales have skyrocketed in CO as in CT as well in Hawaii, who has the lowest rate of gun violence all the states.

[Doctor_J]

26. Without a gun he'd have found another way to kill himself

the shock is gone, but the sadness is still there.

[Kalidurga]

27. Nothing new to see here...

I grew up in a small town/rural area. I know of at least two deaths due to guns. One of them was called a suicide, but the circumstances were suspicious. The other was a 5 year old killed by his nine year old brother when they were playing cowboys and Indians with at least one of them the nine year old with a real gun. Now I live in Minnesota, Twin Cities area and it's not uncommon to hear about gun violence in the news.

[patrice]

28. H*O*W?? Does a grandfather do something like that? Is alcohol involved? I mean HOW is this possible?

[go west young man]

30. 2nd toddler killed the same way 3 days ago. So sad.

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/boy-3-killed-playing-uncle-gun-article-1.1223270?localLinksEnabled=false

[Sunlei]

65. In the USA guns kill 8 kids a DAY. :(

[tblue]

32. Is Grandpa still glad he got that gun?

Is he a proud member of the NRA? Was he saying just this week we need more guns, and we need to arm schoolteachers?

This shit happens. A lot. Many people who are bragging today about how great private gun ownership is are going to suffer this same fate. They think it can't happen to them. But it does. Every week there's at least one story like this. Is it worth it, even if it costs your grandchild his life?

[ReRe]

33. One word describes this incident...

Irresponsibility. Period. Complicated by an inebriated absent mind.

[Evasporque]

35. More guns can't possibly increase accidental shootings....

It just does not happen according to the NRA....

[logosoco]

39. Since it is likely there will not be homicide charges in this case

(not that I agree with that...) it would be a good thing if people who have had this happen (and there are too g-d damn many) to be required to go and talk to people about the dangers of having guns in a household with children. Maybe if people saw in person the hell this man has made for himself and his family they would double check to make sure their own guns are taken care of better.
Maybe even have gun safes and other safety measures available to learn more about and purchase.

I don't know.
Just looking for answers....

[tavalon]

41. Damn it all

I''m so tired of this. A well armed militia? A poorly armed toddler, I'd say. That is just awful.

[Shadowflash]

44. B-b-but, guns don't kill people.

Maybe the toddler wasn't just religous enough.

[appleannie1]

47. If gramps had had another gun in the house he could have prevented this. Just ask the NRA

[Melinda]

48. Innocent little baby...

I wish you sleep in heavenly peace.

[the devil]

49. I would love to see the NRA or the Right Wing try...

...to blame this on video games, or rock music.

I have yet to see someone go into a public place and kill them with an XBox or Playstation.
I have yet to see someone killed with music. I mean...I know people want to kill their radios when Bieber or Nicki Minaj are playing...but that's different.

Another tragic loss, this time of a 2 year old....when will it be enough? When will it end?

[zebrastripe]

50. Are the guns left on the coffee table?

Who are these people who leave guns accessible to anyone, why aren't they (the guns or maybe the gun owners) locked away?

[SoapBox]

53. horrible...

Hey NRA...gonna promote some more guns?

Maybe Gramps should have had armed guards in his house? Or some other bizzare shit, that you might come up with?

Get RID of the Fucking guns, folks.

[ManiacJoe]

54. If you own guns, keep them properly stored.

Last edited Sat Dec 22, 2012, 04:20 PM - Edit history (1)

It really is that simple.

[Tikki]

74. My husband, nearly in tears, apologized to me for not putting a gun lock on...

his only gun earlier. I will never know what prompted him to finally put a gun lock
on that gun. I suspect someone at his work had an incident in their family or friends that didn't end well.

The gun is, also, properly stored.


Tikki

[jillan]

55. Waiting for LaPierre to come out and say we need armed guards at all homes of grandparents.

There was a shooting last nite in Tucson at a shopping Mall.
Luckily no one was injured .... this time.


I have had enough.

[BainsBane]

57. Some on DU claim that accidental deaths don't count

because people the gun owner is responsible for his own home. Isn't that lovely? They don't think the lives of children like this "count."

[Fumesucker]

58. A .40 caliber is almost certainly a semi automatic

I wonder how the kid worked the slide to chamber a round?

Because no one with a functioning brain leaves a semi auto laying around with a round in the chamber.

[ManiacJoe]

75. Fixed it for you:

Because no one with a functioning brain leaves a semi auto any gun laying around with a round in the chamber.

[GeorgeGist]

85. Keep sucking

[Fumesucker]

96. Wayne? Is that you?

[Sunlei]

60. tragic. However, this should be felony negligence.

Even if the child didn't die. This is the same type of negligence as leaving a tot home alone, baby alone in the bath or leaving poison and razor blades on the floor. The parents should be charged aswell if they left their baby with anyone known to them, to have weapons in the house. The kind of felony where they will never be able to own guns again.

[SheilaT]

61. And of course, this sort of thing

is so incredibly rare that it almost never happens, and is such an unforeseeable accident, and of course many more responsible gun owners stop home invaders than children are ever "accidentally" killed by unsecured guns.

Oh, wait. A couple of hundred children are killed each year in such accident. And no one really knows how many home invaders are deterred with a gun, because those stories are mainly anecdotal.

I have long been sick of hearing these kinds of stories. Something like this happens nearly every single day. Meanwhile about thirty people are shot every single day by someone who intends to kill them.

But "responsible" gun owners are never at fault, are they?

I say, any time this sort of thing happens the gun owner needs to be charged with negligent homicide at the very least. Too often it's said that the family is suffering enough. Well, maybe the gun owner needs to not only suffer but serve jail time.

Here's how we start: Every single gun must be registered. Certain ones, the ones known as assault weapons, must be turned in. No more extended magazines. Every single gun owner must carry some kind of liability insurance, so that if the gun is stolen and later used in a crime, there's still responsibility here. Limits on the number of guns a person can own.

How many more people need to die? How many more toddlers? How many more mass murders?

[SunSeeker]

69. Great suggestions. Hell, you need insurance to drive a car, why not insurance to have a gun? nt

[Toronto]

79. In Japan..

actual guns are completely illegal. You can however own an air rifle. Here is the requirement to own an air rifle in Japan:

To get a gun in Japan, first, you have to attend an all-day class and pass a written test, which are held only once per month. You also must take and pass a shooting range class. Then, head over to a hospital for a mental test and drug test (Japan is unusual in that potential gun owners must affirmatively prove their mental fitness), which you'll file with the police. Finally, pass a rigorous background check for any criminal record or association with criminal or extremist groups, and you will be the proud new owner of your shotgun or air rifle. Just don't forget to provide police with documentation on the specific location of the gun in your home, as well as the ammo, both of which must be locked and stored separately. And remember to have the police inspect the gun once per year and to re-take the class and exam every three years.

[SheilaT]

88. Don't see any good reason why we can't have a similar

set-up here.

I am so angry at those who continue to say "Second Amendment, Second Amendment" as if that makes gunning down people perfectly okay. I am sick of the claim that we can't possibly get rid of the 300 million (!) guns in this country. I've had it with "responsible" gun owners and toddlers shooting themselves.

Other countries manage without a significant percentage of their citizenry being armed, why can't we?

[Toronto]

105. You probably could

if you can get the majority of people to admit that the 2nd Amendment is really an anachronism, but it will require more activism than simply complaining on DU. If the NRA can lobby, so can everyone else. I doubt that the dedicated gun owners in the US outnumber the dedicated peace lovers. They're just more vocal. You're elected reps are only there because you vote for them. If repealing 2A means they'll get re-elected, they'll support you, Republican or Democrat.

[heaven05]

63. responsible

gun owner. sad but inevitable with idiots owning guns.

[savalez]

66. Good thing it was

a gun. Right? Had it been a grandpa's dog, or if grandpa was walking the kid across the street the the kid got hit by a bus there would probably be talk of serious charges.

[crim son]

67. Nailed it.

Sickening.

[exboyfil]

77. Actually if it had been grandpa's dog

or if he was irresponsibly crossing the road, then yes we could consider charges as well. Negligence is negligence. Dog owners have been charged (not as much as they should be) and convicted sometimes, and a parent jaywalking was convicted and almost put into prison.

[savalez]

103. No offense but you are kinda missing my point.

On edit, you are either missing it or making it. I'm not sure.

[truthisfreedom]

70. Gun safe.

Would have averted many a tragedy.

You generally don't need a gun.

[uppityperson]

71. Aw damn, that poor kid& family. All the replies here make me sick and I agree with them all also

RI little Brennan. I hope the family learns something from this and at some time finds some sort of peace. Their christmas/winter holiday will be ruined forever

How tragic.

For DUers, I agree. The whole thing makes me sick, and I agree with all your comments.

[Dems to Win]

76. At least Grandpa has his freedumb and 2A rights. I'm sure that's a big comfort to the family

Time for a National Don't Wanna Get Shot By A Rifle Association. Help collect 4 million signatures

Please see this thread


http://www.democraticunderground.com/10022055101

[Squaredeal]

78. Just another statistic

Many gun deaths in our country are the result of negligence like this and they will continue to happen without serious governmental intervention. At least the death was confined to the owner's home and not at a school, as in Sandy Hook and so many other schools when a kid gets his hands on his parent's or relative's weapon.

[Dems to Win]

80. Toddlers die to protect the Second Amendment in America. Routinely.

I agree it's best it was confined to the gun owner's home. At least his own family paid for his negligence, not a neighbor's family. No justice for the toddler, though. He didn't ask to be born into a family of gun lovers.

[Toronto]

81. Does anyone else find it perverse

that when any other product results in the accidental death of children it is recalled, banned or required to be re-engineered for safety, but the gun is immune to the rules of regular commerce?

[AngryOldDem]

82. SSDD.

And Wayne LaPierre continues to fail to see a problem here.

[Chemisse]

83. This happens so often.

I'm sure the grandfather is devastated, but there is really no excuse for leaving a loaded gun where children can get hold of it.

I don't see this as part of the gun control issue though, unless you want to ban all guns for all people, which I don't.

[cosmicone]

84. Only if the toddler had been trained in the use of firearms

and had a membership in the NRA this could have been averted.

[mimi85]

87. A couple of stories

Our daughter was born in July, 1968, which was sadly enough the year both RJK and MLK were assassinated. I was almost exactly 8 months pregnant. My husband and I rented a small house next to my parent's. My dad came over the day after RFK was killed and wanted to know if my husband I would go target shooting with him. I. Totally. Flipped.
Seriously, I made one of Lawrence O'Donnell's rants seem tame. My dad just didn't "get it." He was a loving, caring father, always kept his guns locked up - they were hunting rifles and he not a "gun nut" at all. But with all the turmoils of the time, this was the last straw. Needless to say, my husband (45 years this New Year's Eve) didn't go.

Another one. One of my brother-in-laws is a card carrying GOPer. I have no doubt he must belong to the NRA. We haven't seen him or my husband's family in years - just nothing in common. No other big deal reason. We used to gather at his house with all the cousins, brothers and sisters every Xmas Eve, mainly to see my husband's Mom - a wonderful woman, I still miss her.
Anyway, my BIL had a locked gun safe with a sign on the outside of it that said "Don't touch, no ebonics spoken here." My first grandchild, born when I was 35, is biracial and just seeing that totally pissed me off. Since it was a family gathering, I never said anything about it. Wrong time. But my husband and I haven't forgotten it. Once my MIL passed away, we never went over there again.

My grandfather and uncle both committed suicide with guns. Sure, if they were determined, they would have killed themselves anyway, but it just added to my hatred of guns. Ha, I wouldn't even let my daughter have a squirt gun! Perhaps carrying it too far, but that's just the way I feel.

Sorry about the super long post.

[Still Blue in PDX]

98. I'm so sorry you had to put up with that.

I look at my in-laws sometimes (particularly the crazy rightwing emails my MIL forwards) and wonder how my husband turned out so normal, i.e., progressive, but I like to think perhaps I had some influence on him.

My own dad hated guns.

[OldRedneck]

86. Well, obviously . . .

Obviously the 2-yr-old was hopped up on violent movies and video games and we need to put a cop in every home.

[fascisthunter]

89. looks like the coockoo bird gun nutters are losing the argument

good

[ileus]

90. Is a small pistol safe too much to ask?

If my pistol isn't on my side it's locked in the bedroom safe. (And my kids are older)

[CTyankee]

92. funny you should ask.

Oh well, at least his gramps was freedom loving enough to have a gun to protect himself and his family...this is just as the founders had planned it. What could possibly go wrong?

[Nye Bevan]

94. Obviously the solution is an armed guard in every grandfather's home

to guard the grandfather's weapon.

[Crunchy Frog]

97. The only thing that stops a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun.

Wish I could have shot Grandpa myself before this tragedy occured.

[primavera]

99. Except that yesterday...

... grampa Rambo was a "normal, law-abiding, responsible gun owner" whose RKBA the NRA and gun advocates would have fought to the death to protect. Now that he's actually done something, of course, it's entirely different - he should never have been allowed to have a gun in the first place.

[Deep13]

102. If that kid was armed, this would not have happened! ...

Oh waitaminute...