Bullet Falls From Sky and Hits Girl Watching Fireworks

[jpak]

http://www.kmph.com/story/15030663/bullet-falls-from-sky-and-hits-girl-watching-fireworks

resno – There were more than fireworks going off in a Fresno neighborhood Monday night.

Someone fired a gun into the air, and the bullet lodged itself in a little girl who was outside watching fireworks, in the 4500 block of Grove Avenue in southeast Fresno.

The 11–year–old girl had surgery and is getting better.

Police say the bullet fell from the sky and hit her near her collarbone, then moved down into her chest area.

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but...but...but... they wuz just celebrating their gun freedom!!!11

idiots

yup

[Renew Deal]

1. What are the odds of that?

So unfortunate.

[damntexdem]

3. Very good, given how many people fire guns into the air to "celebrate."

Someone is bound to be hit.

[X_Digger]

29. In that case, you should be able to find a lot of such cases, right?

I mean, if the odds are "very good", right? What odds are those, eh? 1 in 100? 1 in 1,000? 1 in 10,000? 1 in 100,000?

Right, "very good" odds.

:sarcasm: (for those so impaired)

[Hoopla Phil]

42. How many is that?

[Tikki]

4. Very sad and the odds would be ZERO if 'whoever' wasn't out..

shooting their gun randomly in the the air.



Tikki

[MineralMan]

8. Such incidents, while rare, do happen.

I had a bunch of 00 buckshot rain down on my roof one New Year's Eve. I took a pellet I found in the rain gutter up the street to my neighbor's house. He was the one who fired his shotgun that night. I saw him do it our my window. I explained to him pretty clearly that I'd very much appreciate it if he didn't do such stupid things in the future. He has not repeated his moronic act since then. I guess my explanation had an impact. Could have been the way I said it, I guess...

[RSillsbee]

2. So what law would you pass

to stop this already illegal event from happening?

[MineralMan]

6. Well, one might be a law that required keeping ballistics data, including

rifling imprints of all new firearms sold, on file. Now, I'm not in favor of such a law, but that would make it a little easier to track the bullet that hit this kid to the owner of the firearm that was used. That is the kind of law such incidents inspire. It probably wouldn't help much, since there are already so many firearms out there, but it's the sort of thing people think about when such an incident occurs.

The moron who fired into the air certainly deserves to be caught and force to pay for this girl's injuries and maybe spend a little time resting and thinking at the Graybar Resort Hotel. Wouldn't you agree?

[jpak]

7. beat me to it

:hi:

:toast:

[jeepnstein]

12. Millions of dollars...

to avoid a one in a million event? Yeah, that makes good sense.

You can't cure stupid, and that's what got that child shot.

[MineralMan]

14. I sort of doubt that child's parents will be as quick to dismiss

this as a one in a million event, you know. I'd be wondering pretty hard about who fired that shot, if I were them. I'd be putting some feelers out in the area, I think. Whoever fired the shot is a moron, and probably has quite a few people who don't like him or her too much. You ask around, you might find someone like that who saw the idiot fire into the air. With the offending firearm in hand, the police won't have any trouble making a ballistic match.

Idiots always have enemies. Truly.

Around here in St. Paul, MN, they put the security videos from armed robberies on the Teevee. They catch almost all of the perps, when one or more of the people who aren't fond of the person fingers them. It's funny how that works. Stupid people who do criminal things often have enemies. Who would have thunk it?

This happened in a neighborhood in Fresno, CA. Here's the last line of the story: "If you have information about the person who fired the gun in this case, you're asked to call Detective Antonio Rivera with the Fresno Police Department at (559) 621–2425." Odds are some people saw the shooter and odds are that at least one doesn't like the shooter much. I figure Detective Rivera will get a call.

[AtheistCrusader]

16. Except that ballistic fingerprinting only works in the absolute best case scenario.

Maryland and New York have spent millions on it, and have, between the two states, solve a single crime with it.

ONE crime.

The 'fingerprint' changes as the weapon is fired, and cleaned.

[MineralMan]

20. Yes, I know that. Like I said, though, it's the kind of law

people think of in cases like this. As for the post you replied to, I'm talking about someone getting caught who fired the actual weapon. In that case, making the match, with his or her weapon in hand, would be quite easy. All it will take is someone who doesn't like the person to give the cops a call. That happens all the time. Morons and idiots generally have enemies. If someone in the neighborhood saw this person shooting into the air and drops a dime, there may be a great opportunity to compare rifling marks with an actual firearm. That works very nicely.

[AtheistCrusader]

31. Yep. Sorry, thought you were referring to the fingerprinting idea.

A ballistics match when you have the weapon in hand, is quite easy.

[jpak]

17. Tax guns and ammo to pay for it - and why is there a price on life?

:shrug:

[lawodevolution]

18. No, I won't be paying taxes on my guns and ammo if you are not paying a poll tax

[MineralMan]

21. Last I heard, they had sales tax in Texas, so I imagine you're

already paying a tax on your guns and ammo. You know...

[lawodevolution]

47. I buy online from other states. No tax.

[jpak]

23. Oh yes you will

yup

[Name removed]

48. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[TheWraith]

19. Does that extend to, say, spending a hundred million dollars to save one single person?

No? Then obviously there IS a "price on life," to use your loaded and absurd term, and we're only haggling over the level. It's no more worth spending tens of millions of dollars to solve a handful of misdemeanor crimes than it is, say, forcing everyone to give up their fourth amendment rights in order to catch a few drug dealers.

[jpak]

24. So what is the approved GOP/NRA price on human life?

:shrug:

[friendly_iconoclast]

26. They don't have one. What's *your* price on human life? n/t

[Hoopla Phil]

44. Again, the question is "what law would stop this from happening?"

Not what fantasy technology would help track down the perpetrator.

[X_Digger]

32. How many cases have ballistic fingerprints solved?

I mean, outside of CSI.

MD's system cost $9.5M, and has resulted in a single conviction. Only six 'hits' on the DB have occurred, even though they have 80,000+ casings on file, and a majority of guns used in crimes in MD come from in-state, according to the press release accompanying the rollout of MD-IBIS.

The fact that normal wear and tear on a firearm (not even considering a simple barrel / firing pin swap) will degrade the 'fingerprint' to uselessness in as little as 200 rounds of use makes this system a joke. The only conviction was likely due to the fact that only three weeks had transpired between the purchase and the crime.

[MineralMan]

33. Apparently, you didn't bother to read my entire post, especially

the part where I said this wouldn't work. My point is that such incidents inspire people to seek such laws. It's all in the post. Have a nice day.

[X_Digger]

36. "but that would make it a little easier to track the bullet that hit this kid"

Backpedaling aside, did you say that?

[MineralMan]

37. Again. Read the entire post.

I will not reply further in this subthread.

[X_Digger]

38. I read the entire post.. you said that it would help, but you wouldn't support such a bill.

I'm taking issue with your first assertion.

[RSillsbee]

35. Of course I don't agree

I'm an NRA member. I think he should be able to buy any kind of semiautomatic, bolt action, assault rifle , machine gun, thingy he wants to buy.

He should be able to shoot it anywhere he wants (including daycare centers and homes for the elderly)w/ no repercussions what so ever.

I know it's true because all the antis say so










If I must :sarcasm:

[Hoopla Phil]

41. You didn't answer the question.

You spoke of so called "ballistic fingerprinting", that is totally useless to begin with, that may help solve crime after the fact but that was not the question. What law would stop this from happening?

[oneshooter]

46. You can't fingerprint a shotgun .

No rifling in the barrel, and if you have a case match then you were probably in his back yard.

Oneshooter
Armed and Livin in Texas

[AndyTiedye]

10. Howzabout Giving Out a Handful of Blanks to any Gun Owner Who Wants Them

It might be cheaper than all the extra patrols (at holiday pay) that the cops run to try to curb the gunfire.
They have almost the entire police force deployed for this on the 4th around here (the rest being the drunk
driving checkpoints).

[AndyTiedye]

5. People Think That When they Shoot a Bullet Up Into the Air It Just Goes Away

If people MUST fire their guns in the air for holiday celebrations, couldn't they use blanks?

[MineralMan]

9. They could, but blanks aren't all that easy to find.

They could also discharge their firearm into their lawn, about six feet from their own feet. It would still make the same noise, but the bullet would end up buried in the dirt, rather than falling on a child. Odd that they don't think of that, isn't it? I suspect that their minds are clouded with beer. What do you think?

[jeepnstein]

11. Beer, that's the ticket.

They banned it once, too, and that was a flop.

Shooting straight up into the air is dangerous. Shooting up into the air at an angle is even more dangerous. I'm betting someone lobbed this shot in from a distance rather than shot straight up close by. As a gun owner, every bullet that I fire belongs to me. It's my problem and responsibility. Of course the world is full of people who would rather not be responsible for anything.

Somewhere I've got an email from a friend in Iraq who found a Youtube video of a wedding where a father was teaching his young son the custom of shooting into the air. Dad was tall, kid was not, kid shoots into air, dad gets a bullet.

[AndyTiedye]

13. As Long as they Don't Shoot Their Gas Pipe or Something

[MineralMan]

15. Well, then you'd know for sure who was shootin' up the neighborhood,

eh? Uh..."Mr. Johnson, the gas company said that it was a bullet that cause the leak in your gas line. We're going to have to see your firearms. You know that discharging a firearm within the city limits is a crime, right? Please turn around now and put your hands behind your back, sir...."

[RC]

22. Then we's have shot up water lines, power, cable, telephone...

[MineralMan]

25. Yabbut, that'd make it easy to find the morons. I'm all for that.

Find 'em. Convict 'em. Take their guns away from them. Yes! I'm opposed to firearms ownership by morons.

[AndyTiedye]

51. and Sewer, ewwww!

[OneTenthofOnePercent]

28. I don't think nearly anyone thinks that...

they probably think that a falling bullet is not lethal or that the chances of actually striking someone are extremely remote.

[MineralMan]

34. Actually, they probably don't think much at all.

The typical fourth of July shooter-in-the-air has been sucking on beers all afternoon, and has a bit of impaired judgment operating. He hears a lot of bangs going on, so he goes in the house, gets a firearm and comes back outside, where he does his best imitation of an Iraqi wedding guest.

So, no thought, really. He just wants to make a banging noise, but forgot to buy firecrackers. He's a moron.

[Hangingon]

27. Probably celebrating July 4 and not their gun freedom

but you knew that

[ileus]

30. 4th of Julys wound people.

[benEzra]

39. Ummm, would that be Fresno, CALIFORNIA?

The state with perhaps the strictest gun control and the least gun freedom in the entire nation, but a thriving culture of armed criminals?

Yup...

[AndyTiedye]

40. Also Home of Freeperepublic

I wonder if the shooter will turn out to be one of their regulars.

[Tuesday Afternoon]

43. your spelling seems to imply that gun owners are uneducated.

the further implication being they are stupid.

condescending, sarcastic and wrong.

carry on.

yup.

[Hassin Bin Sober]

45. Some nit-wit gun owner re-enacting Paul Revere's ride, no doubt.

[russ1943]

49. Celebratory gunfire injury and deaths

The mortality rate among those struck by falling bullets is about 32%, compared with about 2% to 6% normally associated with gunshot wounds.<5> The higher mortality is related to the higher incidence of head wounds from falling bullets.

A study by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) found that 80% of celebratory gunfire-related injuries are to the head, feet, and shoulders.<6> In the U.S. Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, about two people die and about 25 more are injured each year from celebratory gunfire on New Year's Eve, the CDC says.<3> Between the years 1985 and 1992, doctors at the King/Drew Medical Center in Los Angeles, California, treated some 118 people for random falling-bullet injuries. Thirty-eight of them died.<7> Kuwaitis celebrating in 1991 at the end of the Gulf War by firing weapons into the air caused 20 deaths from falling bullets.<7>
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Celebratory_gunfire

[holdencaufield]

50. I'm confused here

Is ANYONE saying that shooting into the air isn't a stupid and reckless (and already illegal) thing to do and that the person who did it shouldn't be prosecuted for assault?