Another Dead 3-Year-Old - Cop's Son

[mikeb302000]

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2011/07/20/national/main20081066.shtml">CBS reports

Authorities say the 3-year-old son of a suburban St. Louis police officer fatally shot himself accidentally in the chest with the law enforcer's personal gun.

You know what the police chief said? It's "a terrible thing," and "a shock." Well I guess that's true as far as it goes. But how about the negligence and the stupidity and the easily preventable tragic aspect of it?

What's your opinion? Should the dad get some counselling and go back to work? Is losing a kid enough punishment?

I say no, not by a longshot. Although, jail time is not appropriate, in my opinion, being fired from the job and losing gun rights for life should be applied. This man is dangerous and his family and friends and neighbors need to be protected from him as far as that's possible.

http://mikeb302000.blogspot.com/">(cross posted at Mikeb302000)

What do you think? Please leave a comment.

[FLAprogressive]

1. Yeah, fire the guy, because losing his son isn't enough "punishment".

[mikeb302000]

5. no, fire the guy because he cannot be trusted

he gets a pass on jail time because losing the kid is punishment enough.

[gejohnston]

2. only if it applies to swimming pools,

unsecured cleaning chemicals etc. as well.

[Sherman A1]

3. I believe that was the 2nd of three such incidents in the

immediate area.

As to what happens to the parents, well that is for others to decide.

I believe in strong regulation of firearms, but I will not sit in judgement of a parent who just lost his son through such an incident.

[mikeb302000]

6. why not judge him?

his terrible loss should make us realize how inadequate the safe storage laws are, and that some people are too reckless to be trusted with gun rights.

[petronius]

13. What are the 'safe storage' and 'child endangerment' laws in Missouri,

and how specifically do you think they should be strengthened?

[SteveM]

16. Oh, I see: this is another attempt to advocate gun-control. Gotcha.

[Sherman A1]

18. No,

It's my opinion to which I am entitled. Or has the 2nd Amendment been changed to state that I am not allowed to have my opinion?

But, gee let's look at what a Police Department just a few miles North of the community in which this incident occurred is doing.......

http://www.ksdk.com/rss/article/268235/3/Florissant-Police-Dept-offering-free-gun-locks

[Sherman A1]

19. Dupe

[Sherman A1]

17. Simple

I choose to not do so.

You can certainly draw whatever conclusions you choose to. I have chosen to not judge the man.

[Glassunion]

4. Your comment is odd to me.

You say he should not have jail time, but in the same breath you say that he is a dangerous threat to society. We usually lock up dangerous threats to society. Will removing guns from him somehow magically make him harmless to society?

As for sentencing or punishment, it is a tough case. Not every incident is so cut and dry and I feel they should be handled on a case by case basis. There are some who should indeed go to jail for an incident like this. There are others who should not.

[mikeb302000]

7. fair enough n/t

[ileus]

8. A: Fatalgrams send out/post descriptions of each LEO or family deaths.

MSHA does this at every mine in the country. It's a one sheet description of how the death occurred and how it can be prevented.

Each one gives the name, location, time, age, time on the job of the person killed. Start posting these at the police station and that would get everyone's attention.

[drpepper67]

9. Nice pitch for your blog...

[ileus]

10. again...I never click the links.

[ProgressiveProfessor]

11. Unrecommended for blog flogging

[YllwFvr]

12. My opinion is biased of course

But he shouldnt lose his job. Suspended perhaps, he would be a useless wreck on the job for a while. But this incident has no bearing on his job performance, unless perhaps his dept has a policy about proper firearms storage at home. Which I rather doubt but you never know.

Also, at least in my state, losing gun rights would be improper infringement of those rights as he hasnt committed a crime that merits it. The guy has been through enough. Give him counseling. Losing his job will cripple his family.

[mikeb302000]

20. you really think his actions don't reflect

on his ability to do the job? Isn't responsibility in securing and maintaining guns kpart and parcel of his job?

[Euromutt]

14. Duplicate thread

RamboLiberal was already there: http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=118x438438

[RamboLiberal]

15. Father failed to think like a child & how ingeneous they are at getting

to high drawers & shelves. And the fascination without realizing the danger of a gun.


Maj. Michael Kozuszek said Thursday that the boy, Daniel Metz, climbed on top of a plastic laundry basket and retrieved the .40-caliber handgun from the top dresser drawer before shooting himself once in the head.

Police responded to the Metz home in the 12200 block of Glenpark Drive about 5:30 p.m. Tuesday after Daniel's mother found him in a rear bedroom.

Kozuszek said the boy's father, Officer Ryan Metz, routinely stored the handgun out of reach inside a bedroom closet. But on Tuesday, Ryan Metz put the gun in the dresser drawer because he was scheduled to work a shift in private security after finishing his afternoon shift for Maryland Heights.

Read more: http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/art...

I swear some idiots must never have been a kid themselves. Kids are ingeneous at finding ways to climb and get in to things.

[mikeb302000]

21. it is hard to believe

how some partnets can be that stupid. No more guns for a guy like that, says I.

[Nailzberg]

22. Can't say for sure what should happen to him. I don't know enough about it, even after reading story

There's a lot of things in a house that can kill a three year old. And a gun will do it quicker than other items.

The article says the father was one of the first responders to the scene and that worked the neighborhood in which he lived. That and clarifying statement that it was a personal gun and not his service sidearm make it sound like he was on duty at the time. So is it his fail, or maybe his wife's fail? Don't no, I can't determine without more in the reporting.

And I don't know how this is a 2A issue? Unless we are suggesting cops can't have guns now.