Toddler Rescued From Gun Safe At Wentzville Store

[jpak]

http://www.firefightingnews.com/article-us.cfm?articleID=99018

(Missouri) - A 2-year-old boy was unharmed after Wentzville firefighters freed him from a large gun safe that locked behind the boy after he wandered into it Saturday evening at the Lowe's store at 1889 Wentzville Parkway, firefighters said. The boy, who was not identified by authorities, was with his family at the store when he walked into the open gun safe about 7:30 p.m. Saturday. The door somehow shut behind the boy, and the safe locked, trapping the boy inside.

Store officials tried unsuccessfully to unlock the safe after calling firefighters. When firefighters arrived, they first drilled a small hole in the top of the safe and inserted an oxygen tube to help the boy breathe.

Then they had to use a hydraulic tool to pry open the safe, after telling the boy to squat down low while the tool was used near the top of the safe.

<snip>.

Authorities said they were unsure why the safe door had been left open. An investigation was continuing late Sunday.

<more>

ugh

[Renew Deal]

1. I'm sure why it was left open.

That's the easy part. Why did it close is the question.

[ManiacJoe]

2. exactly

[-..__...]

9. I'm wondering...

did the employees not have the combination written down somewhere, have the incorrect combination or was the combo/locking device malfunctioning?

Store officials tried unsuccessfully to unlock the safe after calling firefighters.

[burrfoot]

22. Wondering the same thing.

Combination should have been right on the paperwork for the safe- otherwise how would the purchaser be able to use it?

Maybe it was a floor model and the ppwk wasn't with it? I have a hard time believing NOBODY knew how to use the combination, if it was there.....

:shrug:

Very strange.

[-..__...]

24. Apparently they did...

have the combo, but somewhere in the mix/confusion, something got fuxored up...

While this operation was happening, store staff attempted to unlock the safe with a key and combination. This was unsuccessful and the firefighters started using pry bars and hydraulic rescue tools to open the safe.

http://wentzville.patch.com/articles/wentzville-firefighters-extricate-child-from-gun-safe

This safe is designed so that that air can flow into the safe while closed (around the seams and the door). Because of this safety feature, the child was not in danger during Saturday's incident.

The safe has a combination dial. The code to open the safe is set by the manufacturer and is noted on the top of the safe so that employees can open them. The safe instruction manual is located on the back.

http://www.ksdk.com/news/article/269756/3/Wentzville-firefighters-rescue-boy-from-gun-safe

[one-eyed fat man]

21. Said the kid was there with his family

Anybody take the kid's older sibling aside and ask what happened?

If the parents were there with more than one kid, one who was not trapped in the safe knows more than they are telling.

Anyone who doesn't think so was either an only child or never a parent, or both.

[Remmah2]

3. If we ban gun safes then where will we lock up our firearms?

yup

[ileus]

5. You're supposed to turn those dangerous devices in...

[ileus]

4. So does that mean it's a Gun unsafe?

[RSillsbee]

6. Somehow I am sure the NRA is at fault here NT

[DonP]

7. Stupid GOP/NRA/Lowe's conspiracy

I bet Wayne LaPierre personally snuck in and unlocked the safe door and propped it open to trap that kid!

They hate kids too you know, it's a fact, I read it here so it must be true.

[Hoopla Phil]

8. Something doesn't sound right about the chain of events.

I don't know of a single gun safe that locks by just shutting it. There is a lever that needs to be turned and usually a dial that must be spun for it to lock. The safe needed help from the outside in order to lock.

As far as why it was left unlocked, many are so that potential buyers may see how the safe is configured and the quality of fit and finish. It is normally a very safe practice. As I said, the safe needs some help from the outside in order to lock.

[DonP]

11. Every safe I've ever seen had the door open and the lock bars fixed

So you couldn't close the door all the way for obvious safety reasons.

Lowe's, Menard's, Home Depot all the big box stores - open.

I think the only place I ever saw them with the doors actually closed is at one of our larger gun stores, where they have so many it would double the floor space they took up.

Agreed that somebody had to turn the lock and spin the dial at some point and based on the height of the door and size of those lock bars (1 or 2 inches minimum) and the weight of the door it probably was an adult.

[iverglas]

10. anybody old enough to remember all the refrigerator horror stories?

They have magnetic seals now, but they used to have latches.

Maybe kids didn't suffocate in them quite as often as we kids were told, but staying the hell away from abandoned refrigerators was drummed into us, and I'm pretty sure that it was subsequently not just a subject of public education campaigns but also of law or bylaw that doors on discarded refrigerators had to be removed.

That said ... this doesn't seem to be a gun policy related matter ... some negligence on the part of the store, since this isn't an entirely unforeseeable event. Store policy to disable locking mechanisms or install lock preventors on display models might be wise.



for the info of anyone with a beer fridge in the basement, since I mentioned it:

http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/pubs/5072.html

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) urges that all unused old-style refrigerators around the home be rendered "childproof" or, if on public property, appropriate authorities be called to safely dispose of the products. CPSC continues to receive reports about the tragic deaths of young children who are suffocated because of entrapment in old refrigerators. ...

The chain-and-padlock solution for any still in use would not be a bad idea.

[GKirk]

13. Even those with magnetic seals can be a problem..

...if the child gets in and it tips over on the door side a child would not be able to escape.
Another death trap are toy boxes, a few years ago in my town a couple of boys got stuck
in one and suffocated. So sad.

[gejohnston]

15. I remember those fridges

I don't know about kids really suffocating in them, but we did have a town or county ordnance that said if you had one not in use, you had to chain or remove the door.

[Kennah]

17. "this doesn't seem to be a gun policy related matter"

Who are you, and what you done with iverglas?

[Glassunion]

12. Every gun safe I've ever looked at in a store was open. But, it was locked open,

so you could not close it.

This was a bad on Lowes.




Oh and the GOP, NRA, Tea Baggers too... They suck and are at fault as well.

[-..__...]

16. Don't you know...

The spirit of Charlton Heston compelled that child to enter the safe, and his hand was the one that locked it shut.

[Glassunion]

18. .

The power of Charlton compels you!
The power of Charlton compels you!
The power of Charlton compels you!
The power of Charlton compels you!
The power of Charlton compels you!
The power of Charlton compels you!
The power of Charlton compels you!
The power of Charlton compels you!
The power of Charlton compels you!
The power of Charlton compels you!
The power of Charlton compels you!
The power of Charlton compels you!
The power of Charlton compels you!
The power of Charlton compels you!

[benEzra]

14. Ummm, WTF is the point of this post?

That anything with the word "gun" in it is full of Evil Spirits that seek to lure and kill the innocent? Or did it just trip an automatic keyword-crosspost reflex?

It's pretty obvious why the door was left open (so potential buyers can see the inside, duh). What's not obvious is how it was left in a lockable state, and how (apparently) someone accidentally locked him in.

[Glassunion]

19. Safes are bad... Mmmkay.

[ileus]

20. I bet someone out there realized the opportunity to win the law suit lottery.

[-..__...]

23. Someone needs to be held accountable...

to the damages done to that safe, whether it be due to parental irresponsibility or the person who locked it shut.

:sarcasm:

[SteveM]

25. Child dies in discarded microwave.

http://www.examiner.com/missing-persons-in-national/missing-child-found-trapped-microwave-oven

The microwave was broken. Except for the door. No guns involved.