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Spring Break, 2014: Girls gone to the hospital! GunFAIL LXI
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Another week heavy on the accidental self-shooters. I'm getting the impression that this was always the case, since the stream seems fairly regular and consistent. But it wasn't until recently that I really began counting them as a distinct category. This list includes 21 people who accidentally shot themselves, plus one 8-year-old injured by the recoil of a handgun he found and fired. In combing through the posts from early 2013, and keeping tabs as we go through 2014, it seems we can expect to find about 75 such cases each month.
All the regular categories were represented: four gun-cleaning accidents, one "home invasion" shooting (in which one "Second Amendments" a neighbor's property), two holster accidents, four guns dropped and discharged, two cop and/or security guard mishaps, and an assortment of target shooting accidents, "just trying to scare someone" accidents, and "just wanted to show off my gun" accidents.
On the more unusual side, we had our second gun show accidental discharge of the year, plus our first television set shooting in a little while.
The week also took a heavy toll on the kids, with 13 accidentally shot or otherwise injured, ages 2, two 3 year olds, 8, 9, 11, 12, two 13 year olds, 14, and three 17 year olds. Plus one spring break vacationer was accidentally shot with her fiancé's gun, which discharged when the bag it was packed in was tossed from the trunk of the car onto the sidewalk upon arrival in Panama City Beach. Ah, young love!
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2014/03/19/1283152/-Spring-Break-2014-Girls-Gone-to-the-Hospital-GunFAIL-LXI?detail=email
[/center]
Another week heavy on the accidental self-shooters. I'm getting the impression that this was always the case, since the stream seems fairly regular and consistent. But it wasn't until recently that I really began counting them as a distinct category. This list includes 21 people who accidentally shot themselves, plus one 8-year-old injured by the recoil of a handgun he found and fired. In combing through the posts from early 2013, and keeping tabs as we go through 2014, it seems we can expect to find about 75 such cases each month.
All the regular categories were represented: four gun-cleaning accidents, one "home invasion" shooting (in which one "Second Amendments" a neighbor's property), two holster accidents, four guns dropped and discharged, two cop and/or security guard mishaps, and an assortment of target shooting accidents, "just trying to scare someone" accidents, and "just wanted to show off my gun" accidents.
On the more unusual side, we had our second gun show accidental discharge of the year, plus our first television set shooting in a little while.
The week also took a heavy toll on the kids, with 13 accidentally shot or otherwise injured, ages 2, two 3 year olds, 8, 9, 11, 12, two 13 year olds, 14, and three 17 year olds. Plus one spring break vacationer was accidentally shot with her fiancé's gun, which discharged when the bag it was packed in was tossed from the trunk of the car onto the sidewalk upon arrival in Panama City Beach. Ah, young love!
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2014/03/19/1283152/-Spring-Break-2014-Girls-Gone-to-the-Hospital-GunFAIL-LXI?detail=email
The carnage caused by the irresponsible (and/or illegal) use of guns continues, and is trending in the wrong direction. While Second Amendment absolutists claim that the "violent crime rate" is going down, overall gun violence and deaths remain steady. In fact, gun deaths are forecast to outnumber automobile deaths by as early as 2015.
The Second Amendment is not a license to kill and maim fellow Americans because someone "feels" threatened, and guns in our streets should be treated as the very real public health menace that they are. The NRA/ALEC/Koch Brothers right-wing gun lobby is not interested in public safety, they are driven by greed and profits. Liberal Democrats like Gabby Giffords, on the other hand, are making a difference by raising public awareness about the insidious problem of guns on our streets.
Support a gun control group today in any way that you can -- donate money, write letters-to-the-editor, talk to your friends and neighbors, and spread the word about the needless violence caused by the easy access to guns in our society.