Toddler Killed By Stray Bullet

[divideandconquer]

Toddler Killed By Stray Bullet

DECATUR -- A 4-year old boy was shot and killed by a stray bullet while attending a New Years Eve church service with his mother.

The incident happened around 12:30 a.m. at the Prophecy of God Church located in the 3300 block of Covington Drive. A bullet, fired from outside, came through the ceiling of the church and struck the boy in the head. He was rushed to the hospital where he later died.
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http://www.11alive.com/rss/rss_story.aspx?storyid=139274

What a sad metaphor for America's sick relationship with guns.

[DesertFlower]

1. probably some asshole fired his gun in

the air.

a few years ago here in phoenix a teenage girl was outside talking on her cell phone when she was hit by a stray bullet.

[JI7]

10. i think people who "celebrate" by firing guns are assholes

i fucking hate them. and it always seems to be young kids who die from it.

[katandmoon]

2. Congratulations, NRA and gun worshippers -- this is what you've wrought

[baldguy]

3. +1

[cabluedem]

4. The gun nuts are not sorry. Its always someone else at fault not thier guns. nt

[pipoman]

13. The atv nuts are not sorry. Its always someone else at fault not thier atvs.

See how stupid that sounds?

http://times-journal.com/story.lasso?ewcd=3b44da44290eb1d1

Police have identified the 3-year-old boy fatally injured in an all-terrain vehicle wreck near Pisgah around noon on Sunday as Will Ryder McCrary, of Skyline.

Mark Ford, Chief Operations Officer for DeKalb Ambulance Service, said the wreck involved a four-wheeler, being driven by a 9-year-old, who suffered fractures.

[baldguy]

16. No, you're right.

And as a result ATV manufacturers are heavily regulated, many places require their owners need to be licensed & over 18, and some places they're even totally illegal.

Of course the National ATV Association would be opposed to all of those reasonable restrictions.

[TheWraith]

17. Guns are heavily regulated, their owners need to be over 18, and they are in places illegal.

You could say all the same things about cars--which kill far more people than guns do, twelve times as many. And yet, we're talking about a case the number of incidences per year of which you could count on your hands and have fingers left over, and collectively blaming gun owners for child murder. :eyes:

[baldguy]

18. But there's no RW corporate-funded propaganda machine like the N?RA

trying to overturn reasonable laws regarding ATVs & cars.

There's no "National Speeding Association" spending hundreds of millions of dollars in advertising & political bribes to overturn & eliminate speed limits on public roads & highways.

[pipoman]

20. And the NRA supported

the 1934 NFA, 1986 expansion, the 1994 Brady Bill, and other reasonable legislation. Your repeated characterization of the NRA opposing ALL regulation is simply Brady/VPC lies and/or your own ignorance of this subject.

[SteveM]

27. Uh, maybe because ATVs & cars are not protected by the Constitution?

You might want to study the history over reducing speed limits on the nation's highways, esp. during the mid-70s OPEC embargo. A lot of transportation interests (as well as the general public) were opposed to the limits; in many places they were not enacted or ignored.

You wanna keep the "RW corporate-funded propaganda machine like the N?RA" off your back? Quit this culture war. Get the contrived crap issue of gun control out of the Democratic Party Platform (it has been around only a year longer than the moon-landing). Admit that you have a sustained animosity against millions of people who own guns, and quit trying to legislate punishment for those people. Liberal Democrats aren't very good at culture wars: they look distressingly hypocritical, silly and (curiously) authoritarian. And they usually lose.

[Taitertots]

34. What are you even thinking?

You are out of your mind suggesting that the automotive industry has less corporate funded propaganda than the NRA? Corporate lobbying did have a great deal to do with changing freeways to 70 mph from 55 mph. So, yes they already did spend millions in political bribes to push back the speed limit.

The NRA is a member funded organization. The whole firearms industry is tiny. The NRA is supported by the devotion of the members. Automotive lobbying is corporate, NRA lobbying is grassroots.

[PavePusher]

40. Bwaaaaah-haa-ha-hahahahaha!

You funny man.

[Taitertots]

33. Guns are way more restricted than ATVs

When you buy an ATV do they call the FBI and run a background check on you?

Of course we all know there are more than enough reasonable restrictions. That is not what you advocate thou, you advocate arbitrary, capricious, and ineffective gun restrictions. Restrictions so egregious they push popular opinion away from Democrats. Restrictions only supported by those so far outside the mainstream that they have no political relevance.

[Fire_Medic_Dave]

19. Heaven forbid we blame the people who pull the trigger.

[SteveM]

26. Well, the usual tag-team. Pre-planning?(nt)

[Euromutt]

81. None of my guns have ever been to Decatur, GA...

...and neither have I, so would you care to explain how I and/or my firearms bear any culpability for the death of Marquel Peters? Do you own a motor vehicle? If so, do you hold yourself responsible for every motor vehicle traffic fatality in the country? You make use of the internet. Do you hold yourself responsible for every instance of internet-based fraud, or is it "always someone else at fault not yuor computer"?

In other words, take your hypocritical attitude and shove it.

[moondust]

5. Collateral damage.

:sarcasm:

[virgogal]

6. The person who pulled the trigger should bear some responsibility I would think.

[bluestateguy]

8. You might want to condemn the actual person who committed the crime

before going after an organization with 3 million members and the 150 million gun owners in the US.

[katandmoon]

12. I do. But the NRA helped make it all possible.

[pipoman]

14. How? Specifically

Because they oppose infringement on a civil right without a Constitutional Amendment? The NRA has conducted and promoted more safe shooting education to more people of all ages than any other organization or government agency on the planet...you already knew this, right?

[X_Digger]

21. The NRA's educational programs save more, I would imagine..

Hunter safety classes are _required_ for hunters under a certain age in almost all states. Guess who's curriculum is used in 90% of them? Oh yeah, the NRA.

Guess who's curriculum is used in more handgun safety / basic pistol / basic rifle / general marksmanship classes than any other.. right.

So let's see.. 1 in 5 gun owners hunt. 80m gun owners, 16 million hunters. If 30% of them are of an age to have to take a safety class before a license, that's 5.33M hunters. Hunting Accidents, and even general accidental shootings are lower than in 20 years..

(e.g. - PA http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/s_334577.html "The statistics illustrate that, in the past 90 years that gruesome hunting accident details have been recorded, 2004 was deemed the safest hunting season on record.")

[Skim Diesel]

23. Are you serious?

Really, the NRA is to blame? Why not the founding fathers for the 2nd amendment then?

I was just browsing through the web and came across this Pro-Dem site. I was a Dem, then turned Rep, but now is neither and prob considered more Libertarian. Either way, I had to join so I can reply on this.

It amazes me how strongly some people feel about this issue... especially the ones who want all guns banned. Have you ever thought of what would happen if law abiding citizens had this right taken away? A society where the only ppl w/ guns would be the determined Criminals or Law enforcement. Criminals that want to TAKE what is yours, be it property, your body, your children or even your life. And Law Enforcement, that with each passing day, gets more militarized towards its citizenry under the cover of "war on terror". And for those of you who say, "without guns, the public will be safer" - do you honestly think that these "light-weight" criminals (those that prob wouldn't have guns under a ban) would then not carry knives or bats to intimidate GOOD people?

Owning a gun is more than just owning a firearm. It is good law abiding citizens exercising their constitutional right. The right that people fought and DIED for. The short sightedness of "good intentions" amazes me. Yes, a gun out of the hand of those fools that use it for fireworks is good, but not at the cost of it being taken away from the GOOD GUYS. Yes, not all gun owners are BAD. And to those who think that "Good Guys" don't need guns to protect themselves or their family are truly naive. I have 2 little girls. I am 6'2 215lbs and fairly in good shape. But I also know that I'm the final line of defense for my family. Anyone who doesn't understand this and equates all gun owners as "gun worshipers" or thinks that MY right to DEFEND my family should be infringed upon needs a true reality check.

BTW, before I had kids, I too was anti-gun. I too thought guns were only kept by cowards who couldn't protect themselves or needed to compensate for their lack of man-hood. That and the crazy rednecks...lol. Now I see the fallacy of my ways.

Just like freedom of speech shouldn't be infringed upon. Neither should the freedom to bear arms. Look at the long term picture people. The founding fathers were wise enough to know this.

[JonQ]

38. I blame the chinese

if they hadn't invented gun powder none of this would have happened. We'd still be living in the idyllic dark ages where no one was ever hurt and people lived forever.

[friendly_iconoclast]

39. "The NRA is to blame for shootings in the same way the ACLU is to blame for hate speech"

A paraphrase of a witty observation by DUer rd_kent.

[Tejas]

32. You tell'm katandmoon! Take away

their targets! Ban toddlers!!1!

[JonQ]

36. Most likely it was some idiot firing his gun in the air to celebrate

rather than the entire membership of the NRA lining up outside to pull the trigger in unison (while stroking their snidely whiplash mustaches and saying neyah neyah).

But if you knew the rules of gun safety endorsed by the NRA you would know that this shooting was most definitely not supported.

I wonder, if the next time a skinhead beats a gay, black or jewish kid to death would it be fair to say "congratulations ACLU, this is what you've wrought"?

[Euromutt]

68. You need to look beyond the US for a change

"Gun culture" is by no means unique to the US. The idea of making loud noises at a wedding or at new year's celebrations to scare away evil spirits who might bring bad fortune on the marriage or the new year is universal throughout the Eurasian land mass. And while in eastern Asia and western Europe, the noisemaker of choice is fireworks, from central Europe to central Asia it's more commonly guns. From Serbia to Afghanistan, weddings involve the mass discharge of firearms into the air, and I rather suspect new year's celebrations do as well.

[benEzra]

89. I certainly hope you don't drink alcohol.

FWIW, on those occasions where I have fired a gun to celebrate a holiday, I have gone to a shooting range to do so. What goes up must come down, so shooting in the air a la Hollywood is generally a violation of Rule Four.

[ZombieHorde]

7. Completely absurd. Life truly has no external meaning. nt

[malaise]

9. Another child was shot by a stray bullet while he was eating

in a restaurant with his Italian family (overseas visitors) in Miami. He was shot in the chest by an unknown idiot who fired his weapon into the air to celebrate the New Year. The youngster had surgery and is expected to survive. Police are still looking for the gunman.

[Warpy]

11. Some idiot almost killed a toddler here a couple of years ago

A descending bullet hit her in the neck. Only a fast response time by EMTs and close proximity to a Level I trauma center saved her.

My neighborhood is full of dumb shits firing their guns in the air.

I do NOT go out between 10 PM and 2 AM on New Year's Eve.

[Katya Mullethov]

15. I can show you exactly where these rounds keep coming from

Who would like to viddy dozens of RKBA campaigners and NRA boosters emptying magazine after magazine into the sky ?


I got links .

[rusty_rebar]

30. This is ridiculous.

I have not been here long, but I can almost guarantee that any
of the people on this board with "gun fetishes"
(such a derogatory thing to say), would not abide this type of
behavior.  We are about responsible ownership of firearms.  I
don't speak for anyone here but myself, but the idiots that go
out and shoot their guns into the air are morons, who should
not own a gun.  I also do not think you will find anyone in
the NRA who would justify such a reckless use of a firearm.

Some idiot doing something stupid with a firearm should not be
held against responsible firearms owners who would never do
something so strikingly stupid.

[Katya Mullethov]

35. Ridiculous you say ?

These guys have done more to promote everyones 2A rights
than all the other gun groups combined .


Part 1(881MB):
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=1XYD6DAU
Part 2(881MB):
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=B54QDPST
Part 3(236MB):
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=0RBE0ZLH

[rusty_rebar]

42. What in the world

does that have to do with my post above?

Are you trying to say that those guys post on this board? Or that they are members of the NRA?

[Katya Mullethov]

43. They are in fact NRA boosters

They have provided the impetus required to get a great number of people off their ass , but unfortunately we must bear the burden of their misbehavior in the eyes of the , the , the...... well you know .

[rusty_rebar]

44. If you are saying

the behavior depicted in those idiotic movies is at all condoned by the NRA, or any significant portion thereof, I think you are delusional.

[Katya Mullethov]

45. Read that again

This is DU , where you will soon hear that every father rapin' , mother stabbin', baby eyeball eating animal out there is "simply responding to outside pressures caused by the improper distribution of wealth and the resultant decades of global economic hardships wrought by capitalism , corporatism, and racism in a male dominated societies ".

More commonly condensed to.... it's the NRA's fault . Or more appropriately , you and I are to blame for every RIFLE ROUND these drunken reprobates send up.

Relax , it's just the internet .

And welcome to DU !

[AtheistCrusader]

22. You were doing fine

till that last line.

You won't find anyone here who thinks this sort of thing is 'good' or 'acceptable'. It's awful. So awful it can barely be described.

But it's not a 'metaphor' for anything. The vast, VAST majority of guns, and gun owners in this country would never stoop to any behavior remotely resembling this.

I don't mind you posting articles like this. Even though, I think this isn't an audience with 'issues' around reckless firearms handling, reminders never hurt. But I do take issue with you painting all gun owners with this brush. It's disgusting too.

[Name removed]

24. Deleted message

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

[AtheistCrusader]

28. Can't help you.

My wife is a better shot than I am, and partial to the 12 guage, so I can't help with the sterotypes...

[SteveM]

25. Sorry, the "sick relationship" is your construct.

BTW, if all you can come up with is a metaphor, you don't have much to offer.

[proteus_lives]

29. Toddler killed in car accident.

What a sad metaphor for America's sick relationship with cars.

[Tejas]

31. Toddler drowned in pool.

[JonQ]

37. Toddler dies of overdose

http://abclocal.go.com/wpvi/story?section=news/local&id=6740033

Congratulations everyone supporting common sense drug laws rather than outright prohibition, you got what you wanted.

[Katya Mullethov]

41. Methadone HCI ?

THere were some Roxane 260mg's that were mislabeled as 20mg a while back ,that sure would have screwed up his dose .


Anybody want to guess who paid for em ?

[sharesunited]

46. Four year old boy killed in church by stray bullet.

But that's worth it as long as plenty of guns and ammo are in the hands of the public.

http://www.cbsatlanta.com/news/22106539/detail.html

[Don Caballero]

47. Such a sad story

Too bad so many manly men feel like they need guns to feel good about their manhood.

[rd_kent]

49. No Don, just you do

[Don Caballero]

61. I would never own a dangerous weapon

I care about those who enter my home. I do not wish for them to become another statistic of gun deaths.

[oneshooter]

64. Even if they are not invited in? n/t

[rd_kent]

69. Your statement is so contradictory on so many levels that I don't know where to start!

I have seen people contradict themselves in different posts, but never in the same one. Wow!

[SteveM]

71. Are you afraid you would shoot those whom you care about when they enter your home?

My goodness, then you shouldn't own a gun. Finally, we can agree on that. But do not tell ME not to own a gun; I'm not like you.

[applegrove]

53. Canadian friend of my cousin was in Texas on business. He was

in the passenger seat with a business colleague as they parked the car. Colleague said can you put this in the glove compartment and handed him a gun. Canadian balked at handling a powerful handgun. Texas colleague said It is okay I have another one strapped to my ankle. Total disconnect between the two as to the meaning of guns.

[sharesunited]

58. There's a reason Nidal Hissan was able to commit the Fort Hood massacre in Texas.

[Fire_Medic_Dave]

60. There are many reasons.

[SteveM]

72. Yeah, he was screwed up and fired on unarmed soldiers (nt)

[JonQ]

79. He was in the military and had access to firearms regardless?

The soldiers were disarmed by law? He was insane and authorities ignored many warning signs?

Even the strictest anti-gun fanatics don't usually argue for disarming the military. For some reason they like the idea of the police and army being the only ones that can use lethal force.

[gorfle]

83. There's a reason why Americans have the right to keep and bear arms.

.

[Fire_Medic_Dave]

59. That is a funny story.

[Hoopla Phil]

85. lol. Funny story. n/t

[SteveM]

70. So YOU bring up the subject of "manly men"...

Why is that? Are you feeling inadequate? What makes you think anyone who has a gun is less so? You should keep in mind that quite often when someone broaches such an inflammatory and derisive subject, it is they who have the problem. Put another way, he who first smelt it, dealt it.

[rd_kent]

48. Yup, sure is....

Man, you really cannot stand it can you?

[sharesunited]

50. Such A Tragedy. Now Carry On Dying Ya'All.

[rd_kent]

54. I'm not dying, I'm trying.....to make you understand but your willful ignorance is overwhelming.

[SteveM]

73. Correction, again: it's "y'all," not "Ya"All." (nt)

[Euromutt]

80. Yes! We must ban motor vehicles, poisonous household chemicals, and all pharmaceuticals!

After all, more people die in motor vehicle collisions and from poisoning each than die from gunshot wounds. As I've already pointed out repeatedly in response to your tiresome sound bite.

Listen shares, may I suggest that any time you feel the urge to post one of your stock soundbites, you just take it as read that a) everyone's familiar with them, and b) isn't persuaded by them, so you might as well save yourself the effort and everyone else the irritation and not post your moronic bullshit.

[Fire_Medic_Dave]

51. Good posters check for dupes or trips.

[rd_kent]

55. He has nothing else to post, Dave. Repetition is their M.O.

[Ready4Change]

75. Wasn't repetition. It was more info, and article with more current info.

I was just about to look for it, when shares posted his link.

I'm curious what the round was? Getting through a roof with lethal energy is odd, seems to me.

Not that it isn't tragic. An innocent life was lost. Just want more info on specifics.

[katandmoon]

52. Human life more valuable than gun-totin'? Not to the NRA and its brainwashed stooges.

[rd_kent]

56. Only one stooge here, katandmoon........

see a mirror if confused about who......

[Fire_Medic_Dave]

57. Many lives have been sacrificed to defend the Constitution.

[sharesunited]

62. I think you may be overstating the 2A's constitutional significance.

I know you are not overstating the iconic sanctity of gun metal to certain Americans, though.

[Fire_Medic_Dave]

63. The 2nd Amendment is as important as all the rest.

[sharesunited]

65. No, it is truly vestigial.

http://animals.about.com/od/v/g/vetigal.htm

[Fire_Medic_Dave]

66. I'll let Ben Franklin respond to you and your kind.

They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety.

[sharesunited]

67. Old Ben lived during a time of front-loading, single-shot flintlocks.

Old Ben lived during a time when the People and their government had the same weapons with which to face each other.

Old Ben lived during a time before the Union had been tested by the American Civil War.

The 2A is moot, and I'll bet I could get Ben to agree with me, because of his brilliance.

[SteveM]

74. I think he would tell you to get drunk so you would make at least some sense(nt)

[Fire_Medic_Dave]

76. Ben would probably want to have you imprisoned.

[gorfle]

84. PRECISELY.

Old Ben lived during a time when the People and their government had the same weapons with which to face each other.

PRECISELY. And he would no doubt advocate exactly the same situation today, for exactly the same reasons.

Old Ben lived during a time before the Union had been tested by the American Civil War.

You keep holding up the American Civil War as if it means something. Does one failed rebellion mean that all future rebellions are futile?

[rd_kent]

78. Really? I think that its importance is listed in numerical order in the Constitution by the

founding fathers.

I see the logic....free speech-most important. The right to own a gun for protection against oppresion- 2nd most important.

[rd_kent]

77. Boring!

:boring::boring::boring::boring::boring::boring:

[gorfle]

82. It's tragic, but inevitable.

It's tragic, but inevitable in a society with relatively free access to firearms.

Fortunately, the vast majority of firearm owners aren't involved in such crimes.

Fortunately, firearm crime and accident rates continue to decline.

So it's a sad anecdote, but all continues to be headed in the right direction.

[ecstatic]

86. I was extremely sick on NYE and had to stay home, but before falling

asleep, I remember wondering if a bullet would come through my bedroom window and hit me as I slept.

I was horrified when I found out what happened to that little boy. I don't know why idiots shoot guns on NYE. It's scary and dangerous. I actually saw a slight protrusion on my wall near the window (right in front of my bed) so I wonder if a bullet did kind of come through anyway (but I can't tell because it's two stories up and I'd need a ladder to examine the front of the house). RIP Marquel.

[eqfan592]

87. Why do idiots shoot guns into the air on NYE?

Same reason why idiots drive drunk on NYE. Even in a free society we have plenty of morons around that do stupid things with the freedoms afforded them. We're better served fighting the stupid, in this case, than the implements they use to inflict their stupidity on others.

[PavePusher]

88. Not to downplay the tragedy here...

But you are far more likely to be hit by lightning.

The folks who shoot in the air in non-secure areas (i.e., you are the only person within ballistic range of your projectiles) should themselves be shot, as a method of improving the species.