Parents, please watch your kids when you are out shopping

[proud2BlibKansan]

Boy, 11, Trapped in Sacramento Costco Gun Safe

SACRAMENTO, CA - An 11-year-old was safe and unhurt, but there were a few anxious moments Sunday after the boy accidently locked himself inside a gun safe at a Sacramento Costco store, according to Sacramento fire officials.

The incident happened at 1:40 p.m. Sunday at the Costco at 1600 Expo Parkway near Cal Expo, Sacramento Fire Capt. Jim Doucette said.

Fire crews were on the scene in four minutes after the boy became trapped in the safe on the showroom floor. The safe's locking mechanism is battery-operated, but when store personnel tried to get the safe open, the battery was either dead or missing, leaving the boy inside, Doucette said.

A new battery was installed, but the safe's timer wouldn't allow the combination to work immediately.

http://www.news10.net/news/local/story.aspx?storyid=72107&provider=top

[MissB]

1. Wow

Seems like no-brainer advice, eh?

[Kerrytravelers]

2. You'd think. I can't belive how many small children I see wandering around.

I always ask, loudly, where is your mommy or daddy? I'm always amazed when parents take their time to finally get over to their child. It's like they expect others to watch them.

[emilyg]

3. I do the same thing

in a loud voice. Little toddlers unattended.

[SteelPenguin]

14. Just because a kid is wandering doesn't mean they expect you to watch them

If you're out with more than one kid under the age of 5, it's incredibly easy for them to take off. They hide behind a clothes rack because they think it's funny. They see something shiny or making noises and go towards it. You can't literally be watching and controlling multiple kids under a certain age simultaneously, you have to rely on your previous training of them to keep them in line, holding your hand, walking with you, etc. Even with that though it takes a heartbeat for a 3 year old to see a teddy bear in a store in a mall and *snap* he's gone, and he's so small he can be hard to find.

Then on top of that sometimes if I'm watching just one of them, I let them wander. I follow at a distance, let them lead the way, explore the world, check things out, establish their independence. I follow at a distance. 10 yards, 20 yards. If he looks like he's going to get into trouble I run up and stop him. Not necesarily always obvious I'm watching him from a distance and making sure he's safe. Frequently I see other people looking at him and looking around for a parent, and seeing me in the distance and I smile and nod. Just because we're in public and I'm not dragging my 3 year old around by his arm doesn't mean he's not being watched. I'm letting him explore, expand his mind, and learn independence.

That doesn't mean there aren't bad parents out there, but just because I'm not hovering over him doesn't mean that I expect someone else to watch them.

[Kerrytravelers]

15. I think you read way more into my post that I meant.

There is a difference between a kid that takes off under a watchful parents eye and a parent who is not paying attention.

[Rabrrrrrr]

16. Holy hell, that was defensive.

[proud2BlibKansan]

9. You would think LOL

[beyurslf]

4. Scary.

I imagine a child could get locked inside one of those safes in under a minute. All it takes in crawling in and pulling it shut. Even watchful parents can lose sight for a few seconds.

[cynatnite]

5. Why was a gun safe left open like that?

The kid should have known better and the parents should have kept better track of their kid, but it seems to me that leaving a gun safe open is almost asking for trouble.

[chollybocker]

6. An unattended gun cache. At Costco.

Yeah, that's a good idea.

[proud2BlibKansan]

10. It was a safe, not a gun

[pinniped]

7. The Costco around here keeps the display safe door closed and locked.

I think there was even a notice stating it was kept locked for safety reasons.

[LeftyMom]

8. An 11 year old really ought to have known better.

I assumed there would be a toddler involved, but that kid's presumably old enough to be left unattended for a little bit without causing any trouble.

[Coventina]

11. Agreed. I had been taught from at least age 5 (if not before)

that you never, EVER shut yourself inside anything.

At age 11, that's on the kid, not the parents.

However, Costco was extremely reckless in having such a dangerous situation, because it COULD have been a toddler. So I guess ultimately it is Costco's fault.

[SteelPenguin]

13. Yeah

If you need to keep your eyes on your 11 year old at all times when you're out and about, then there is something wrong with you, or something wrong with them. Not really a story to use to tell people to watch your kids.

[seabeyond]

12. 11 yr old the kid was stupid. thankfully it is not indicative of all 11 yr olds... nt