Woman shot dead by two year old in America
Posted by: Blueknowz on 30 December 2014
A woman in the US state of Idaho has been killed after a two-year-old boy accidentally shot her with a gun he found when reaching into her handbag.
The woman was shot in a Wal-Mart in Hayden, a town in Idaho's northern panhandle.
A sheriff's spokesman said the woman was shopping with several children and it was unclear if they were related.
Officials said she had a concealed weapons permit but her identity has not been released.
The Wal-Mart closed after the shooting.
Local media reported the woman was visiting the area and died at the scene.
In spite of the gun hysteria, it remains a fact that in the US, if we don't own a gun, don't have a gun in the house, and don't hang out with people with guns (i.e. don't hunt or belong to a gang), we are extremely unlikely to be shot. Guns are really somebody else's problem for those of us who choose to not be associated with them.
Our highest chance of a bloody and violent death occurs when we are in our cars. Driving our cars is also the thing we do that is (by far) most likely to cause us, our family and our friends (as well as unfortunate strangers) to die a bloody and violent death at our own hand.
I
Our highest chance of a bloody and violent death occurs when we are in our cars. Driving our cars is also the thing we do that is (by far) most likely to cause us, our family and our friends (as well as unfortunate strangers) to die a bloody and violent death at our own hand.
This has always been a beef of mine, vehicular deaths are in the thousands per year, hundreds per week.
Crikey I think I read 76,000 vehicular deaths for 2013, sobering numbers.
W-I-C,
So if these numbers are about right you have just as much chance of dying by gun than by car. So if you don't own a car, don't park one on your property or don't associate with any one with a car you are very unlikely to be killed by one. Mind you, you wouldn't out much.
The women shouldn't of had a gun in her bag that her kid could get hold of in the first place.
W-I-C,
So if these numbers are about right you have just as much chance of dying by gun than by car. So if you don't own a car, don't park one on your property or don't associate with any one with a car you are very unlikely to be killed by one. Mind you, you wouldn't out much.
True enough. If you choose not to be involved with either guns or cars, you have little chance of being killed by them. But it's a tad more inconvenient to avoid all driving and roads, than to simply choose not own a gun, join a gang or go hunting.
If you live by the sword, then you will surely die by it ...
ATB from George
W-I-C,
So if these numbers are about right you have just as much chance of dying by gun than by car. So if you don't own a car, don't park one on your property or don't associate with any one with a car you are very unlikely to be killed by one. Mind you, you wouldn't out much.
True enough. If you choose not to be involved with either guns or cars, you have little chance of being killed by them. But it's a tad more inconvenient to avoid all driving and roads, than to simply choose not own a gun, join a gang or go hunting.
I would imagine you would be safer still if you could live where those around you choose not to be involved with guns as I guess most people who do get shot are shot by oyher people using tgeir own weapons?
There are countries where gun ownership is widespread, and yet death by gunshot is rare, such as Switzerland.
Really it is a question of understanding the dangers and respecting them. Not every culture seems to ...
I was a young child in a house with two shotguns in a time when these were [if not legally] generally lent up in a corner in the office [farmhouse]. My brother and I used to clean the gun after our father had used it. We learned that you NEVER point a gun at a person even if it is not loaded. We learned that a gun was never loaded till it was to be used. You never walk about with a loaded gun. And so on. It is not even rocket science ....
ATB from George
I live about 4 miles from this Walmart. Guns kill and injure many innocent people. Although I strongly disagree with laws allowing people to carry weapons, the responsibility to prevent needless tragedies in public or in one's own home is on the person possessing that weapon. Sadly, more deaths and serious injuries may need to occur before the U.S. will address this menace.
There are countries where gun ownership is widespread, and yet death by gunshot is rare, such as Switzerland.
I guess 'rare' is subjective .
Chart is too small to be more than a blur. Could you explain in words, please?
ATB from George
FYI - You can right click on the image, copy it, and paste into your browser for a full size view 
You'll see that gun ownership is not a good indicator of deaths by firearm. For example, El Salvador has a low gun ownership rate, yet the greatest gun-related death rate.
ATB
My point was that guns are not dangerous if treated with safe respect, so I suspect that your chart shows this. I did open it in a new tab though it is rather lacking in detail. Most of the results have no named national title, so it shows only a partial picture, I suspect, though apparently Switzerland appears as a place with a greater problem than many countries.
Personally I would happily see civilian use of guns outlawed in every country. I detest guns - even sporting shot guns ...
In a culture where guns are not [apparently] treated with respect then things go badly.
ATB from George
Roughly two thirds of the gun deaths in the US are suicides, which changes the picture quite a bit. There are many other ways to commit suicide. I do not think that changing the availability of guns would change suicide rates much, merely the method.
Joerand's chart is interesting. I think the main factor in the countries with high gun death rates per capita is the (lack of) rule of law. The US is in the upper range of gun ownership per capita, but nowhere near the upper range of gun deaths per capita.
I agree with the comments on respecting guns. Good training and safeguards like locks and keys minimize the possibility of accidental injury. Most gun owners in the US understand and respect the risks and take appropriate safeguards. Unfortunately, not everyone.
Never point it in the direction of anyone, never load it until it will be used, inspect it for a cartridge EVERY time it changes hands, even if I looked, handed it to you, you looked, and handed it back...I look again. And assume it is always loaded, even when you "know" it is not. And lastly, make it impossible for those who should not (i.e., children) to get their hands on it. And for Pete's sake, don't put your finger on the trigger unless you are ready to discharge the damn thing.
Also when shooting, safe practices must always be in effect. The most severe beating I ever got from my father was when we were at my grandpa's hunting cabin shooting a CO2 pellet gun. There was some question as to the location of the last shot on the target, and I took a couple of steps over the firing line to give my 11 year old eyes a better view. I was jerked back by the collar so hard my feet left the ground, and got an @ss whipping I still remember (as you can see.) And I couldn't engage in any shooting for a couple of days. Left me with a "Wow...I guess he really means it when he says don't cross the firing line" & it cemented gun safety in my mind forever. I was also put through a hunt club multi-session firearm safety course before I was allowed to go hunting.
I would venture that pretty much every accidental shooting death involves someone doing something stupid, in violation of established firearm safety practices. Like "it went off while I was cleaning it" - my thought is "how the f*** can you permit that to happen?"
W-I-C,
So if these numbers are about right you have just as much chance of dying by gun than by car. So if you don't own a car, don't park one on your property or don't associate with any one with a car you are very unlikely to be killed by one. Mind you, you wouldn't out much.
True enough. If you choose not to be involved with either guns or cars, you have little chance of being killed by them. But it's a tad more inconvenient to avoid all driving and roads, than to simply choose not own a gun, join a gang or go hunting.
I would imagine you would be safer still if you could live where those around you choose not to be involved with guns as I guess most people who do get shot are shot by oyher people using tgeir own weapons?
Most people shoot themselves. About half are suicides. Accidental discharge accounts for most accidental deaths. This is most likely shooting oneself, but tragically often involves shooting a memeber of your family. You are simply much safer to not have any firearms in your home.
I live about 4 miles from this Walmart. Guns kill and injure many innocent people. Although I strongly disagree with laws allowing people to carry weapons, the responsibility to prevent needless tragedies in public or in one's own home is on the person possessing that weapon. Sadly, more deaths and serious injuries may need to occur before the U.S. will address this menace.
It's not a menace and doesn't need addressing. People in the US can opt out of exposure to guns, and their risk will then be as low as it would be in other civilised countries. Incidents where random, innocent people (i.e. people who are not associated with guns - they, their family and friends aren't gun nuts and they aren't in a gang or undertaking armed or violent crime) are shot are exceedingly rare, even in the US.
Just to be clear, I believe it is also true that the social/cultural/economic circumstances in which some (mainly non-white, male) Americans find themselves does lead to a life where gun violence is a major issue. They find themselves involved with gangs and crimes as an almost inevitable consequence of the environment in which they live. These issues won't be adressed by gun control.
The other side of the question is who has the guns? It seems to me that in El Salvador those few with guns are quite willing to use them on other people. And those holding the guns are probably militants or police. I'd venture a guess that China is the safest place on earth with regard to gun related deaths, but how many are running to live there as a haven from firearms? In the US we are taught that liberty and freedom comes at a cost. The right to bear arms is a fundamental tenet here, and subsequently there is a cost. In this particular case in Hayden, Idaho, there might also be a perceived degree of poetic justice.
Accidental discharge accounts for most accidental deaths. This is most likely shooting oneself, but tragically often involves shooting a memeber of your family. You are simply much safer to not have any firearms in your home.
Follow the rules above and this cannot happen. Literally.
The chart is instructive but also a bit misleading. Switzerland and Swaziland are totally different regarding economy, education, political stability etc.
If the chart was limited to countries of comparable development status, i.e. EU and associated countries, 5 Eyes Nations, Japan, it would show a linear relationship between deaths and gun ownership.
My understanding of the gun ownership thing here is that after men have completed national service they are given a gun to keep at home because they are effectively reservists for the rest of time. Maybe a Swiss national would be kind enough to confirm or correct this.