No matter which side of the gun control argument you're on, a tragedy out of Virginia is sure to give you pause. Cops say a 13-year-old boy was out hunting with his dad when he shot what he thought was a deer. Sadly, what the teen hit was actually his own dad, and the shot was fatal.
That's right. A child killed his own father. Right now Sansford Ray Semones' death is being termed "accidental."
Some accident, huh?
My heart breaks for this boy and for his family too. This is the type of accident that will haunt this boy as he grows up, follow him forever. It will hurt his family immeasurably.
This is one of the facts about guns that can't be denied. A mistake with a gun is likely to have implications that reach much farther than the effects of almost any other type of mistake.
That's not to cast aspersions on this child. He had taken a hunter safety course, and his hunting license was current. Even the idea that he thought dad was a deer is explained -- Semones wasn't wearing blaze orange, which would have made it obvious that he was a human being.
Still, we can be sympathetic to this family's tragedy, fully understand how an accident could have happened, and yet be circumspect about how we treat gun-related accidents, can't we? We can move forward using this new information ...
We must acknowledge that even without malice, the fact that these incidents happen is evidence of the power of guns and the rather tenuous control we have over that power. All it takes is one tiny mistake, and the results, well ... they can be as catastrophic as a boy killing his own father.
What is your takeaway from this type of gun story?
Image via donjd2/Flickr
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Comments 28
It's NOT a gun story. It's a tragic death story. Clearly mistakes were made, likely by not following safe hunting practices. It has nothing to do with the gun.
My cousin died this way at 13 in the 80's. Last year a boy in brother's class, he was 16, was hunting and accidentally, fatally shot himself in the artery of his leg in front of his g/f.
Tragic and horrific accidents and it will never change my view about guns.
my takeaway? that it was a tragic accident. the boy took hunters' courses and was certified. his dad wasn't wearing orange (as he should have been). it's terrible, but has nothing to do with gun control.
Well.... maybe people shouldn't go out killing animals, and then they wouldn't kill eachother.
I thought it was law (at least in Kansas) that deer hunters must have a certain amount of blaze orange on their body.
I would say that the takeaway here is to always mind your hunting safety rules and regulations.
Wow, Jaz. Your reading comprehension skills need improvement. billsfan was calling this blogger out for her unwillingness to address deaths of non-whites. billsfan finds it indefensible that the blogger appears to only care about the gun deaths of white children.