Last week, Michael Payless, 33, sat watching television in his home with two of his children. Then, in a split second, he was dead from the bullet of a gun. Behind the trigger -- his 3-year-old son.
According to police, the boy found a loaded handgun lying nearby, and picked it up, and accidentally discharged it. His father was pronounced dead at the scene.
The story is so heartbreaking on so many levels. For the children who lost their father, and for their mother who lost her husband and will now be faced to raise her children alone. But mostly I ache for this 3-year-old boy. How do you live your life knowing that you shot your own father?
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Sure, he'll be told it was an accident, that it wasn't his fault. But will he ever truly be able to accept that and move on? I hope so. I hope he -- and his entire family -- get the kind of support and counseling they need to deal with such a tragedy.
Perhaps most heartbreaking of all, however, is how easily all of this could have been avoided -- if only a loaded gun hadn't been lying around. There are few details, and it's not clear whose gun it was or why it was in the home, but I can't think of any explanation that would justify it.
Nothing can undo this tragedy now, but others can learn from it. I'm not someone who seeks to ban guns, but with the right to bear arms comes the incredible responsibility to treat them with the utmost care, and never ever put them anywhere a child could potentially get a hold of them. Ever.
Do you have guns in your home? What measures do you take to keep them from your children?
Image via Westside Shooter/Flickr
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Comments 90
When I was growing up there were guns all over our house. My dad was a collector. I'm not sure if he ever locked them up. Quite frequently one sat by our patio door so he could shoot woodchucks or other pests. There was a handgun in his sock drawer. I never once tried to play with ANY of them. Neither did my brother. I do not remember any distinct conversations about gun safety in our home, but I was well aware that I should not play with them and I never wanted to.
I never implied that the man was not at fault, nor did I blame the child... Yeah he made a mistake but killed himself? No he didn't. I could make the mistake of driving downtown late at night and being hit by a drunk driver. Does that mean I killed myself? It is judgemental people like this that make me dislike people in general. Yeah the dad messed up but instead of focusing on his mistake pray for the family is all I was trying to say.
Yet another winner of the Darwin Award! Yeah, we have guns in our house, and we have a daughter who's almost 5. She already has started learning about gun safety and will continue to learn and will very likely fire one someday. My husband's family is a hunting family and all the children are taken out to hunt from a very young age. I would much rather my daughter know about the gun and gun safety than try to hide it and not teach her anything. Much safer that way should she ever end up at a friend's house that is not so careful about locking up firearms.
There doesn't need to be an explanation for why there is a gun in the house or all this commentary about no guns. The gun was not the problem. Humanity has had weapons in their possession since we were capable of wielding tools. These parents were sadly, grossly negligent to leave it where their child could gain access to it and for that child to not already have developed the knowledge that it was not to be touched. Kids are capable of learning if the parents take time to teach. Clearly these parents were not doing any of the necessary things to protect.