Thursday, January 1, 2015

Mississippi 14-Year-old Shot and Killed by his Twin Brother

Authorities say a 14-year-old Walthall County boy died after being accidentally shot by his twin brother.

Local news

Authorities say a 14-year-old Walthall County boy died after being accidentally shot by his twin brother.
Coroner Shannon Hartzog tells the Enterprise-Journal that Devin Bergeron died of a single gunshot wound to the chest after being shot at his home on Kirklin Road.
Hartzog call it a tragic accident.
He says sheriff's deputies have recovered the gun used in the shooting.
Hartzog says Bergeron, a student at Salem Attendance Center, went to Walthall County General Hospital by private vehicle, where he was pronounced dead by emergency room physicians.
How is it possible that in a gun-friendly state like Mississippi, a 14-year-old has a complete lack of gun safety? Who's fault is that? Is no one responsible for this outrageous incident?

15 comments:

  1. "How is it possible that in a gun-friendly state like Mississippi, a 14-year-old has a complete lack of gun safety?"

    Well Mike, the reason is that everyone just assumes everyone in a "gun friendly" state somehow automatically knows how to safely use a gun. Then you get people that get their firearms knowledge from Call of Duty or TV.
    The easy fix is training. In the schools. To include safe and responsible operation. In Minnesota, hunter safety training has resulted in dramatic decreases in accidental hunting injuries and deaths. Expanding this training can only benefit the general public.

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    1. No, I'm afraid that's not an easy fix. This idiot kid probably had plenty of training/advice/warnings all his life. Yet, like so many others who have had more than adequate training/advice/warnings, he turned out to be incapable of handling guns safely.

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    2. This idiot kid probably had plenty of training/advice/warnings all his life.

      An assumption apparently based on geography, of all things. How do we even know that he hadn't just moved to Mississippi, after spending his first 13 years in California, or one of the other occupied states?

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    3. He's a minor and the responsibility to teach about guns is his parents, especially if they have guns in their home. If you want gun safety taught in schools get the NRA to pay for it. Schools are already cutting more important programs because of lack of funds.

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    4. For that matter, Kurt, maybe he was an alien from another star system.

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    5. "He's a minor and the responsibility to teach about guns is his parents, especially if they have guns in their home. If you want gun safety taught in schools get the NRA to pay for it."

      The same argument could be used to object to sex ed/safe sex instruction in schools, but we seem to do that also Peter. You do make an interesting suggestion in regards to getting the NRA to pay for it.
      Many of the pro gun groups already spend a lot of money supporting firearms training, the largest being the NRA and the NSSF (National Shooting Sports Foundation).
      The problem being that people get the vapors even when gun safety classes are taught in a school classroom at no cost to the school. I recall there also being a lot of complaining about the safe sex education in schools too, yet we figured it out and implemented it in response to the HIV/AIDS "crisis".
      And a side benefit would be exposing children to the shooting sports, something which gun groups would love a chance at. I wonder who would complain about that aspect....

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    6. For that matter, Kurt, maybe he was an alien from another star system.

      I find your hypothesis considerably less likely than the possible scenario I offered, but you make my point regardless. The bottom line is that we know very little for certain about the young man (including, as you point out, what star system he is from) whose extremely poor judgment caused this tragedy. We certainly have no idea about how much gun safety instruction he'd ever received.

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    7. C'mon, Kurt, use a little honesty and common sense, I know it's hard for you. Most of these incidents are caused by people who have had plenty of training and instruction about safety. Yet they do these stupid things, proving that for some people, perhaps many people, no amount of training or education is sufficient to render them safe and responsible.

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    8. C'mon, Kurt, use a little honesty and common sense, I know it's hard for you. Most of these incidents are caused by people who have had plenty of training and instruction about safety.

      Present your evidence for this assertion, and I will then evaluate it, using my common sense. Then I will comment on my evaluation, using my honesty.

      Until then, I can only add that I still believe that he's probably from Earth. If not, I'm of course in no position to speculate on what kind of gun safety instruction he may have received on his home world.

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    9. I'm all for teaching gun safety in schools, especially since our society is flooded with guns. But we can't keep cutting taxes and expect schools to cover everything. All sorts of businesses (including the Arts) donate money to schools to make sure schools are teaching their interests, so should the gun organizations, if they are truly interested in gun safety.

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    10. "All sorts of businesses (including the Arts) donate money to schools to make sure schools are teaching their interests, so should the gun organizations, if they are truly interested in gun safety. "

      I agree Peter, and I think it would be a big plus for gun organizations. Considering the potential for both expansion of the shooting sports and the process of creating a new generation of people who are safer around firearms, you'd likely have lots of companies in line to kick in.
      There isn't really a lot of infrastructure except perhaps in large cities. The school trap league my son is involved in uses facilities owned by a local gun club.
      The biggest challenge I believe would be a faction who object to the concept of children being taught to operate a firearm in school. After all, we seem to have gotten to where kids are being suspended for improperly eaten pop-tarts, improperly pointed fingers, and horror of horrors possession of expended brass cartridges.
      I think it would be great to pull all of the gun groups in, look them in the eye and give them the plan. And dare them to say they aren't interested.

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    11. This is pretty spooky. After I made this last comment, I came across this article regarding allowing firearms training as an elective with the shooting to be conducted at a range off of school grounds.
      As you might imagine, and as I predicted, some people aren't happy with the concept and I bet you can guess which side of the debate they fall into.

      "Firearm training could soon be part of an optional curriculum in South Carolina schools, if a bill filed by Sen. Lee Bright passes.
      It’s called the gun safety program course.
      Under the bill, students would be given the option to take it as an elective.
      It would be taught off campus at a gun range.
      “It's something that as they get older and if they know how to handle the weapon then they can enjoy sportsmanship and also be able to defend themselves,” said Bright.
      Bright said it would be much more than target practice.
      The semester-long course would also touch on gun rights, and students would be given a history lesson.
      “Folks aren't as familiar with guns as they used to and the founding of the nation,” said Bright.
      Bright said he worked closely with the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division and Department of Natural Resources to write the bill."

      "How naïve,” said gun control activist Melinda Hoffman.
      Hoffman said passing the bill would be a dangerous decision.
      “We start introducing guns and we want to take them off site and I start saying to myself, Sen. Bright has an agenda. He has people that he's representing and it just seems very far-fetched,” said Hoffman.
      Hoffman said it's appalling a course like this would ever be offered to her grandchildren.
      “There is no way you can take high school kids and competently give them that type of intense training that takes years and years,” said Hoffman.
      Bright said lawmakers are still working out which grades would be offered the elective course, but said it would include public schools, private schools and charter schools."

      http://www.wyff4.com/news/firearm-training-could-be-taught-at-south-carolina-schools/30566342


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    12. "I think it would be great to pull all of the gun groups in, look them in the eye and give them the plan. And dare them to say they aren't interested."
      YES!
      When I was growing up the NRA was ALL about teaching gun safety and hunting (I took the classes). The gun argument is heated these days, but I really don't think the NRA's biggest concern is fearing the government wants to ban guns in America. Just a small percentage of what the NRA spends on lobbyists could fund those classes.

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    13. "the process of creating a new generation of people who are safer around firearms, "

      That wouldn't be the motivation for those who might support these programs. Their motivation would be to create a new generation of people who would buy guns and ammo when they grow up. That's usually the bottom line.

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    14. "Their motivation would be to create a new generation of people who would buy guns and ammo when they grow up."

      So its a twofer. Reduction in harm due to safer people while making a profit.

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