Gun Tragedy Fundraiser For Family Of Dead 6-Year-Old Girl (53 guns found in home)

[onehandle]

A community came together Wednesday night to raise money for a local 6-year-old who died in a tragic gun accident.

"You hear the word numb a lot, the mind reels, and trying to relive events and look to the future for her other children,” said family friend Bronson Dillard.

Over Memorial weekend, 6-year-old Emily Lavender was accidentally shot and killed by her 2-year-old half brother. 53 guns were later found inside the home and Emily's stepfather could face several charges.

But veteran Charlie Waters says Emily's stepfather is devastated over it all. Waters stepped in to help the family after finding out Emily's stepfather served our country as a marine.

http://www.cbs47.tv/news/local/story/Gun-Tragedy-Fundraiser/Is8psI4dH0qjVxfwUpiT9w.cspx?rss=153

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

1. k for the "reaction."

[hlthe2b]

2. why can others not learn from these tragedies...yet they don't...

53 guns.... may as well have been 53 old time refrigerators that lock from the outside when closed.... sigh....

Poor 2-year old brother, who will have to live with this, even though everyone knows he's not responsible at that age. And, yes, I'm sure the stepfather is devastated, but damn.... why didn't he do the very minimum to protect those kids? How could he not have anticipated this COULD happen?

[eqfan592]

9. Actually, many people HAVE learned...

..because the accident rate with firearms has been steadily on the decline for many years. However, you are correct in that clearly some basic firearm safety steps were not take in this case that could have prevented this tragedy from taking place.

[CakeGrrl]

3. 53?

Not knowing how safely they're stored, I could say it's a wonder kids that age have survived, but a Marine ought to know better than to have a firearm where a 2-year-old can get to it. Shouldn't he?

[spin]

4. Yes! Even us old Air Force guys know that. (n/t)

[gejohnston]

5. There are collectors

Most like anything else. To answer your question, I have no idea nor do I know if they were loaded. This one pistol, unfortunately, we do know.
As spin mentioned Air Force knows better too.

[izquierdista]

11. And if they were cats?

Guns, cats, toenail clippings.....collecting easily crosses the line into obsessive compulsive behavior. In other words, nutcases.

[gejohnston]

15. If they were cats, the ammonia fumes would have killed both kids long ago

They may have been antiques. People collect stuff for their own reasons. Things that have a varied history and designs like guns, I could picture 53 being a fair number I guess. Either way, I'm not into pop psychology or making value judgement. I'm not a collector of anything. I really don't like having lot of stuff, so I can't wrap my head around my mother in law's McDonalds toy collection any more than you can about this guy's gun collection. The real issue is that he left one pistol with a round in the chamber in a place where a small child found it and resulted in a tragedy. He should and will be held accountable for that.
Nothing else is relevant to me.

[petronius]

17. If I recall another article correctly, many of the guns belonged to a relative of

the homeowner (adult son?), and they were stored at the house because the actual owner didn't have a gun safe.

None of it matters regarding the one firearm that was a problem, of course, except to further illustrate the need for 100% vigilance when it comes to safety...

[PavePusher]

18. So, where do you think the line should be drawn for gun collectors? 10? 20? 49? n/t

[izquierdista]

19. Collectors should run museums

Any more cats than can comfortably sit on your lap at the same time and you're running a kennel. Any more guns than you can strap to your body at the same time and still walk, and you're running an armory.

Collecting is a mental disorder ancillary to our consumer culture. The urge to collect and hoard is strong in the human species, for it evolved in times of relative scarcity, and those that could plan and hoard had an advantage. Since the Industrial Revolution and the invention of the mechanized factory that runs 24/7, hoarding has turned into a mental disorder and grist for the A&E network. Often the object collected is nothing more than a thing to anchor a memory, a souvenir of some trip or exploit or experience. Those same memories could be triggered by some digital photos or video, and you need not lose those memories to a thief or a flood or a tornado.

I don't collect shit any more. Sold the coin collection and the stamps that I had as a kid, found buyers for my grandmother's teaspoons, and I'm no longer tied down by my possessions. Collecting is an obsession that consumes more and more time as the items being collected need to be maintained. In the case of this collector, one of those items wasn't properly maintained (stored away), and a dead little girl is the result.

[rl6214]

20. Sounds like you have some serious issues

[Hoyt]

21. 20, 30, 53 guns is a serious issue too, one that seems to affect some here.

[eqfan592]

23. Maybe to you it's an issue...

...but to me, I see nothing directly wrong with it, so long as the firearms are stored correctly. Many firearms serve specific purposes and do some things better than others. For the avid hunter and/or target shooter, a fair number of firearms is going to be called for.

Not that I expect you to even come close to understanding this, but for those who are a bit more open minded, there it is.

[Hoopla Phil]

30. I've seen it posted here before, and I'm sure you have as well,

how a person involved with multiple shooting sports would have MANY different firearms. See, contrary to popular propaganda/disinformation, all firearms are not made with the singular purpose of ending human life.

[PavePusher]

27. Well, your remote tele-psychology aside....

you got nuttin... as I thought.

[Hoopla Phil]

29. I read a whole lot of opinion in that post. Fortunately one person's opinion

does not make law for the whole.

[lawodevolution]

24. Should we limit the number of books you can own also?

[Hoopla Phil]

31. Not the number. . .

just the type.


Do I really need the sarcasm thingy that goes up?

[ileus]

33. 53 is a good start....one should only be limited by their fun funds.

[gejohnston]

25. collecting and hoarding are two different things. And I

would not base my knowledge or opinions on one TV show.

[Hoopla Phil]

28. Ever seen a beanie baby collection?

Not "nutcases", just people keeping up with the latest and greatest - just like with collecting guns. The only real difference is the money spent.

[onehandle]

6. Mass unreccing a fundraiser for the family of a dead six year old girl.

Tsk-tsk.

[RSillsbee]

7. I think it's more a mass unreccing of your grave dancing NT

[eqfan592]

10. Bingo. nt

[cleanhippie]

14. WIN!!!!

[Euromutt]

26. There's a post I'd rec if I could (n/t)

[gejohnston]

12. un rec where? I see zero.

[RSillsbee]

13. It won't show less than zero

Skinner doesn't want to hurt anyone's wittle feelings

[LAGC]

16. Maybe onehandle tried to Rec his own thread?

Or expected others to?

Grave-dancing, indeed.

[Hoopla Phil]

32. A real fundraiser ad without the grave dancing might get you something.

tsk tsk on you for trying to politicize such a tragedy.

[RamboLiberal]

8. The IDIOT stepfather taught gun safety classes

MASSIVE FAIL for him.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=118x425948

[Hoyt]

22. Having known a fee supposed "instructors" -- I'd say it's quite common.

[Hoopla Phil]

34. Have any stats to back up what you "say"? I suspect that all you have is

(tragic though each one is) just anecdotal events/stories.

[Union Scribe]

35. You sure do 'know' a lot of convenient, nebulous and

unverifiable things about people you fear and hate, lol.