Gun blast shatters Lincoln newlyweds' 'perfect' life

[Omaha Steve]

http://www.omaha.com/index.php?u_page=2798&u_sid=10553228

Published Sunday February 1, 2009
Gun blast shatters Lincoln newlyweds' 'perfect' life
BY CHIP OLSEN
WORLD-HERALD STAFF WRITER

After the shotgun blast, Alaina Beasley screamed, fell to the apartment floor and cried to the shooter — her husband of three months — to call 911.

And then, in what were her final words to Josh Beasley, Alaina Beasley said, "I love you."


Alaina H. Beasley was shot Saturday night around 9:15 with a shotgun handled by her husband, Joshua M. Beasley, 21.


That's when the red-haired 20-year-old lost consciousness. Her 21-year-old husband frantically looked for their phone, did as his wife had instructed and called for help.

Then he grabbed a towel and pressed it to Alaina Beasley's bleeding right shoulder.

That is the account Josh Beasley tearfully gave in the hours following his wife's death in Lincoln early Sunday.

The two had spent the sunny, warm Saturday afternoon skeet shooting at targets near Pawnee Lake, a state recreation area about 12 miles west of downtown Lincoln.

FULL story at link.

[SidDithers]

1. Happiness is a warm gun...

Bang Bang Shoot Shoot

Sid

[slackmaster]

2. Four simple rules that should be taught in public school

1. Treat every firearm as if it were loaded.

2. Never allow the muzzle to point at anything you are not willing to see destroyed.

3. Be sure of your target and know what lies behind it.

4. Keep your finger off the trigger until your sights are aligned on target.

You have to violate two or more of these rules simultaneously to cause a negligent shooting. I learned them when I was 10.

[donco6]

7. Yeah, we'll get right on that.

But of course, then they'll just blame us for not teaching well enough.

:eyes:

[slackmaster]

10. I was fortunate to have a dad who had been a firearms instructor in the Navy

With the proliferation of families that grow up with no experience with firearms, it's becoming more common for people to grow up not having received proper instruction.

When you get it right, the rules become instinctive. I won't even point a broom handle at a person.

[wartrace]

19. Teaching kids "guns are bad" is negligece in my opinion.

Kids need to know what a gun can do to a human body. Kids need to be taught safe gun handling.

[TwilightGardener]

49. The very immaturity and lack of impulse control that defines children

makes teaching them "gun safety" a ridiculous concept--at least in terms of actually trusting them around firearms. Adults can't be trusted with firearms--look at this stupid dude who took a safety course and then disregarded it. Best bet is to never let children have access to guns, period, rather than hoping they'll remember how to "handle" it properly. These are creatures who can't be trusted with a glass of milk on the couch, or to wipe their own behinds properly.

[wartrace]

51. It doesn't HURT to teach them that guns can kill.

To simply tell them that "guns are bad" is asking for trouble. I would never advocate "trusting" children with guns, they need supervision in ALL aspects of their lives. If children are familiar with firearms they are less likely to try & find out why they are "bad".

[donco6]

32. In all seriousness, families grow up without instruction in a lot of things.

Budgeting, family planning, finances, driving a car . . . the list is endless. And for some reason, people think the schools can take ALL OF THIS on! It's just not humanly possible.

To top it off, I'm not kidding about blaming the schools for not teaching. If it DID become our duty to teach firearm safety, and a kid got hurt, suddenly all the liability shifts to us. WE'D be the one's getting sued when Dad shot Johnny's head off, because Johnny left a shell in the gun, and aren't those goddam schools supposed to teach them not to do that??

It's just not feasible. This is a responsiblity for a parent. If they aren't taking their responsibilities seriously, then they should keep their fucking dick in their pants. Literally.

[aikoaiko]

8. This guy was clearly negligent. Following those simple rules would have kept his wife alive.

Damn shame.

[SteelPenguin]

25. The most basic firearms safety

I learned it multiple times. I don't understand how people ignore these rules. I get the willies watching TV shows where people treat their firearms in contrast to those rules.

This guy apparently had taken as safety course weeks before and already was ignoring the rules.

How that shotgun even got back in their car without them ensuring it was unloaded is astounding to me. We always double check all our shotguns before we put them in the car, even if we're only going to be driving to a new spot.

it's a tragedy but it was easily preventable with the basic gun safety he must have just learned.

[Blue_Tires]

30. in most of these tragedies, #1 seems to be the most common culprit

i know some boys who need to tattoo these rules to their palms

[geckosfeet]

3. Cleaning a loaded gun. Happens way too often.

[Xithras]

5. And I will NEVER understand how.

I was taught from childhood that firearms should be cleaned with the bolt open, because that's the only way to clear the barrel all the way to the end.

A firearm cannot go off if the bolt is open. You also cannot be unaware of a round in the chamber if the bolt is open.

[apnu]

22. No shit, basic gun safety eluded this idiot. (nt)

[katandmoon]

4. And this kind of gun tragedy is far far more common (and likely) than blowing a housebreaker away

[bertman]

12. Not to say you're wrong, katandmoon, but what exactly are the stats on that?

[dysfunctional press]

23. they didn't have the guns for home defense, anyway.

they were skeet-shooters.

[jmg257]

26. Especially with a skeet gun. They both enjoyed shooting. Tragic loss. nt

[krispos42]

29. For every home invader blown away...

...thera are about 4,000 cases of somebody stopping an intruder or aggressor with a gun but without killing anybody.


Not firing the gun goes not mean the gun was not used, or effective.

[depakid]

39. and households with guns present are MANY TIMES more likely have a tragedy occur

than households without.

It's a matter of rational risk assessment-

[krispos42]

40. There are a few hundred fatal accidents a year

And a few hundred justifiable homicides a year plus several hundred thousands (perhaps over a million) defensive gun uses a year.


What's somewhat ironic is that the higher-crime areas of the country are generally also the ones that have the most intolerant attitude towards firearms.

[depakid]

41. Tragedies include domestic violence, suicides and miscellaneous incidents

http://aje.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/reprint/160/10/929?eaf

Bottom line- having a gun in the house increases the risk of a tragedy occurring- fear of people breaking in or doing harm notwithstanding.

[jmg257]

43. Having a gun in the house makes people want to kill themselves?

I knew a state trooper, who had guns, and he hung himself.

Odd, that. And still very tragic.


"Results show that regardless of storage practice, type of gun, or number of firearms in the
home, having a gun in the home was associated with an increased risk of firearm homicide and firearm suicide
in the home"

Brilliant! Hope they didn't spend a lot of money to come to that conclusion.

Hmm...Maybe next they can study if riding in a car increases your chance of being hurt...in a car accident.

[depakid]

46. The epidemiological study simply states that having a gun in the house doesn't make you safer

In fact, the opposite is true- and there are other studies showing that you or a family member is far more likely to die or be injured by your own gun, than you are to ever use it for self defense.

As I mentioned- it's a matter of rational risk assessment and management.

Same deal with swimming in the ocean- people are afraid of sharks, and shark attacks- though rare, get a lot of press.

Drowning is much more mundane- but that's far and away how most people die.

[jmg257]

48. "Risk assessment" says it all. I am sure "it won't happen to me" is major enabler.

Which is fine, as long as one does everything possible to MAKE SURE it doesn't happen to them. As tragic as the OP story is, hopefully it will cause some to review their own circumstances.

Like many other dangerous objects, plenty of pluses to gun ownership make it worth it...as long as nothing bad happens!

:toast:

[krispos42]

44. The suicide rate of the US is one-third that of Western European nations

Which is largely gun-free.

However, the study you cited is interesting, particularly this part of it:

A number of limitations should be considered when interpreting
the findings from this study. First, our study was based on
data from death certificates and proxy interviews.
The accuracy and completeness of information from these
types of data sources can vary. With death certificates, for
instance, there is the possibility of misclassification
regarding the cause or manner of death. In the case of proxy
interviews, knowing the outcome might have introduced bias
in assessing behavioral or psychological characteristics of
the decedent prior to death. The nature, degree, or direction
of recall bias among proxies reporting on violent deaths
versus nonviolent deaths is not known, however. Second, the
gun in the home may not have been the gun used in the death.
This possibility seems less likely with suicide, but, with
homicide, it is certainly plausible that someone brought a
gun into the home.

Third, it is possible that the association between a gun in
the home and risk of a violent death may be related to other
factors that we were unable to control for in our analysis. For
instance, with homicide, the association may be related to
certain neighborhood characteristics or the decedent’s
previous involvement in other violent or illegal behaviors.
Persons living in high-crime neighborhoods or involved in
illegal behaviors may acquire a gun for protection. The risk
comes not necessarily from the presence of the gun in the
house but from these types of environmental factors and
exposures.

Fourth, our analysis was restricted to violent deaths in the
home. The dynamics of homicides or suicides occurring in
other locations may be very different. However, the degree of
bias with suicide is likely to be small given that over three quarters
of all suicides (76.3 percent) in this nationally representative
sample occurred in the home; of those that occurred
outside the home, 52.7 percent were committed with a firearm.
Finally, our study focused on fatal outcomes for a sample of
decedents. We were unable to ascertain the risk of a nonfatal
outcome and were also unable to weigh the risk of a violent
death against any protective benefits of gun ownership.

[L0oniX]

6. What a stupid moron!

[seabeyond]

9. well.... i will simply be sad. sad story. n/t

[Raskolnik]

11. Jeez that's a sad story. n/t

[edbermac]

13. Read the end of the story on the link.

But Moore, Alaina's father, harbored no blame for her husband.

"We don't understand it," he said, "but we know God has a plan."

God has a plan, huh? :wtf:

[Raskolnik]

14. Yeah, what a bunch of jerks for trying to deal with shattering grief.

You should write them a letter and let them know how silly they are.

[Mosby]

16. denying human agency is a poor way to deal with grief.

[Raskolnik]

18. First, this grieving father was not denying human agency, he was trying to take

a small measure of comfort in the hope that a tragedy may be part of god's larger plan. You may not believe that, but no one is asking you to believe that. He isn't hurting anyone, and he is choosing to place the tragedy in terms he can accept. There isn't anything wrong with that.

Second, I believe that that taking whatever solace one can in a benign religious belief that tries to focus on hope and love rather than despair is probably a very positive way to grieve.

[Mosby]

20. "God has a plan" sounds like determinism to me

And this attitude is not benign, society at large suffers because people who deny human agency don't learn from experience or grow as individuals over time.

[Raskolnik]

21. I think you should write him a letter and tell him how foolish you find his beliefs, and that

society at large suffers from them.







edit typo

[michaz]

24. This family, as any other family in a situation like this needs to

do whatever they need to do to get through and survive. I know. When our 16 year old son died suddenly from an undetected heart problem God and my faith were one of my sustaining factors. This works for many of us and it is also my belief. Because it doesn't work for you is not my problem. Believe what you want but you sure as hell should not be making fun of others or criticizing their beliefs.

[Mosby]

27. I'm not making fun of anyone's beliefs

But I will criticize them when I think it's warranted.


Sorry to hear about your son, I can't imagine how difficult that must have been.

[renate]

31. I'm so sorry about your son

What an absolutely heart-breaking, devastating loss.

I share your beliefs, and I hope they brought you genuine comfort. :hug:

[old mark]

50. Sounds like plain stupidity to me. God wanted him to kill his wife? nt

[Occulus]

35. "no one is asking you to believe that"

Is that why I can't get married?

:yoiks:

"benign religious belief"

Not for me. Not by a looooonnnng shot.

[Raskolnik]

38. Oh please.

If you can explain why someone trying to take comfort in the belief that a the death of a loved one may be a part of god's larger plan is keeping you from getting married, please do so.

Otherwise, you're just changing the subject.

[SidneyCarton]

15. You're right, he should have howled unending vengeance

And flung him self at his son in law, determined to rip the man's throat with nothing but his rage and fingernails. There should be no forgiveness, no rationalization, no attempt to make sense of the senseless, just an unswerving acceptance of meaninglessness and nihilsm.

WTF indeed.

[theHandpuppet]

17. Good old God

Gets all of the credit but never has to shoulder any responsibility. Should we all be so blessed.

[Arugula Latte]

28. Yep -- What a good deal for the omnipotent invisible deity, huh?

One person is saved from the burning wreckage of a plane crash that killed dozens because god thought he was special. What a guy, that god. Screw those other people who died -- they probably did something to deserve their miserable deaths.

[donco6]

33. For some reason, it makes people feel better.

Don't ask me why.

[OPERATIONMINDCRIME]

47. So?

Try not to be such a jerk about others choice as it relates to religious beliefs. You don't do anyone, including yourself, any good.

[derby378]

34. In that case, Carolyn McCarthy shouldn't bitch about shotguns with detachable magazines

If a long gun of any type has a detachable magazine, it makes the process of clearing it that much easier. Remove the magazine, retract the bolt, visually confirm that the chamber is empty, done.

I feel so sorry for Josh Beasley. But he violated basic gun safety protocol. And his wife paid for his negligence.

[Aristus]

36. Ever notice: you never hear about knives going off accidentally?

Stupid shit. He had a beautiful, loving wife, but that wasn't enough; he had to have guns, too. I have a beautiful, loving wife, and no guns. And I'm happy with that arrangement.

[spin]

52. Out the front auto knives will slice the hell out of your hand if you're not carefull...

and some cheaper auto knives have been known to accidentally open in a pocket..ouch!

[Shardik]

37. What a terrible, unwarranted waste of life.

I used to skeet shoot and now am firmly in the stricter gun laws camp, but this wouldn't and couldn't be avoided by what I would like to see.

This is a tragedy and I am in sorrow for the families and freinds this young girl left behind.

[aikoaiko]

42. Adjusted Headline: He pointed shotgun at wife and pulled trigger.

I can believe that he did not intended to do that, but in the end, that is exactly what he did; unless the gun malfunctioned due to faulty parts or engineering (very unlikely).

eta: I put him in the same category as those who hit the gas instead of the brakes and injures or kills pedestrians - criminally culpable for their actions and consequences.

[anonymous171]

45. WTF is up with people cleaning guns while loaded? Who is that stupid? nt

[rollingrock]

53. Skeet shooting is an incrediby dangerous sport

I find it amazing that amateurs are allowed to do it.

[Vanje]

54. Not apparently as dangerous as......

as cleaning a shotgun.

[rollingrock]

55. He needs to shoot himself now

there's no shortage of macho idiots and their guns in this country


on edit: I don't even know if it was an accident.

Aren't you supposed take the bullets out before cleaning any gun?? Isn't that just common sense?
I find it really hard to believe any intelligent person could be stupid enough to fail to do that.

I wonder if there's a life insurance policy involved?