5-year-old Louisiana boy dead in accidental shooting

[billh58]

MARRERO, La. -- A 5-year-old child outside New Orleans has died after authorities say his 9-year-old brother accidentally shot him in the head.

Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office Commander John Fortunato says in a statement that deputies responded Tuesday evening to a report of a child shot at a Marrero home.

Deputies found 5-year-old Melvin Brady in a bedroom closet with a gunshot wound to his head. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

Fortunato says that according to a preliminary investigation, the victim and his 9-year-old brother were playing in the closet when the two discovered a handgun. As the older brother handled the handgun, it discharged once, striking the younger child.

At the time of the incident, the children were home alone.

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/louisiana-boy-dead-accidental-shooting/

Another tragic "accident" where the blame is being placed on a 9-year-old for "discovering" a gun and handling it. The right-wing gun lobby says that we don't need any more laws to prevent this kind of "accident" because it would lead to eventual confiscation of their precious. Should these "responsible" gun owners be allowed to keep their weapons?

The fact is that we DO need more laws to prevent this all too familiar kind of "accident." If responsible gun owners can't be trusted to keep their weapons out of the hands of children, then Eddie Eagle (and ILA/NRA propaganda) has failed and should be replaced with mandatory home storage laws for guns.

Vote for a Democrat who will vote for legislation to protect our children from the gun violence epidemic in this country.

[Fresh_Start]

1. we should give them a choice...you can have a gun in the house or a child in the house

which one is more important to you

[Ilsa]

2. Parents left alone a 9yo to care for a 5yo?

Child and Family Services need to intervene.

[3catwoman3]

4. These incidents should NOT be referred to as...

...accidents!

If a child can get his/her hands on a loaded gun, that is negligence. Pure and simple. End of story.

[billh58]

5. Mother cited after child dies in accidental shooting

MARRERO, La. (AP) — The mother of a 5-year-old Louisiana boy faces a child desertion charge after the child's 9-year-old brother accidentally shot him in the head, authorities said Wednesday.

Col. John Fortunato, a spokesman for the Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office, said 29-year-old Generra Brown was issued a court summons for the misdemeanor charge because she left the children unsupervised at a Marrero home before the Tuesday evening shooting that killed her son, Melvin Brady.

http://www.chron.com/news/crime/article/Officials-5-year-old-child-dies-in-accidental-9086445.php

Child desertion? Misdemeanor charge? This ridiculous charge obviously falls under the umbrella of "she has already suffered enough, so let's just give her a slap on the wrist." Bless her heart.

Allowing a child to be killed by another child with an accessible lethal weapon is at least manslaughter, and rightfully should be second-degree murder. Unless gun owners are made to be responsible with their deadly weapons, this kind of thoughtless tragedy will just keep happening -- all in the name of the precious Second Amendment as interpreted by ILA/NRA and the right-wing gun lobby.