CDZ USMB POLL: Woman shot, killed by two-year-old son - Who is responsible for this woman's death?

[QuickHitCurepon]

She simply needed to make the right choices, and she didn't. All the second-guessing in the world won't change that.

 

[QuickHitCurepon]

It was a freak accident.

That she was responsible for.

Of course.

 

[Asclepias]

She simply needed to make the right choices, and she didn't. All the second-guessing in the world won't change that.

That means she was irresponsible. Luckily the child didnt shoot itself.

 

[QuickHitCurepon]

The child was 2 years old.

The woman likely had her gun in her purse since the child's birth and may even have THOUGHT she done a very good job (so far) of teaching her child to leave her purse alone.

The child may have shown no prior signs of digging in his mother's purse.

Yes, she could have been operating under false assurance. Good point.

The mother may have actually believed that she was doing a good job of teaching her son to keep his hands to himself and to leave things (including guns) alone.

A great practice!

I'm sure that my parents and grandparents thought the same as I was growing up with full access to guns for my whole life too.

If we sat around here all day imagining all the trouble kids can get into and discussing tragic child deaths, we would all go batty.

Clearly, we don;t know or have all the details but we can assume that she probably didn't want to be shot - that she probably didn't want her child playing with her gun, etc.

From that, we can safely assume that she thought the gun was safely secured in her purse and she thought wrong.

In my view, that was a tragic mistake. . . but in that context it is not completely "irresponsible."

In my view, an error in judgement is not always an irresponsible act.

It was irresponsible but not an (deliberate) act.

 

[Book of Jeremiah]

A

(Reuters) - A woman was accidentally shot and killed at a Walmart store in northern Idaho on Tuesday when her 2-year-old son pulled a loaded handgun from her purse that then went off, a county sheriff said.

The 29-year-old woman was shopping at a Walmart in Hayden, Idaho, with the toddler seated in her shopping cart when the incident occurred, Kootenai County Sheriff Ben Wolfinger said in a written statement.

Who (if anyone) is responsible for this poor woman's death?

It was an accident. No one is responsible.

 

[Book of Jeremiah]

Did the gun even have a safety?

They were in a store when it happened. Where's the surveillance camera footage? Something about this story does not add up.

 

[Picaro]

(Reuters) - A woman was accidentally shot and killed at a Walmart store in northern Idaho on Tuesday when her 2-year-old son pulled a loaded handgun from her purse that then went off, a county sheriff said.

The 29-year-old woman was shopping at a Walmart in Hayden, Idaho, with the toddler seated in her shopping cart when the incident occurred, Kootenai County Sheriff Ben Wolfinger said in a written statement.

Who (if anyone) is responsible for this poor woman's death?

TRUMP!!!!!

 

[bodecea]

A

(Reuters) - A woman was accidentally shot and killed at a Walmart store in northern Idaho on Tuesday when her 2-year-old son pulled a loaded handgun from her purse that then went off, a county sheriff said.

The 29-year-old woman was shopping at a Walmart in Hayden, Idaho, with the toddler seated in her shopping cart when the incident occurred, Kootenai County Sheriff Ben Wolfinger said in a written statement.

Who (if anyone) is responsible for this poor woman's death?

It was an accident. No one is responsible.

This accident wouldn't have happened if this woman was responsible with here weapon.

 

[Kat]

A

(Reuters) - A woman was accidentally shot and killed at a Walmart store in northern Idaho on Tuesday when her 2-year-old son pulled a loaded handgun from her purse that then went off, a county sheriff said.

The 29-year-old woman was shopping at a Walmart in Hayden, Idaho, with the toddler seated in her shopping cart when the incident occurred, Kootenai County Sheriff Ben Wolfinger said in a written statement.

Who (if anyone) is responsible for this poor woman's death?

It was an accident. No one is responsible.

This accident wouldn't have happened if this woman was responsible with here weapon.

We all realize that.

 

[bodecea]

Darwin's Prize.

 

[Tresha91203]

Kinda think something is being made out of nothing. Overall it was an accident. We all know the definition of that.

It was a preventable accident. Careless drivers face charges when they injure or kill someone. What if her carelessness cost another (not herself) his life. The 2 year old is blameless, but if he'd shot and killed someone else's child, would the mother not be responsible?

 

[Faun]

(Reuters) - A woman was accidentally shot and killed at a Walmart store in northern Idaho on Tuesday when her 2-year-old son pulled a loaded handgun from her purse that then went off, a county sheriff said.

The 29-year-old woman was shopping at a Walmart in Hayden, Idaho, with the toddler seated in her shopping cart when the incident occurred, Kootenai County Sheriff Ben Wolfinger said in a written statement.

Who (if anyone) is responsible for this poor woman's death?

Whomever made a loaded gun accessable to the two year old.

 

[Chuz Life]

She simply needed to make the right choices, and she didn't. All the second-guessing in the world won't change that.

This gets to the point I tried to make earlier.

If a mom having a gun in her purse while she has her child with her is a "bad choice" then hundreds of thousands (if not a million or more) make that same "bad choice" every day. . . yet, tragic incidents like this one are not at all commonplace.

This is why I am still having a problem with saying she was "responsible" for her own death.

Yes, I agree that in certain aspects. . . that assertion is easier to make. However, when I look at the bigger picture, instead of the determination being easier to see? It becomes less clear for me to see, instead.

I'm still working on it and have been reading some good arguments on all sides.

 

[ogibillm]

The mother was negligent. She put her gun in a position to be taken and used by a toddler. She bears responsibility.

She also thought she needed to carry a loaded gun in her purse while shopping. Whomever sold her on that idea while not instilling in her responsibility and safety bears responsibility as well.

 

[Kat]

Kinda think something is being made out of nothing. Overall it was an accident. We all know the definition of that.

It was a preventable accident. Careless drivers face charges when they injure or kill someone. What if her carelessness cost another (not herself) his life. The 2 year old is blameless, but if he'd shot and killed someone else's child, would the mother not be responsible?

Of course it was preventable. I personally would never carry a gun in my purse that way, even with no child. But, it still was an accident. A very sad and tragic one.
Yes, I think the mother would most likely be held responsible if the child had shot someone else.

 

[QuickHitCurepon]

Kinda think something is being made out of nothing. Overall it was an accident. We all know the definition of that.

It was a preventable accident. Careless drivers face charges when they injure or kill someone. What if her carelessness cost another (not herself) his life. The 2 year old is blameless, but if he'd shot and killed someone else's child, would the mother not be responsible?

A careless driver had to be violating a traffic law in order to brought up on charges.

Until they make it illegal to place a purse with a gun in it down somewhere, what can you do.

 

[Tresha91203]

Kinda think something is being made out of nothing. Overall it was an accident. We all know the definition of that.

It was a preventable accident. Careless drivers face charges when they injure or kill someone. What if her carelessness cost another (not herself) his life. The 2 year old is blameless, but if he'd shot and killed someone else's child, would the mother not be responsible?

Of course it was preventable. I personally would never carry a gun in my purse that way, even with no child. But, it still was an accident. A very sad and tragic one.
Yes, I think the mother would most likely be held responsible if the child had shot someone else.

I don't really consider it an accident I suppose. When a drunk driver kills someone, I consider it negligence, maybe gross, or reckless disregard. I realize the drunk had no intention to kill, impaired judgement and may be a kind, wonderful person. However, if one's failure to consider other people causes injury or harm, then one is responsible.

It was certainly tragic and unintentional. It is a gunowner's duty and obligation to pay attention, just as it is a driver's. If you kill someone with your car because you are texting, it is your fault. It may be unintentional and tragic, and you may be Mother Theresa, but it is still your fault. There are things that are no one's fault, but I don't feel that this is one of them.

I've owned guns before. If it is in your car, LOCK THE DOORS. If it is in your purse, CARRY YOUR PURSE. If you have small children, make sure they CANNOT access it EVER. That is your responsibility to the rest of society. If you fail to meet your obligation, even for a moment, someone could be killed. If you are too busy or distracted or spacey to meet your obligation, do not buy a gun. Pepper spray is much more forgiving.

If my (non existent pit bull) mauls someone, it is MY FAULT (unless it was a trespasser) for not controlling my animal, even if said dog sleeps with my toddlers and has never been aggressive before. Some things come with risks and we know this beforehand. Unwillingness to address these issues does not absolve the responsibility, it just compounds the injustice IMO.

She was careless and reckless. It cost her her life, her husband a wife and mother to his child, her child his mother and potential mental health issues. If she had this day back knowing the outcome the first time, do you think she would make any changes? That is how gun owners should face every decision when they have their gun. They are required to make it a first thought, not an afterthought. Gun carriers don't get to opt for convenience without endangering others. They get to opt for safety. They made the choice to own and carry a gun, not the bystanders around them. They need to be damned sure they are not endangering bystanders. Otherwise, why would bystanders not have the right to decide gun ownership?

These are just my thoughts and not directed at anyone in particular. Please don't view as an attack. I grew up in hunting territory and a gun death is very rarely considered accidental by hunters around here. If you keep a loaded 22 varmint gun by your door, and someone uses it to (accidentally) hurt someone else, it is YOUR fault (gunowner's) just as much as the shooter and 100% if the shooter is a minor. If you shoot a hunter thinking it was a deer, it is YOUR fault. It does not mean you are a bad person. It may simply mean you made a mistake that turned out to be costly. Everyone makes mistakes. I've made some doozies. They were still my fault, even though no harm was meant.

 

[QuickHitCurepon]

The mother was negligent. She put her gun in a position to be taken and used by a toddler. She bears responsibility.

Negligent is a legal term.

Declaring her negligent would be very difficult to get a jury to go along with. It is certainly possible.

 

[ogibillm]

The mother was negligent. She put her gun in a position to be taken and used by a toddler. She bears responsibility.

Negligent is a legal term.

Declaring her negligent would be very difficult to get a jury to go along with. It is certainly possible.

she was negligent. the consequences of her actions were foreseeable and preventable with prudent care. it would not be difficult to get a jury to agree to that at all.

 

[QuickHitCurepon]

The mother was negligent. She put her gun in a position to be taken and used by a toddler. She bears responsibility.

Negligent is a legal term.

Declaring her negligent would be very difficult to get a jury to go along with. It is certainly possible.

she was negligent. the consequences of her actions were foreseeable and preventable with prudent care. it would not be difficult to get a jury to agree to that at all.

We will never know, because she is dead, and we can never know the outcome of a trial.