This week has seen a rash of negligent firearm discharges and general stupidity with guns.

Starting in Elkhart, IN, a 15-year-old was accidentally shot by a friend. Police are still investigating, but the victim is dead and the family now gets to bury them.

In Chicago, a 16-year veteran of the PD negligently shot himself at O’Hare Airport during a “training” event of some sort. Details, of course, are sketchy, and will most likely remain so until the storm blows over and the media’s excitement focuses elsewhere.

Jacksonville, FL – A boy (age unknown) is in critical condition after being shot by a sibling. Few details, but do we need to more in order to take it as a cue to those who have children in the home to lock up all guns that are not under direct adult control?

In Ionia County, MI, two brothers, both in their late 20’s, were deer hunting when one mistook the other for Bambi and seriously wounded him with a shot from a muzzle-loading rifle.  This should make for fun conversation over the holidays.

A 41-year old woman in Phoenix, AZ, negligently discharged a shotgun, hitting her own 13-year-old son. As reported, she juggled it while trying to break up a fight in front of her apartment building and ND’d.

A Bloomington, IN, man was arrested for chasing after a stolen car (his own) and firing 13 shots at the thief.  Now, that’s what you get from skimming the headline, but, wait! There’s more.

He saw his vehicle get stolen, so he jumped into his girlfriends vehicle and chased down the stolen car at a local gas station. That is where he fired the shots.

The car thief took off, unharmed, and still in the stolen car.

Police arrested the shooter and charged him with criminal recklessness with a deadly weapon, brandishing, and carrying a handgun without a license.

There is no way in the wildest of imagination one could claim any form of self defense in his actions. At no time did the car thief present any threat of death or grave bodily injury to the innocent. This was gun stupid on a galactic scale, and it will cost the shooter dearly.

In Pennsylvania details emerged this week from a November 1st incident where a  2-year-old child got a hold of his dad’s gun, which was sitting on a nightstand next to him as he slept. The child’s mother attempted to take it away, and the pistol discharged as she tried to grab it.  She was shot in the thigh and will recover. The father has been charged with reckless endangerment and endangering the welfare of children. Instant access safes, people!

An 11-year-old girl was shot and killed by her father when he was attempting to unload a .40 pistol while target shooting in Greenville, SC. His last words to her as she died in his arms were, “I’m sorry, baby.”

I’m sure he is.

Frankfort, NY – Another hunting accident. A 20-year-old man was shot and killed by a second person in his group.

And, yet another “hunting accident” in Dodge County, GA. An unnamed juvenile returned home from hunting and ND’d into a 17-year-old in the house, killing him.

A North Carolina “firearms instructor” unintentionally shot himself in the leg while re-holstering. This is incredibly common, and re-holster ND’s constitute about 90% of range accidents.

Kentucky – Two State Troopers discharged a personally owned rifle into the ceiling of their apartment, nearly hitting the granddaughter of their upstairs neighbor.

Watch these professionals!

Topeka, Kansas – According to police, somehow a man managed to accidentally inflict more than one wound to himself. No real details on this one.

A security guard in Florida shot and killed a 62-year-old woman while he was handling his gun on duty. His employer at the video gaming establishment provided the pistol to him, but didn’t provide a holster. Do we even need to go any further?

Comment

Folks, this is in no way an exceptional week of accidents in America. In fact, this wasn’t even close to all of them.

I’m not sure what will have to occur for us all to start taking this subject seriously. We don’t get, to use the golfing term, a Mulligan from our accidents. There is no taking them back – there is no “do over.” Securing our guns from unauthorized hands is 100% our own individual responsibility. When we handle our firearms, how we do so is 100% our own individual responsibility. When we unintentionally/negligently discharge our firearms, it is 100% our own individual responsibility.

We’re either serious, or we’re not.

If you’re not serious about it, I certainly know what will get you serious: A round through your hand, a round in your child, your loved one’s funeral, or 20-years in the state penitentiary.

I suggest you get serious before any of that occurs.