Guns in National Parks did NOT kill this 3 year old child. :: 09/12/2013

We occasionally peruse the local rag, as they are predictable in publishing articles that demonize firearms. We saw one there today, where a man tried to connect the dots between Congress authorizing carry in National Parks, and the unfortunate death of a 3 year old who shot himself. It was pure happenstance that the accident occurred in a National Park, but anti gunners are shameless in their pursuit of disarmament everywhere. We shot back a comment on line with the PG, and you can see the article, and my commentary here. Feel free to chime in with your own observation of the tragedy. http://www.post-gazette.com/stories/opinion/letters/guns-in-us-parks-702999/ Read on for my reply:

A firearm should not be any more accessible to a 3 year old than a power mower, Dad's straight razor, household chemical products, and so forth. All are likely to cause serious bodily harm, or even death. According to Government studies, accidental death by firearm ranks pretty low on list, holding steady at just under 600 per year. That is just under 600 too many. Parents who think that little kids can't pull a trigger should continue to read this. If you are squeamish, don't read it. The question of course is, how can a small child, lacking the finger strength to pull the trigger, shoot anyone, anything, but especially themselves? I taught this as a certified home firearms safety instructor, and have seen mothers of small kids nearly faint, vomit, or break down in tears. Dad's were not too far behind them. Kids imitate us, and imitate what they see on TV. Even a three year old knows that the trigger is the key to making a gun go boom. At three, however, they cannot know the awful consequences. Failing to hold the gun as you or I would, and becoming frustrated with the trigger, the toddler simply turns the gun around, places both thumbs inside the trigger guard, and pushes on the trigger until the gun fires--generally right into their face. That's the sad fact of the matter. So, what's to do about this issue? Every owner of a firearm who is not a prohibited person has a right to own a gun for whatever reason. Some, and fortunately damned few, forget that with every right comes an awesome responsibility. IF you don't secure your guns from your kids, and IF you don't safely store your arms, there are politicians at every turn who are ready to give you a Big Government solution. Why do you think its mandatory to fence in a swimming pool? Because too many knuckleheads were irresponsible and children drowned. Mr. Watson presents an argument that lawful possession of a defense pistol in a National Park killed this 3 year old. I'm not buying into that argument. Ignorance, apathy, and a curious child resulted in a senseless death. Other children are killed by the same 3 factors every year, and the instrument of death is generally not the gun. From the CDC "•The leading causes of injury death differed by age group. - For children less than 1 year of age, two-thirds of injury deaths were due to suffocation. - Drowning was the leading cause injury death for those 1 to 4 years of age. - For children 5 to 19 years of age, the most injury deaths were due to being an occupant in a motor vehicle traffic crash." There are those who absolutely will not listen to the NRA or other pro gun sources. I'm hopeful that those same people have no doubt about the credibility of the Federal Government. You can see the larger picture here http://www.cdc.gov/safechild/Child_Injury_Data.html and make up your own mind.