Well, This Is What I Think

I do not pretend or propose to know what to do about gun control in America, and ultimately it is up to the citizens of that country, of course, but something needs to be done to stop tragedies like this happening.

New Jersey gun owners who know minors could have access to them are required by law to properly secure the guns. Securing methods could include using a container box or a trigger lock. Failing to do so could lead to disorderly persons offence, a misdemeanor.

It would be easy to yell “stronger penalties” for people who don’t keep guns safely under lock and key but then again, a family has lost their child. Another family has to live with the knowledge that a gun stored under their bed has killed another child. They must all be utterly devastated. I can’t see that punishing them further is going to serve any purpose.

So what is the answer? Education? Stronger controls? You tell me. I just know the current situation is not working. The sheer numbers of guns in that society means such tragedies are inevitable. At what stage does the “return” on having guns in society get outweighed by the negatives. I really don’t know. I just mourn.

Story begins:

A 6-year-old boy who was accidentally shot in the head by a 4-year-old playmate has died from his wounds, authorities said Tuesday night.

Ocean County prosecutor’s office spokesman Al Della Fave confirmed Brandon Holt had died but said he couldn’t provide further details. Toms River police Chief Michael Mastronardy said Holt was pronounced dead at 5 p.m. Tuesday, nearly 24 hours after the shooting occurred in a neighborhood that residents described as “very quiet.”

The 4-year-old, whose name was withheld, was not injured.

Prosecutor Joseph Coronato, speaking earlier Tuesday at a news conference, said the boy got the .22-caliber rifle from his home and it discharged accidently Monday evening. The children, whose families live in the neighborhood, were about 15 yards apart.

The younger boy’s mother called 911 to report the shooting, Coronato said.

Coronato said it was too early in the investigation to know whether anyone would be charged. He would not say who owned the gun or speculate on how the 4-year-old got it.

Mastronardy called the shooting tragic and said it affected the whole community, a sentiment shared by those who live there.

One resident said the two families had not lived in the neighborhood for long and she did not know them well.

“I’m sad for the children involved and their families, but I’m angry with whoever owns that gun and allowed a little child to get hold of it. A 4-year-old can’t load a gun,” said Debi Coto, who lives a few doors down. “I had just been telling my sister how nice it is to see kids playing together and enjoying themselves, and then this happens.”

Coto said the 4-year-old’s mother seemed very upset in the minutes after the shooting and appeared to be trying to comprehend what had happened.

The shooting came just days after a 4-year-old boy in Tennessee grabbed a loaded gun at a family cookout and accidentally shot to death the wife of a sheriff’s deputy and amid debate over gun control laws in the wake of December’s Newtown, Conn., elementary school massacre.

Copyright 2013 The Associated Press.