Re: Guy accidentally kills his 7 year old son...
Let me start by expressing my condolences to the family. As the father of a young son, stories like this have a visceral impact. I don't like hearing them, but while often unpleasant, learning from the mistakes of others sure beats personal experience when it comes to matters of life-and-death.
Part of the problem is the way that this article is written:
<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:</div><div class="ubbcode-body">A man's handgun went off while he was holding it as he got into his truck in the parking lot of a western Pennsylvania gun store Saturday, and the shot killed his 7-year-old son, authorities said.</div></div>
<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:</div><div class="ubbcode-body">He was attempting to get inside and reached to put the handgun in the center storage console when it fired, they said.</div></div>
Both of those sentences, being written in the passive sense, make it seem as if the handgun discharged by its own free will. It didn't; someone loaded a round into the chamber, and then someone pointed the muzzle at a child, and then someone pulled the trigger. Human activity, not mechanical malfunction, was at the heart of this tragedy.
Four rules, people - drill them home whenever you get a chance. As the saying goes, the life you save may be your own.
