9-year-old girl shot after relative mistakes her for skunk

[ileus]

This discussion thread was locked as off-topic by krispos42 (a host of the Gun Control & RKBA group).

http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/10/21/14598776-9-year-old-girl-shot-after-relative-mistakes-her-for-skunk?lite


A 9-year-old Pennsylvania girl was shot in the shoulder with a shotgun at a Halloween party Saturday evening by a relative who mistook her for a skunk, a Beaver County dispatcher confirmed to NBC News.

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What is the largest skunk you've ever seen?


Hope she makes a full recovery.

[phantom power]

1. I'm trying to imagine a scenario where this happens without alcohol involved...

drawing a blank.

[sarge43]

5. Some sort of chemical additive

Poor kid. Good thoughts and vibes for her.

[Decoy of Fenris]

6. Imagine seeing a skunk wandering towards a potentially outdoor Halloween party.

You know, a party. With groups of people. And children.

I can see where such a shot would be fired, but that does not excuse improper target identification before pulling the trigger.

Hope the girl heals swiftly, and that the shooter has learned a lesson.

[brewens]

2. We have a lot of skunks in my area and maybe twice in my 50 years have I ever

gotten close enough where I'd have gotten a shot at one if I'd happened to have been carrying a shotgun. One of those times it was a semi-tamed skunk a 'hermit" friend of mine lets hang around. I'm not sure it would be a good move to shoot one with a shotgun if you get that close anyway! Just the odds against it being a skunk should have told the guy to not shoot. Even all the times you smell on in the neighborhood, you never see it.

[lunasun]

3. I once saw a white skunk with a black stripe but was not in US

dont know if color swap was a mutation or climate/environment factor

did not shoot at it though......why would you shoot a skunk ?so it would stink at you which i would think could happen before dying? for dinner? rabies? sat nite fun?

[liberal N proud]

4. Lesson learned - don't dress up as an animal for Halloween.

They must grow really big skunks in Beaver County.

[Remmah2]

7. Dumb Ass.

I've had several close encounters with skunks. We both went our separate ways. No harm done to either of us. Skunks are like guns, some people have an abnormal phobia about them.

The only stinky skunks I've encountered were ones by the roadside who performed the last great act of defiance. (Not my road kill either.)

[gejohnston]

8. who eats skunk?

what are chances a pellet or two would hit the scent gland?

[Glaug-Eldare]

9. Some folk'll never eat a skunk, but then again some folk'll

Seriously, though, I hope that poor girl is whole in a hurry. When guns are involved, mistakes can cost lives. I'm reminded of a cautionary tale I heard from an instructor in Hagerstown. A hunter was tailing a buck, saw him at the top of a hill, and took the shot. He missed, and the bullet arced over the hill and struck a house on the far side, barely missing a baby in its crib. The moral of the story? Be aware of where your bullet will go if you miss!

[xfundy]

10. The largest skunk I've ever seen?

I hear tell he's gonna be aiming his stench at the President tonight.

[Atypical Liberal]

11. I had to double-check to see if this was an Onion article.

Apparently, the girl was wearing a black-and-white hat, so this made her look like a skunk?!?

Since when do skunks levitate 5 feet off the ground?

There is more to this story, I'm sure.

[discntnt_irny_srcsm]

12. Well I recollect...

...seein' a giant huge opossum right after losin' 4 days time 'n bein' captured by aliens. See I's tryin' ta take a short cut home. I had sold off three sets a antlers and 2 huntin' dogs before refinancin' my loan to the taxi-dermist. BTW she is sure a nice lady, but not one ya' wanta cross. Anyhow, after meetin' wit' her down ta' the waffle house, I was drivin' thru a buncha fog near the swamp. Next thing I know it's daylight, I'm sittin' on the wrong side of truck and I'm parked on the shoulder. I git out the truck 'cause there's a note on ma winda. The note's from the sheriff 'n says that my truck's bin abandoned. When I look 'cross the road there's a opossum walkin' inta the trees 'n this feller's bigger than some a my remainin' hounds.

It wer'n't a skunk 'n I guess Florida's bit far from Pennsyltucky but I jest had to let ya' know there's some right big critters of most unusual size around from time ta time. The good news is I got that note form the sheriff framed 'n hung on the wall in the fishin' cabin. Ya see sheriff Judd is ma heero! He 'n his men killed that ther' no good Angilo Freeland 'n ever'since jest thinkin' 'bout da sheriff always brings a smile ta my face.

I jest can't remember them aliens or what happened but when I think 'bout it, I often fall asleep.

[gejohnston]

13. something we all agree on

http://www.thetruthaboutguns.com/2012/10/daniel-zimmerman/irresponsible-gun-owner-of-the-day-something-stinks-edition/#comments

[krispos42]

14. Locking

Sad as this is, it's not really covered by the SoP of the Group. Try GD, Outdoor Life, or the Pennsylvania Group.

Regards,
Krispos42, Group Host