Man kills stepdaughter, may have thought she was a burglar

[Judi Lynn]

This discussion thread was locked as off-topic by pinto (a host of the Latest Breaking News forum).

Source: CBS/AP

CBS/AP / December 23, 2013, 4: 02 PM

Man kills stepdaughter, may have thought she was a burglar

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - Police say a 14-year-old Colorado girl was killed by her stepfather after he fired a gunshot, apparently thinking she was a burglar.

According to CBS affiliate KKTV, the incident happened at around 6 a.m. Monday.

Colorado Springs police spokesman Larry Herbert said the girl's stepfather fired the weapon, but said it was unclear if he had in fact mistaken the girl for a burglar.
The station reports police got a call about a "burglary in progress"

The girl died after being taken to a hospital.

The stepfather hasn't been arrested and it will be up to prosecutors to decide whether charges should be filed. Colorado's so-called "Make My Day" law allows residents in many instances to forcefully defend themselves against home intruders.


Read more: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/colo-teen-killed-by-stepfather-who-thought-she-was-a-burglar/

[Eleanors38]

1. Posted without comment. How is this local news of national importance?

[maxsolomon]

2. ...she said, coyly.

hit alert and let's see what happens.

[Eleanors38]

7. What do you think will happen?

[maxsolomon]

10. It would be left alone

despite violating posting rules per your comment. See the comments below.

[Eleanors38]

34. I didn't post a SOP alert. Good to check the circuitry now & again...

so everyone can see the reasons for the SOP.

[brentspeak]

4. Of nat'l importance because gun nutjobs don't want the public

exposed to the truth about paranoid NRA-types who shoot to death innocent family members (and other people). This kind of thing affects every American citizen.

(Also, there's no requirement that LBN OP's post an accompanying comment).

[Rozlee]

5. The death of children by firearms in the US should be of concern to the nation

and to members of DU. 120,000 children have been killed by guns since 1979, more than the number of troops killed in Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan. In fact, almost twice the number.

[CTyankee]

15. NO KIDDING!

This is our national shame.

Any apologists should be ashamed of themselves.

SHAME. SHAME. SHAME.

[frylock]

9. think about it for a moment, then think about it again..

and then ask yourself why the fuck you even felt a need to comment on the thread.

[Eleanors38]

28. I did. I did. I did. Did you want an answer?

[frylock]

32. not really. i just like to pile on when someone posts stupid fucking shit.

[Eleanors38]

38. Another reason for the SOP: your post.

[savalez]

14. It is of National importance not to

shoot first and ask questions later.

[Eleanors38]

30. And every death-causing DWI is of national importance?

[Duckhunter935]

40. of course

[TheCowsCameHome]

26. Because it irritates the humpers.

[Eleanors38]

31. Ah! Right in line with the SOP.

[TheCowsCameHome]

42. See? It worked.

[ManiacJoe]

3. Violation of Rule #4

4. Know your target, what is behind it, and what is beyond it.

[Demobrat]

6. It's her own fault

for letting her mother marry a gun nut.

[Turbineguy]

8. Another child.

[AtheistCrusader]

11. Rule 4: BE SURE OF YOUR TARGET

"You never shoot at anything until you have positively identified it. You never fire at a shadow, or a sound, or a suspected presence. You shoot only when you know absolutely what you are shooting at and what is beyond it."

[CTyankee]

16. Is THAT what you have reduced this argument to?

Have you no shame?

[AtheistCrusader]

18. What argument?

I didn't propose an argument.

What he did was criminally negligent. People sometimes go to jail for that sort of thing. A response to the act that I wholly support.

Privileges come with responsibility. People like the idiot featured in the OP are a bigger threat to me, as a gun owner, than anything the so-called 'gun banners' might do. It's rare-ish, but it needs to stop. There is no excuse for what he did. Legal issues around negligence aside, what he did violated one of the four core rules of gun ownership.

He needs to answer for it.

[CTyankee]

24. We have a difference of philosophy about guns. You see "rules." You say "privilege."

I see and say no such thing. We are not civilized IMO with such thinking.

[AtheistCrusader]

25. I don't really care what you think.

I responded to the OP, and pointed out one of the four basic rules of firearm ownership, which was violated, with predictably tragic results.

You asked me a question, I answered it. You seem to want to gin up a disagreement about nothing, fine, talk to yourself about it.

[CTyankee]

27. Yep, like it's part of a Boy Scouts Manual on fire safety...and NO, I don't care if you don't like

what I think. But I'll say it anyway.

[AtheistCrusader]

41. I don't understand why you seem to want to belittle a comprehensive and useful rule set.

Those rules have contributed significantly to this stark decline:



One wonders what possible motive you could have for engaging in such behavior.

[CTyankee]

45. AH, the famous charts.

Look at the fabulous DECLINE in accidental firearms death rates.

Don't you think we are all aware of your "charts"? At long last, sir?

[Eleanors38]

39. What was the OP's argument?

[geek tragedy]

12. If only a good guy with a gun had been present

Another victim added to the NRA's body count.

[DisgustipatedinCA]

13. Gunners, what document of faith are you going by that contains Number Four?

I've seen two references in this thread to "#4", as in, 'he broke rule #4'. Whatever the case, this guy also broke #6 in a very old list of ten commandments.

[AtheistCrusader]

19. Here.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gun_safety#Rules_and_mindset

Every gun owner knows or should know these rules, and they've been around for decades. The tragedy in the OP is an example of what happens when you don't follow those rules. People get killed when you do that.

Under no circumstances should you discharge a weapon at a target you cannot identify.

[NutmegYankee]

22. No document of faith. Just the basics of safety usually taught in classes.

Every hunter can recite them since you have to take a safety class to get a permit for the first time.

[CTyankee]

29. well, you see it is probably taken from the NRA list document. How DARE you cite the

Ten Commandments? Don't you know that the NRA's list trumps that old thing?

[Duckhunter935]

44. From a Marine

John Dean "Jeff" Cooper (May 10, 1920 – September 25, 2006) was a United States Marine and the creator of what is known as "the Modern Technique" of handgun shooting, and one of the 20th century's foremost international experts on the use and history of small arms.

The rules of gun safety follow from this mindset. There are many variations, and one of them is the Four Rules introduced by Colonel Jeff Cooper, which are:

1 All guns are always loaded.
2 Never let the muzzle cover anything you are not willing to destroy.
3 Keep your finger off the trigger until your sights are on the target.
4 Be sure of your target and what is beyond it.
—Jeff Cooper

NRA rules are slightly different

The NRA provides a similar set of rules:

ALWAYS keep the gun pointed in a safe direction.
ALWAYS keep your finger off the trigger until ready to shoot.
ALWAYS keep the gun unloaded until ready to use.
—The National Rifle Association, The fundamental NRA rules for safe gun handling[2]

[savalez]

17. You would think that

a law that allows one to "forcefully defend themselves against home intruders" would not also cover non-intruders.

[AtheistCrusader]

20. Depending on how it's worded he might be in deep shit.

Since obviously the person he shot was not an intruder.

[angrychair]

21. WTF

first, how many and how likely are 6 am home invasions? They are not. There is more to this story...I'd dig into their relationship. Its more likely this was the gun-humper taking an arguement to far than a home invasion. What an asshat.

[anasv]

35. if you look at other news sources

She was climbing in through a window in the dark. Unless she had a history of doing that sort of thing, if it was my house, I'd assume it was a criminal as well.

[diabeticman]

23. Thanks to ALEC we now live in a country where it is shoot first use logic later.

[billh58]

33. Just another day

in the most armed, dangerous, and trigger happy nation in the civilized world.

[sheshe2]

36. "Make My Day" is a law in Colorado! (*)(*&%^*&#$#!@#*&(

Colorado's so-called "Make My Day" law allows residents in many instances to forcefully defend themselves against home intruders.

Un-effing believable!

[mbperrin]

37. I support a carefully administered death penalty.

This looks like one of those cases to me.

[Eleanors38]

43. You support the death penalty?

[pinto]

46. Very sad and tragic incident. Yet, a local news story overall. Locking.

Thanks for your understanding.