An Accidental Shot

By: Angela Gillaspie © January 31, 2001

There is a veil of sadness surrounding my small community today. Tuesday afternoon, three brothers, aged seven, eleven, and thirteen returned home from school; the younger two kids were playing with their dad's hunting rifle, and the inevitable happened. The gun went off in the youngest child's hand and his eleven-year-old brother lay dying.

This isn't a new story. Numerous times the news media reports that a child finds a gun and is injured or killed.

Why do we continue to be shocked when we hear of this type of tragedy? The loss of such a young and innocent life is horrible enough, but the real shocker is that we just aren't learning from other people's mistakes. By now, you would think that folks would figure out that an unattended gun = death.

If you have a gun, unload it and place it in a safe place. Don't think to yourself, "Oh that would never happen to me."

I'm sure the parents of the now deceased fifth grader thought their three sons were safe at home. They planned for each of their children's futures without any worry that one of their children would become a shooting statistic.

Now these parents must pick up the pieces and face a world without their middle child. They must plan a memorial service and select a casket, headstone, and burial plot. They will visit his school to retrieve his books, artwork, and class pictures. They won't be able to hold this precious child in their arms ever again. The youngest brother will no longer have someone looking out for him and the oldest brother will no longer have someone following in his footsteps.

This family must now say good bye. They are left with memories and the unbearable pain of losing a child, a brother, and a friend. I'm sure the pastor presiding over the funeral service will remind them that there's a place where they will see this child's smiling face again; he's Home - he's free.

Please learn from this tragedy - don't allow this senseless event to happen again. As a mother of three young and active kids, I know that it is impossible to watch my children 100% of the time. I can't lock them up in a room until they reach adulthood, yet I can lock up my guns.

It is possible to learn from the mistakes of others. Don't allow an accidental shot to shadow your own town with sadness.

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