Bizarre, Criminal law, Society

Sheriff Finds No Basis for Charges After Boy Shoots Himself With Gun Left By Parents Behind Christmas Tree

In Cortez, Colorado, police are not going to charge the parents of a 12-year-old Colorado boy who shot himself after playing with a loaded pistol left by his parents behind a Christmas tree. Montezuma County Sheriff Gerald Wallace insists that he does not see any basis for a charge in the case.

The boy shot himself in the calf while playing with the gun. The parents had left for work when he shot himself. Wallace insists that the parents had left the .22 pistol a reasonable distance from the child . . . behind a Christmas tree. God knows that the last place parents would expect a child to explore would be behind a Christmas tree.

For the full story, click here.

19 thoughts on “Sheriff Finds No Basis for Charges After Boy Shoots Himself With Gun Left By Parents Behind Christmas Tree”

  1. What a pity junior didn’t “welcome” home Dad with a “big surprise” instead.

    I have no problem with weapons as long as the families shoot each other – Darwin award winners one and all. Actually, shooting a “loved” one is what happens most, isn’t it??

  2. flipkid,

    I admire the sentiment. Handguns are like nuclear weapons – they have unpleasant side-effects but can’t be un-invented. Basic gun safety (and trigger locks if you have children about) is the only way to address this kind of problem. Banning ownership? Well. Marijuana has been criminalized and look how well that turned out. Anyone having a problem getting weed? Other than being forced to deal with criminals who charge too much? No.

    And that’s exactly what would happen if you banned guns.

    Personally, I kinda like Chris Rock’s take on it. Give away guns. Charge a $1000 per bullet. And even that wouldn’t work.

    Some toothpaste cannot be put back in the tube.

  3. You’d have to be nuts to slide down millions of strangers’ chimneys into their living rooms at night without carrying a loaded gun in one of your red and white furry pockets. Just sayin’.

  4. The parents were more than wrong to leave this gun lying around while loaded and of course, in the worst place.

    And shame on them for not teaching their 12 year old son proper gun safety.

    I am in agreement with Jason on this one..

    Why should there be restriction on private gun ownership? That would only affect the law abiding citizens. Criminals would still get guns.

    When alcohol was outlawed, did people quit drinking?

    From Wikipedia
    “The “Volstead Act”, the popular name for the National Prohibition Act, passed through Congress over President Woodrow Wilson’s veto on October 28, 1919 and established the legal definition of intoxicating liquor.[1] Though the Volstead Act prohibited the sale of alcohol, it did little to enforce the law. The illegal production and distribution of liquor, or bootlegging, became rampant, and the national government did not have the means or desire to enforce every border, lake, river, and speakeasy in America. By 1925, in New York City alone, there were anywhere from 30,000 to 100,000 speakeasy clubs.[2]”

    And if you think people can’t make their own guns, then you obivously have not read the FOXFIRE books on how this can be done

  5. Flipkid-

    Short of an out and out ban, which I think most agree is never going to happen, what restriction would have prevented this incident? Laws already in place should have been enough to deal with these idiots, but it appears that the justice system failed to do so. They also obviously ignored basic safety rules that aren’t on the books.

    A law requiring a gun to be locked up at all times is impossible to enforce and greatly hinders any self-defense value it has. I suppose such a law could punish them after the fact, I just don’t think that has much value as a deterrent. Stupid people will do stupid things. The outrage should be directed at the institutions that already have the power to do something and refused to do so.

  9. maverratick–

    Santa doesn’t carry no stinkin’ gun. That NRA logo you see on the side of his sleigh doesn’t stand for National Rifle Association–it stands for Nimble Reindeer Aerobatics.

  11. And yet there are still those who will insist that our society is NOT obssessed with guns and that there should be NO restriction whatsoever on private handgun ownership.

    I can only wonder how many other handguns these fine, upstanding citizens have stashed around their Cortez home…

  13. This is an unfortunate situation for all parties involved. I pray that a good outcome occurs.

  16. Oh there is nothing – NOTHING – about a Christmas tree that would attract children to play with it, in it or with what’s around it.

    Except EVERYTHING.

    I’m with you fellas. A neutering for the parents and a new job for the cops. And mespo has already pointed them toward Hollywood – where they can be paid to act silly and the SFX guys and stunt people keep everyone safe.

    If you’ve ever watched NCIS? These cops deserve the Gibbs Head Slap at a minimum. Bad cops. No donut.

    I’d also like to know where Child Services was during this dubious decision making process. Because clearly the cops were NOT looking out for the best interests of the child.

    Normally, I cheer when karma knocks some clown down just like a cheer when it raises the downtrodden. The potential price here? This is a net negative sum game. No one wins if this goes south.

    Someone needs to be making sure the kids are safe.

  17. I’ve got some exclusive footage of the investigation by the High Sheriff. Here’s the documentary I call “Cops – Montezuma County:

  18. These parents are dangerous and the Colorado authorities should be looking into whether they should be allowed to parent this child. The police need to question this officer more fully and disciplie him or send him packing. How in the hell can anyone think that a loaded weapon left where any child could get it is the right way to store this dangerous weapon? This child should be removed from these parents until they can show that they have a normal brain between the two of them.

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