Toddler Dies After Mistaking Gun for Wii Controller

[Pirate1019]

link

Bets on scaremongering?

[Damocles]

Awesome parenting. Failed to properly store the gun with a toddler in the house and even kept a round in the chamber (since I'm assuming the 3-year old did not have the strength to rack the slide). I'm going to guess that the father will be brought up on charges.

...and what the hell game was that kid playing that used a mock pistol attachment? I'm guessing it wasn't Super Mario Bros.

[UnscathedFlyingObject]

I've never held a real gun myself, but I assume they're heavy enough that a child would have trouble pointing at herself and shooting. This case definitely needs to be investigated more.

[ZOM]

I've never held a real gun myself, but I assume they're heavy enough that a child would have trouble pointing at herself and shooting. This case definitely needs to be investigated more.

I have and you're right, I can hardly immagine how a 3 year old can hold it pointing straight to the head. Not to mention that pulling the trigger needs quite a bit of forcing too for such a young child.

[Elixir]

Old news but, this sounds really fake.

You're telling me that the father left a loaded gun, with the safety off, in the reach of a his child and his wife. On top of that, the mother, who was apparently in the same room, managed to miss the gun sitting on the table the whole time.

I'm calling bullshit.

[Dragoforce]

Videogames are bad, a redneck leaving a loaded gun in the reach of a baby is just a victim.... I also don't thinkt that that's what really happened, but the basis of the article is horrible.

[Acid King]

What a stupid asshole... the parent, not the toddler.

[neorichieb1971]

Guns are symbolic that we need protecting from ourselves as much as we do from others. Guns scare the crap out of me. I remember holding a machine gun at a school fete when the army turned up in their big trucks. I could of taken out the whole playground with just that one gun.

[xris]

Where did he get a white gun?
Yeah, I think this story is crap too. He is just making excuses, put anything within arms reach and a kid is grabbing it. Some pistols are pretty light and easy to shoot.

[Pirate1019]

Some pistols are pretty light and easy to shoot.

Maybe it just had a round in the chamber and no clip. Far fetched, but it would at least half-explain how the kid managed to wrestle it against her head and pull the trigger.

[BIL]

I'd read the wound was abdominal, earlier. I'll go find the article now. Really sad, in any case.

edit: here.

[Mortificator]

If this scenario is what really happened, the kid probably would've still shot herself even if she'd never seen a light gun before.

[brentsg]

The particular gun in question has an 8 to 10 pound double-action trigger. It would take a hell of a lot of work for a 3 year old girl to shoot herself in the abdomen with that.

The parents story is BS.

[Ed Oscuro]

...and what the hell game was that kid playing that has you playing Russian Roulette?

Killer7: Wii Edition?

Fixed btw

(I didn't read the bit about it being an abdomen wound, that maybe is more likely a mishap. Still seems odd, but more likely.)

[gameoverDude]

Some people are so moronic that maybe they need Captain Obvious to save them from themselves. How could Mr. Cronberger not have figured "I don't want Cheyenne getting a hold of this, so I should buy a gun safe or at least put it in one of the MANY places she can't reach"? Maybe gun license applicants should be tested more stringently on common sense safety procedures.

The father should be charged with negligent homicide. We don't need Laws To Protect Crimin- er, total gun bans. We just need gun owners to be responsible.

[Pirate1019]

How could Mr. Cronberger not have figured "I don't want Cheyenne getting a hold of this, so I should buy a gun safe or at least put it in one of the MANY places she can't reach"

In the words of a famous slashdot meme: RTFA

Cheyenne's stepfather, Douglas Cronberger, 32, owned a semi-automatic pistol that he normally kept in a secure location

He fetched his gun, which he usually kept unloaded in a cabinet

I'm not going to try to absolve him of any guilt, nor due I want to, but if you're going to vilify him, don't do it over assuptions.

[sven666]

looks like someone is getting away with murder..

(hint, its not nintendo)

[Mortificator]

Maybe gun license applicants should be tested more stringently on common sense safety procedures.

The guy probably wasn't tested at all. It varies by state, but you generally don't need a license to own a gun in the U.S.

[captpain]

Maybe gun license applicants should be tested more stringently on common sense safety procedures.

The guy probably wasn't tested at all. It varies by state, but you generally don't need a license to own a gun in the U.S.

Indeed. In Florida, you can buy and own a handgun, even going so far as to carry it in the center console of your car, without a license. You just can't concealed-carry.

[dmauro]

Now if the toddler mistook it for a Wii controller you'd expect the television set to be dead, not the kid. No reason not to bring video games into the mix though, the papers love to have some obnoxious hook!

[TriggerHeartExelica]

Who the hell leaves a loaded gun laying around with a child about???? I think they need to bitch slap the dad for being a dummy.

[AKRATEN]