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submitted 1 week ago by MicroWave@lemmy.world to c/news@lemmy.world

An 8-year-old boy has died after accidentally shooting himself with a loaded gun left in a car while his mother was inside an Utah convenience store, police said.

The boy was alone in the car about 7:40 p.m. Monday in Lehi — a city about 30 miles south of Salt Lake City — when he shot himself in the head, Jeanteil Livingston with the Lehi City Police Department confirmed to CBS News. The incident occurred in a vehicle located in the parking lot of a Maverick gas station, police said. 

The boy was taken to a local hospital in extremely critical condition. He was later airlifted to a hospital up north and died Tuesday morning, police said.

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[-] solsangraal@lemmy.zip 126 points 1 week ago

Utah does not have any laws to penalize someone for failing to secure an unattended firearm and leaving it accessible to an unsupervised minor, according to the Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence. The state also does not require unattended firearms to be stored in a certain way or require a locking device to be sold with a firearm.

thanks to the "gun laws only hurt law abiding citizens!" crowd

[-] Iapar@feddit.org 77 points 1 week ago

The problem is not enough good 8 year olds with guns.

[-] Makhno@lemmy.world 35 points 1 week ago

Wombs aren't sending their best

[-] disguy_ovahea@lemmy.world 3 points 1 week ago

People are saying the seven year old has mental health issues.

[-] Noodle07@lemmy.world 2 points 1 week ago

That's what happens when a bullet goes through your brain

[-] ironhydroxide@sh.itjust.works 2 points 1 week ago

Utah wombs are trying to beat the odds though. So they've got that going for them. /s

[-] ASDraptor@lemmy.autism.place 31 points 1 week ago

Imagine being held responsible for what your firearms do if you don't secure them. We can't have that, I need my weapon to be always ready in case my kid wants to shoot themselves and die!

[-] TransplantedSconie@lemm.ee 85 points 1 week ago

I can't imagine leaving a loaded weapon unsecured because: I'm not an idiot.

I have them secured where they belong in a locked gun safe with the ammo in a different location secured in its own safe. It's not hard.

Now, this mom gets to enjoy the horror of seeing her sons brains blown out in the back of her car played over and over and over in her mind. Stupid fuck.

[-] JoMiran@lemmy.ml 46 points 1 week ago

I am going to guess that the loaded gun was in the car for "protection". You know, against the rampant carjacking epidemic currently crippling Lehi, Utah. /s

[-] Confused_Emus@lemmy.dbzer0.com 14 points 1 week ago

Ah, well at least the car wasn’t stolen. Gotta find those silver linings in every tragedy. (/s for the context-illiterate.)

[-] Smokeless7048@lemmy.world 13 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

yep, good thing the gun was there to keep her safe, i bet her son really appreciates that.

God these news articles, and the insanity in the USA, makes me angry.

In a woodworking group im part of, people show off their home made, wood gun racks, which are scary enough, but once in a while someone posts a picture of a full gun room, with hundereds of long arms on the walls. Often people say "i bet this guy is scared of nothin"

This guy is fucking terrified. I always compare it to a fire extinguisher: You go to a friends house, and they have a fire extinguisher in the kitchen, they are sane.

You go to a friends house, they have 6 fire extinguishers in every room, including the bathroom: they are terrified.

[-] TransplantedSconie@lemm.ee 11 points 1 week ago

Well she was probably republican so they see THE OTHER™ in every shadow.

[-] Kecessa@sh.itjust.works 32 points 1 week ago

I have them secured where they belong ~~in a locked gun safe~~ in a museum to teach people the wrongs of our past.

[-] Mr_Blott@feddit.uk 31 points 1 week ago

I can't imagine needing a loaded weapon because I'm not a fucking coward that's scared of my own shadow

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[-] Semi_Hemi_Demigod@lemmy.world 21 points 1 week ago

Unless idiots are allowed to keep fully loaded weapons within easy reach of children the government will start throwing us into internment camps.

/s

[-] SkyezOpen@lemmy.world 5 points 1 week ago

"Oh shit, Marvin shot himself."

[-] Treczoks@lemmy.world 2 points 1 week ago

I'm not an idiot. Many people aren't, but this is Utah. ..

[-] Blackbeard@lemmy.world 73 points 1 week ago

Wait, was he the good guy with a gun or the bad guy with a gun?

[-] Gimpydude@lemmynsfw.com 19 points 1 week ago

If he didn't have access to that gun, he wouldn't have died free

[-] wreckedcarzz@lemmy.world 5 points 1 week ago

I hate it when I need to die and there is a financial cost involved. Fine. pays $250; dies

But this little mf is being slick, taking matters into his own hands. Freeloader through and through.

[-] QuantumSparkles@sh.itjust.works 9 points 1 week ago

Well if he shot himself then he was clearly both

[-] wreckedcarzz@lemmy.world 4 points 1 week ago

Lawful neutral

[-] Dirk@lemmy.ml 59 points 1 week ago

Why the fuck does a mother leave her son with loaded gun in the car?

[-] tenchiken@lemmy.dbzer0.com 60 points 1 week ago

I bet I can name a few different bumper stickers that car likely has

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[-] originalucifer@moist.catsweat.com 27 points 1 week ago

if you own a ~~gun~~ human killing device, you are statistically more likely to die from it.

its just that simple. your ~~guns~~ human killing devices do not make you more safe.

[-] throbbing_banjo@lemmy.world 20 points 1 week ago

Clearly there's no realistic way to prevent things like this from continuing to happen. Fuck I love America.

[-] JoMiran@lemmy.ml 15 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

EDIT: Because the 2A brigade has shown up and god forbid anyone advocates for more safety features, let me clarify that the Glock uses a single action trigger which I erroneously called a hair trigger out of a desire to simplify. Goocks also have some safety mechanisms to prevent it from accidental discharge when drop or when casually handling it. They do not, in my opinion, go far enough. Anyone reading this does not have to take my or anyone else in this thread at their word. Do your research. I did not do my due diligence on Glocks and ended up with two pistols I dislike with a passion. Lesson learned. Also, I am not saying that mechanical safeties should replace proper gun safety and trigger discipline.


I own a number of pistols including Glock and Para-Ordnance. Para-Ordnance is now defunct but I believe their pistols included safety features that should be a requirement for all pistols sold to the general public.

First, let's talk about Glock. A Glock 17 is a 9mm pistol. It is extremely light and relatively cheap. It also has zero safety features. This pistol has a hair trigger and no safety. The moment you chamber a round, this weapon is hot and itching for an excuse to fire. I bought a pair and I hate them with a passion. They remain unloaded at all times except when I am at the range and literally getting ready to shoot. I might have them destroyed; I hate them that much.

My Para-ordnance pistols (Tac-Four LDA is my favorite) on the other hand have a number of safety features that help prevent an accidental discharge.

  • LDA (light double action): This is a type of trigger system. When the trigger is not cocked, you can pull the trigger and it will do nothing. It also means that no round is likely in the chamber. When you chamber a round, the trigger will cock but it still is not ready to fire. This is the difference between "double action", "light double action", and a pistol like the Glock. Double action is what you find in revolvers where, if not cocked, the trigger pulls back the hammer before it releases. This can be a very long and heavy pull which is why you see users cock their gun in westerns. The problem with that is that a cocked revolver back to being on a hair trigger before firing, just like a Glock. The LDA system "half cocks" the hammer so that the heavy pull is done with, but you still have travel time where the hammer is pulled back further before release. It is very unlikely that a user will twitch pull the trigger by mistake.
  • Thumb safety: This is a fairly common feature on pistols (absent in the Glock) where you can flick the safety on and off with your thumb. An engage safety will not allow the pistol to fire.
  • Grip safety: A less common feature (absent in the Glock) where a safety is engaged by default until your hand fully around the grip.

The Para-Ordnance pistols featured all three safety mechanisms I listed above. The Glock have zero safety mechanisms. None. Zilch. Nada. Para-Ordnance went out of business and Glock are one of the most, if not the most, popular pistols sold in the US. Nobody wants to pay for the extra safety features. I think they should be mandatory.

[-] prettybunnys@sh.itjust.works 20 points 1 week ago

If Kia can face a federal inquiry for not installing a “theft prevention device” than it’s amazing that gun manufactures aren’t raked over the coals for lack of safety devices and controls.

I mean I’m not surprised, gun rights matter more than kids right to life I suppose.

[-] Mammothmothman@lemmy.ca 7 points 1 week ago

Unless the kid is still in the womb.

[-] nate3d@lemmy.world 5 points 1 week ago

Not sure how much I buy this as anyone who can describe a stock Glock trigger as a “hair trigger” doesn’t understand what that term actually means nor do they have a basic understanding of gun safety.

Before ANY sort of mechanical safety is even considered - why the FUCK did this child have access to any firearm. A safety on a firearm was never designed to stop a user who is willfully trying to use the weapon nor is it a child safety device. To imply that’s how it should be used is irresponsible and I highly recommend editing your post to reflect this.

Do you also think we should ban garbage disposals because there isn’t a safety to stop my child from sticking their hand in it? What about a safety lock for the disposal switch? Will that save the child’s arm?

[-] JoMiran@lemmy.ml 14 points 1 week ago

Having mechanical safeties are meant as an add-on to gun safety, not a replacement.

[-] Thebeardedsinglemalt@lemmy.world -5 points 1 week ago

Not sure how much I buy this as anyone who can describe a stock Glock trigger as a “hair trigger” doesn’t understand what that term actually means nor do they have a basic understanding of gun safety.

Yeah, I stopped reading as soon as they said hair trigger with a Glock. Even after you rack the slide you still have a full trigger pull and it certainly isn't hair while still having a trigger safety lever.

[-] Sir_Kevin@lemmy.dbzer0.com 9 points 1 week ago

Way to go mom, wtf

[-] TheShadow277@slrpnk.net 8 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

Just regular normal things ig

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this post was submitted on 05 Sep 2024
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