CLEVELAND, OHIO — A 1-year-old was shot and killed, presumably by a 3-year-old who somehow got his hands on a handgun. It’s a tragedy that we should never hear about because it’s a completely avoidable thing. The firearm was left unattended and accessible to the 3-year-old.
Cleveland Police Chief Calvin Williams vows to find out the responsible party and hold them accountable, as he should. Williams goes a step further, though, and points out what he sees as a bigger problem facing not only his community, but the entire country.
“This fascination that we have with handguns, not just in this city but in this country, has to stop. This is a senseless loss of life … and it’s directly related to guns. We need to really take a hard look at the things that we’re doing out there on the state, local, and the national level to get some of these guns out of our communities. Because nothing good ever happens.”
Where Williams fails to place 100% of the blame is on the gun owner him (or her) self because after all, that’s the only place the blame lies. This tragedy has nothing to do with the amount of firearms in the country, and has everything to do with an irresponsible gun owner. It’s that simple, and it’ll always be that simple.
A a responsible gun owner, I find it hard to comprehend how a child could ever get a hold of any firearm. How can this happen, and why does it happen? Usually, it’s a case of neglect and irresponsibility.
It’s a damn shame, too. Another irresponsible adult, a fellow gun owner, is directly responsible for the death of a 1-year-old child, simply because they couldn’t take the time to properly secure their firearm. THAT, Chief Williams, is what’s wrong. It’s bad judgement, it’s irresponsibility, and it’s in everything. Take a look at drunk drivers, for example. Who is to blame there? It’s certainly not the vehicle.
