From the article:That night, when I went to pick Markie and Jennifer up, I was running late due to heavy rain and traffic. The sitter had to go to her evening job and left her 11-year-old son in charge for just a few minutes. In that short window of time, the son found a gun in the closet, loaded it and began playing with it. Markie startled him when he walked in the room and ended up shot in the heart. My five-year-old Jennifer had to call 911. I raced to the hospital and was surprised to find the TV news already there. The doctors told us his injuries were too extensive they could not repair his little heart. He was gone. We had lost our son and soon realized another mother was on the verge of losing hers as well. The 11-year-old was like a brother to my son and this had been a horrible accident. He spent the summer locked away in juvenile detention. After months of pleas, he was finally released with probation to get the counseling he needed. But, even now, his scars are still there some 16 years later. He has a burden no child should have to carry and this is the knowledge he took a life of someone he loved. When we interviewed the sitter we noted the house was spotless, plug covers were in the electrical outlets and safety gates were in the doorways. We asked about emergency procedures, and foods they would be served due to the kids allergies. However there was one question I never even thought to ask and that was: Is there a gun in the house? The statistics make it clear why asking the question can save a childs life: Nine children and teens are shot each day in gun accidents.
Posted on: Sun, 22 Jun 2014 04:58:15 +0000
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