He was just playing with a gun and the gun went off

"A middle school student in Georgia was showing off a gun on social media when he accidentally shot himself in the head and died on Monday, his family said.

"Family members say 13-year-old Malachi Stephens traded his iPhone for a handgun just four days before the shooting, CBS affiliate WGCL-TV reports.....

"Family members consider the shooting an accident and believe the fatal incident would have been prevented if someone had spoken up.

" 'He did not kill himself,' said Bankston. 'He loved life, he was just playing with a gun and the gun went off… If somebody would have said something, maybe he’d be still here.' "
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/malachi-stephens-accidentally-kills-himself-instagram-live/

It sounds like a lethal combination of extreme stupidity and easy access to firearms. In how many other developed nations could a 13 year old easily trade an iPhone for a handgun?

 

Yeah, that universal background check would have stopped that trade.

 

Who decided to supply a firearm to a minor?

 

Probably someone who was not very responsible and law abiding.

The gun may have had several previous owners. At some previous point in time it fell into the wrong hands (maybe through the private sale loophole). A previous owner who couldn't pass a background check may have purchased the gun at a gun show. A universal background check could have prevented that from happening.

 

California has universal background checks. How did the Cedric the preacher get his weapon?

PS there is no loophole. The more you use the term the more you show how you ignore reality.

 

Unfortunately, people in California can travel to neighboring states with laxer gun laws.

 

minor, playing with a loaded gun?

parents should be prosecuted.

 

Then if the one who supplied the firearm to a minor was neither responsible, nor law abiding under the current standard, what difference would be made if they were not law abiding under a newer, different standard?

Just as it is possible that the firearm was stolen from its rightful owner in a home invasion. Until such time that the serial number is submitted for tracing, it is nothing but speculation.

 

If they didn't know he had the gun, why should they be prosecuted?

 

Which is a felony offense. Actually it is several felony offenses to commit such an act. It does not matter if such may be considered easy to do, it does not change anything. It is no different than claiming that the laws pertaining to murder are lax if one can hide a body in the middle of the desert and avoid detection for years.

 

why wasn't the gun locked in a safe?

why didn't the gun have a trigger lock?

why wasn't the ammo stored seperately?


I keep all my guns locked in a closet, trigger locked, with the ammo far away.

 

They don't have to. Even with all of their laws, criminals still get guns from California. The latest ATF report on firearm traces showed that 2/3 of the nearly 24k guns came from California.

 

Because some people are negligent and some people are criminals.

Edit: did you read the story?

 

if your child shoots himself in the head with your firearm, YOU should face penalties.

perhaps loss of firearms rights for 5 years

 

Because it was procured through an illegal transaction.

The firearm that was used came from someone else through an illegal transaction. How do you identify who was responsible for it?

 

did parents know about the gun?

 

What did the linked story say?

 

didnt read it

 

According to what is contained within the presented article, indeed they did not. According to the article, their first knowledge of the existence of the firearm was had after the minor shot himself with it.

 

http://www.slate.com/articles/news_..._leave_loaded_weapons_lying_around_never.html

https://newrepublic.com/article/121632/why-are-states-so-reluctant-prosecute-gun-negligence-crime

 

If parents had no idea he had the gun, they are not at fault.

but many times the parents leave guns out for kids to play with, and when that child shoots himself or someone else, the parent should lose their right to own a firearm for a few years

 

Answers to your questions are contained therein.

 

Except for the fact that such does not apply here. The firearm was not owned by anyone in the immediate family, but rather came from an illegal street transaction. Find the one who believed it was a sound idea to supply a minor with a firearm, and prosecute them accordingly.

 

Well, it's just shocking for the family and friends. A terrible accident.

Who was to blame? Who knows. Accidents will happen, though, if you have so many guns.

 

The one to blame is the individual who decided that it was appropriate to supply a firearm to a minor.