On New Year's Eve, 2007, Zenon Fernandez of North Miami, Florida decided to celebrate by shooting off his gun. He took his Glock handgun and shot into a discarded couch outside his apartment complex. Unfortunately, 11-year-old Joshua Arroliga was playing a game of hide-and-seek with his friends and was hiding behind the couch. Joshua was shot several times, including once in the head, and was killed.
Fernandez was sentenced today to 10 years in prison. At his sentencing Fernandez once again apologized to Joshua's family, saying it was an accident and he had no intentions to harm anyone.
"I don't know how you can classify this an accident," Joshua's mother replied, "A person who pulled out a gun and shot - it didn't shoot by itself. Somebody shot it and that was him."
Since the shooting Miami-Dade officials have stressed to the community not to turn to the popular tradition of shooting guns in the air to celebrate the New Year.
Ohh shoot.
When a gun "accidentally" goes off, it is negligence. This is reflected in a change of terminology during the last few years- what used to be called an "accidental discharge" is now referred to as a "negligent discharge". Among responsible gun owners, there is no illusion as to who is responsible when a firearm discharges. That said, no change in gun design would have changed the outcome of the Fernandez/Arroglia shooting. The part that malfunctioned was, as we say, "the nut behind the butt". It is unfortunate that people will have to shoot themselves, strangers, their children, and then serve prison sentences for it to learn the lesson. But in this society where everyone from politicians and athletes to "parents" and common criminals all do whatever they can to lay blame anywhere but where it belongs, what will help produce good people and productive citizens is the painful lesson that ACTIONS HAVE CONSEQUENCES.
ReplyDeleteIt's remarkable what happens when you treat people like adults and demand personal accountability.