'Cleaning Gun' Killed Son, Authorities Say of 10-Year-Old's Death (VIDEO)
A father in North Carolina was cleaning his gun when it accidentally went off and shot his 10-year-old son. The boy was struck in the head and was pronounced dead at his home; no charges are likely to be filed, though authorities are still investigating.
Christopher Stanlane, 34, was sitting on the couch and cleaning the gun when it suddenly fired and shot his boy in the head, the Associated Press reported. Paramedics pronounced him dead at his home, and now his family is left mourning. Unfortunately, this is not the first time a gun cleaning has led to one's untimely death.
In 2011, Rachel Yoder, 15, was shot in the head while traveling in a horse-drawn buggy. At first authorities were puzzled by her death, but after a lengthy investigation, they discovered that a man cleaning his "muzzle-loading rifle" shot the gun into the air. The bullet traveled a distance of 1.5 miles and struck Yoder in the head.
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"In all probability, it looks like an accidental shooting," Holmes County Sheriff Timothy Zimmerly told the Associated Press at the time. "Obviously that makes [the family] feel a lot better than if someone might have been targeting the Amish or (if it was) a random shooting murder."
The gun-owner's family came forward and admitted to firing the gun, but no one was charged in the case.
The incident in North Carolina has only fueled debate about gun laws in the nation at a time when the debate is at its peak. Congress is considering a slew of gun laws that would require background checks and place other restrictions on ownership.
"Another example of a preventable accident. Never point a firearm at something you don't want to shoot and treat every firearm as if it were loaded are two rules that should never be ignored, and this is a prime example of why not," ConservativebyNature posted on the Huffington Post.
"The legal definition for this is negligent homicide," posed RHassell.
"No one should be allowed to own a firearm without having had a safety course first. This should never happen," FaceReality2 added.
Watch footage of the incident here:
