Other People's Children and Guns

Guns are illegal in the United Kingdom. I know there are some exceptions, like for those in agriculture with shot guns, and perhaps pellet guns or air guns, but I don't know the specifics or the laws in the United Kingdom in regards to guns (if you are interested thee is some information here).

Although I am not against most of the gun laws here in the states, such as waiting periods, and required background checks, my thinking is that only law abiding citizens will follow the laws anyway. The criminals aren't going to. This always leads me to question what the laws are actually protecting. I do not support anything that would ban guns in America as this would only prove to keep guns out of the hands of those willing to follow the laws. Gun bans in other countries may have made it a bit harder for criminals to get guns as well, but for the most part, it hasn't kept them off the streets or out of the hands of those willing to use them for all the wrong things. (Examples here, here, here, and here.)

All of that being said, a recent article caught my eye. You can read the article here, but the gist of it is that someone famous, shot someone else, because they were being throughly stupid.

First of all, and probably the most irritating to me a a gun owner, is how do you NOT know your gun is loaded? When I pick up a gun, the first thing I do is check to see if it is loaded! Secondly, why was this gun pointed anywhere in the direction of anyone it could hurt? Unless you are planning on using it to cause harm, a gun should always be directed away from all living things! As the person in control of the gun it is your job to make sure that you watch for anyone who may unwittingly walk into its path, and warn them, or direct the firearm elsewhere. If you can't so this, no matter what the reason, you shouldn't have a gun. Lastly, guns don't fire themselves, and if you are not going to be pulling the trigger, get you finger off the darn thing. You NEVER place your finger on the trigger unless you are preparing to fire the gun.

Maybe one-time gun safety classes should be required for anyone looking to own a firearm? Sadly, the terminally stupid would be just as bad as the criminals and a safety course would not solve the problem. It is obvious that common sense just isn't that common.