Sunday, April 14, 2013

Toms River Tragedy Highlights Need for Gun Safety

Local news reports

In the days since a 6-year-old boy was killed accidentally in Toms River by a 4-year-old playmate, a handful of people have come to Cyrus Seervai’s Jackson store, hoping to buy combination gun safes.
“Most of the time, you will find gun owners are pretty responsible,” said Seervai, owner of Pineland Sporting Goods. “But, every now and then, one or two might be a bad apple.”

On Monday evening, a 4-year-old boy found a loaded rifle in his home and brought it outside, where he was playing with Brandon Holt of Toms River. A single bullet struck Brandon in the head. He was pronounced dead Tuesday.

The Atlantic County Prosecutor’s Office, which is handling the case because the shooter’s family has ties to Ocean County law enforcement, had not filed charges in the case as of Thursday.
Seervai sells combination safes for $300 to $3,000 and gun locks for as little as a few dollars, he said.

Sherman sells combination safes for $70 to $150, handgun lock boxes for $35 to $75 and biometric fingerprint impression safes — which can be opened only with the fingerprint of the owner — for $325 to $400, he said.

I suppose in Arkansas gun safes are ten times more expensive than in Jersey.  Isn't that what you told us, Greg?

And did you catch the reason for the foot-dragging in the investigation?  That's how they do it.

What's your opinion? Please leave a commenty.

6 comments:

  1. Typically, Mikeb, you insist on being deceptive. Those cheap safes are easily portable. The ones that can't be moved by just picking them up are the several-thousand-dollar models. Besides, the control freak standard for a safe is one that is bolted to the house.

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    1. Yes, Mike. They even called it a "lock box". That is child access prevention- not theft prevention.

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    2. As Greg and TS have pointed out, these are cheap models that do little to prevent theft. Heck, some of the "biomentric" models can be opened with a paperclip and next to no picking skills (reset button accessible with paperclip, or a simple latch to move).

      This is why, when we've had previous discussions, we've asked you to tell us What kind of rules you want for safe storage. We've pointed out other laws that required large, bolt in safes that DO cost $1,000's of dollars. We've asked if you would go that far, or if you would accept these low end lockers, or if something else in the middle is the standard.

      You have ignored our questions every time, opting, instead, to call Greg a liar, and then to stop responding on those threads.

      So now, I challenge you: Tell us what is the proper level of security for your idea of safe storage. If you don't, we might as well just ignore everything you have to say on the topic, because you won't be doing anything to foster discussion.

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    3. Some kind of safe should be required. When the proper authorities enact the law, they will determine exactly what standards to set.

      You guys want the right to keep the gun under your fucking pillow if you want to. That has to stop.

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    4. In other words, trust that the government will get it right. Do tell, Mikeb, when has an unsupervised and arbitrary government ever done that?

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    5. What is a "safe"? If it is designed to hold one handgun, and it can be picked up and carried, is it still a safe?

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