An emailer makes an interesting and valid point in regards to a brief in Sunday's paper about a man who shot and killed his own son. A version of the same story is here.
Please keep in mind guns do not fire themselves. They only fire when sufficient pressure is placed on the trigger mechanism. The exceedingly more accurate terminology used within the firearms community and profession is "a negligent discharge occurred." The bottom line is someone was being negligent in handling the firearm, thereby exerting sufficient pressure on the trigger to cause a discharge of the gun. 'Negligent discharge' puts the blame where it belongs: on the gun handler. "The gun went off" incorrectly puts the blame on an inanimate object that is not capable of making a decision: the gun.
There's no subject where readers pick apart language more carefully than with firearms. I don't necessarily think "to go off" is necessarily inaccurate, especially before an investigation of the incident is completed -- but duly noted.
Unintentional discharges of a firearm are NEGLIGENT discharges
Hello,
I am a firearms instructor. If the 3 rules of firearm safety are always followed, injuries and property damage will not occur. If you are not following the 3 rules of gun safety, the discharge is negligent.
The 3 rules of gun safety are:
1. Keep the firearm unloaded until ready to use.
2. Keep the firearm pointed in a safe direction at all times.
3. Keep your finger off of the trigger until ready to fire.
This tragedy and tragedies like it are heart-wrenching and my condolences go out to the families involved.
If the media would use the proper terminology, it could save lives by making the public aware that people are involved, much like with the use of automobiles. Saying the "gun went off" instead of "a person was injured or killed after the "negligent discharge of a firearm"" allows people to blame an inanimate object instead of focusing on preventing a future tragedy. It doesn't have to be about blaming a person, so much as preventing the next tragedy.
Firearms safety training is about preventing the next tragedy resulting from a negligent discharge.
Thank you.
Derek, would the Star wait
Derek, would the Star wait for a complete investigation before saying, for example, "a father allegedly backed his truck over his child?"
Or would the Star, pending the outcome of the investigation, say, "a child was run over by a truck?"
I am pretty certain the driver would be identified as having made the error, or at least as having been the one in theoretical control of the vehicle, when the accident occurred.
It's very rafe for vehicles to put themselves into motion; it's more common, though still very unlikely, for vehicles to suffer mechanical failures that remove the operator's ability to control or stop them.
The same holds true for firearms. Actual mechanical failures resulting in death or injury are exceedingly rare. Yet, reports involving accidents or deliberate violence with firearms have a tendency to assign blame to the firearms.
The person who wrote you expressed a very valid concern.
I hope I didn't come off
I hope I didn't come off sounding dismissive. All I meant to say is that journalistically, it would be best to wait till the investigation is complete before referring to it as negligent.