Mother accidentally shot dead by 2 year old son in Wal-Mart

[scottish]

A woman in the US state of Idaho has been killed after her two-year-old son accidentally shot her with a gun he found when reaching into her handbag.

The woman, named by the local sheriff's office as Veronica J Rutledge, 29, was shot in a Wal-Mart in Hayden, a town in Idaho's northern panhandle.

She had been shopping with several children at the time, a spokesman for the office said.

Officials said Ms Rutledge had had a concealed weapons permit.

She and her children had been in the rear of the store near the electronics area when the shooting occurred, they said.

The Wal-Mart closed after the shooting and is not expected to reopen until Wednesday.

Witnesses and video surveillance from the store helped officials determine the shooting was accidental, said broadcaster KREM.

The victim came from Blackfoot, a town in the south of Idaho, the sheriff's office said in a statement on Facebook.

'murica.

[-:Undertaker:-]

Surely she should've had the lock on that most(?) guns have.

Terribly tragic though.

[scottish]

Apparently not, I'm sure it's a few days (at least one day) old and that's all the information that's been given so most likely not, unless the kid turned the safety off and then shot.

[Empired]

It's possible he turned the safety off. Two year olds mess with absolutely everything. It's awful, yes, but that's why you don't take your gun with you to the supermarket!

[Samantha]

It's possible he turned the safety off. Two year olds mess with absolutely everything. It's awful, yes, but that's why you don't take your gun with you to the supermarket!

Doesn't that defeat the purpose of the 'concealed weapons permit' then? I don't disagree, but I think she should have at least had the bag with her knowing it contained a gun. Children will mess with anything they find, but it's expected of them. RIP though xxx.

[Chippiewill]

Well, at least she can no longer endanger other people with reckless gun safety.

[Brad]

Shocking. To think that down the road the child will be mortified by the fact that they were the one to kill their mother..
Sad thought.

[Empired]

Doesn't that defeat the purpose of the 'concealed weapons permit' then? I don't disagree, but I think she should have at least had the bag with her knowing it contained a gun. Children will mess with anything they find, but it's expected of them. RIP though xxx.
Yes :P I'm completely against any civilian having the right to own a gun as accidents like this will always occur.

And, as has been said, my main thoughts will be with the child. I hate to imagine what will be going through their mind in ten years when they have to face the fact they have killed their own mother.

[Samantha]

Yes :P I'm completely against any civilian having the right to own a gun as accidents like this will always occur.

And, as has been said, my main thoughts will be with the child. I hate to imagine what will be going through their mind in ten years when they have to face the fact they have killed their own mother.

Yeah I agree with that too, I can't see positives to carry weapons including guns. As for him growing up knowing that he was the one who killed his mum, I'd dread to think what it will do to him.

[sexpot]

Right because someone carrying a gun has never come to the rescue... oh wait no that's wrong.

Anyway, she should have taken better precautions to ensurde the baby couldn't get to the gun.

[scottish]

i'd like a statistic of Lifes saved due to anyone and their mum being able to own a gun vs lifes ended due to anyone and their mum being able to own a gun

[-:Undertaker:-]

Yeah I agree with that too, I can't see positives to carry weapons including guns. As for him growing up knowing that he was the one who killed his mum, I'd dread to think what it will do to him.

The positives? Being able to blow a hole in the chest of a scumbag who is in your house and could do god knows what to you and your family.

Much better fighting back than being bound up, crying and waiting for the Police to arrive to find your corpse on the floor.


i'd like a statistic of Lifes saved due to anyone and their mum being able to own a gun vs lifes ended due to anyone and their mum being able to own a gun

You don't save lives with guns, that isn't the point in owning a gun. The point in owning a gun is for self defence, so naturally if you kill somebody who was in your house or coming at you then they will be included in gun deaths: despite more or less being deserving of it/circumstances justifying it.

There's loads of stories all the time in America of people protecting themselves with guns from thieves and other criminals, just Britons and people in other countries don't ever get to hear it because the media won't broadcast it but will broadcast or print stories like this where something tragic happens.

Here's a story of a 73-year old lady on her own who shot at the walking pondlife breaking into her house: http://www.myfoxatlanta.com/story/26347762/73-year-old-woman-shoots-intruder-in-lilburn

[xxMATTGxx]

Now that kid is going to grow up and realise he shot and killed his own mother.

[Samantha]

The positives? Being able to blow a hole in the chest of a scumbag who is in your house and could do god knows what to you and your family.

Much better fighting back than being bound up, crying and waiting for the Police to arrive to find your corpse on the floor.



You don't save lives with guns, that isn't the point in owning a gun. The point in owning a gun is for self defence, so naturally if you kill somebody who was in your house or coming at you then they will be included in gun deaths: despite more or less being deserving of it/circumstances justifying it.

There's loads of stories all the time in America of people protecting themselves with guns from thieves and other criminals, just Britons and people in other countries don't ever get to hear it because the media won't broadcast it but will broadcast or print stories like this where something tragic happens.

Here's a story of a 73-year old lady on her own who shot at the walking pondlife breaking into her house: http://www.myfoxatlanta.com/story/26347762/73-year-old-woman-shoots-intruder-in-lilburn

You could say that about every country, but they don't all need a gun law for intruders do they?

[-:Undertaker:-]

You could say that about every country, but they don't all need a gun law for intruders do they?

Indeed, and what happens to you then depends entirely upon the madman in your house. Unless you are lucky enough to be strong enough to fight back: and bad people usually don't target people they think will fight back, they'll go for the weak and the vunerable like the bullies they are.

Personally I would like to be armed so that at least I have a chance should such a scenario ever happen to me.

- - - Updated - - -


Now that kid is going to grow up and realise he shot and killed his own mother.

Interestingly King Juan Carlos I (now abdicated) of Spain shot his brother by mistake (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juan_Carlos_I_of_Spain#Brother.27s_death) when they were younger which is probably the most famous example of a mistaken shooting. I guess it depends on the person how well they cope.

[scottish]

get a baseball bat.

[Empired]

Undertaker this story was not about a poor defenseless woman protecting her loving family after two awful thuggish hooligans came into her house threatening to rip apart her and her family's lives, this is a woman who took her gun to a supermarket and left her toddler unsupervised with said gun. What are your thoughts on that?

I think this story is one of the reasons average human beings should not be trusted with guns. There was absolutely no reason to take it to the supermarket and yet the woman did anyway. Who the hell needs to take a killing machine on their weekly shop?!

[Landon]

Anyway, she should have taken better precautions to ensurde the baby couldn't get to the gun.

I'm all with that thought. In my opinion, she shouldn't even have a gun around her child.