Here we go again.
Sometimes, I sadden myself. I feel like I have become so desensitized by the parade of violence on nightly newscasts that when I hear that another child has been killed, it often goes unnoticed to me. These events turn up in the news reports so often that many times it really is easy for me to ignore it and often it leaves me unaffected.
But this time, it’s different.
This time, when I heard the news that a 10-year-old girl from Vancouver had been accidentally killed by her older brother, I was left shocked and saddened. This time it stopped me dead in my tracks. This time I paid attention.
The Oregonian reported that on Jan. 13, Emilee Randall was accidentally shot in the head by her 13-year-old brother Matthew with his father’s gun while their parents were out of the home. The gun was located in the master bedroom, unattended, on a high shelf .
To make matters worse, Matthew was already on probation for unlawfully possessing a firearm in 2001. He broke probation by possessing this firearm and is currently serving his full 30-year sentence.
It gets even worse. The father of Emilee and Matthew is Craig Randall, a Clark County sheriff’s sergeant. The gun used in the accidental killing was his duty gun.
This story upsets me beyond belief for many reasons. Of course, it is sad that any innocent child has to die much before her time should run out. But it is even more depressing when this situation could have easily been avoided.
The problem here is guns.
As one could easily notice from recent events, children and guns just do not seem to mix, often resulting in many tragic instances. One that is near and dear to Oregon natives especially: the Thurston High School shooting of May 21, 1998. When these acts are brought home, however, it can evoke different views from people. And this case is no different.
I am personally appalled by the fact that there was a gun left unattended in the house of this sergeant. As a man of the law, I would think he should have known better than to leave his gun unattended and that this wouldn’t have had to happen. Although there is currently no policy with the Clark County Sheriff’s Office regarding storage of guns, Craig Randall should have taken action and responsibility to prevent Matthew from getting a hold of the weapon. Whether a safety lock was to be in place, or purely locked in storage, anything could have possibly prevented this tragedy.
Sure, the parents may have trusted their son, but with a background such as his, a “better safe than sorry” method needs to be taken. I can imagine that this family is sorry now.
Although the damage has clearly been done, I hope that as a society, we can finally learn from this. How many children have to die? How many families have to suffer with this great loss of a loved one until we finally get a clue? Guns are dangerous — period.
It is time that, as a nation, we put away our “it won’t happen to me” mentality. It has become clear that a certain level of responsibility needs to kick in. I am not arguing that the possession of guns should be criminalized — it is our constitutional right and a privilege as American citizens. But with this privilege, responsibility must be taken to prevent children dying in the manner of Emilee Randall — through the carelessness of gun owners.
It is easy. Let’s not let these accidents happen, and let’s prevent them in the first place. Be safe — take responsibility.