Every adult in that house should face manslaughter charges.  Why was a gun anywhere within reach of 5 and 7 year old children?  What are these people thinking?

mnshadow53 you are correct and I totally agree.  We read this too often.  Prosecuters need to start prosecuting these adults to the fullest as if they pulled the trigger.  These guns should not be in reach of children, and there are always free locks being distributed to adults to keep their guns locked & secured, and the responsible adult can secure it in a safe place.

HELLOOOOO PARENTS???? WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU!!!! For starters why in the h*## do you  have a gun where children in the house even know about it much less be able to obtain it! Second, the parents should have been up out of bed preparing breakfast for those children. How long had they been awake without any of the adults knowing it!!!! smithtra and mnshadow you are so right when you say that EVERY ADULT in that house should be charged!!!!!  God help us all

Adults who fail to secure their firearms in a responsible manner should absolutely  be held accountable. Some states have laws which hold gun owners accountable for leaving a firearm accessible to a child. If a death is involved, they can be charged with a felony. Tennessee should be one of those states.

well those guns shouldnt been in the reach nor in  the  area off children charge alll the adults with murder because they was in the wrong now you have another child dead so for they took that child freedom the police should take those adults freedom  

THIS Is BAD, I MEAN REAL BAD, WHERE IN HEAVENS NAME WERE THESE ADULTS? ARE THE KIDS WATCHING THE KIDS? SEEMS LIKE IT! LORD HELP THIS FAMILY, THIS CAN'T BE UNDONE, BUT HOPELY SOMEONE CAN SAVE THE 7 YEAR OLD! SORRY, BUT THEY SHOULD HAVE TO PAY!

Well as always I will invoke everyone's anger here with the landslide of calls for "Gun Safety Laws"  Well folks I hate to break it to you but the states with the strongest "Gun Safety Laws" are, in general, the highest crime and highest juvenile gun fatality rate states AND ARE ALSO THE AREAS WITH THE LOWEST GUN OWNERSHIP.

Take our esteemed capital Washington D.C. as an example - you are not allowed to possess a pistol - any gun you possess MUST BE DISASSEMBLED and in a non working condition - and of course the homicide and juvenile homicide rate is one of the highest in the nation.  Exclude the tourist areas (where there are cops every 5 feet) and it goes through the roof ALMOST MATCHING NEW ORLEANS.

"Gun Safety Laws" are incurred on the populace as a whole by high crime communities.  Take Illinois for example - in the bulk of the state there is NO CRIME. One city (mainly) drives the crime and juvenile homicide rate Chicago.  As DC it is practically impossible to own a pistol. You have to have a FOID (firearms owner ID) to buy ammunition of any type. WHERE IS THE MOST OF THIS BS - CHICAGO. It is pitiful and is driven by the irresponsible behavior of a few.

Accidental firearms deaths are at an all time low. LET ME SAY THAT AGAIN - ACCIDENTAL FIREARMS DEATHS ARE AT AN ALL TIME LOW.

The statistics are on the DOJs website.  

Certain communities drive the bulk of "accidental gun deaths" and almost as a rule the communities with the highest rates of firearms ownership have the lowest crime rates and LOWEST RATES OF ACCIDENTAL DEATHS.

I don't want a bunch of people telling me how to "store" a gun in my house because segments of our population can't do it themselves.

Don't let the irresponsibility of the few allow a politician in your HOUSE.

AND FOR GOD'S SAKE IF YOU HAVE CHILDREN IN YOUR HOUSE TRAIN THEM AND USE A GUNSAFE IF NECESSARY.

I for one don't support any of these laws.  Flame away - I know I can't argue this with a bunch of people who think that laws will control the irresponsible behavior of idiots.  They will only affect the law abiding.

AND FOR GOD'S SAKE, IF YOU HAVE CHILDREN IN YOUR HOME TRAIN THEM AND USE A GUNSAFE IF NECESSARY! I TOTALY AGREE EAST MEMPHIS!

I have three gun safes in mine.  But then again I own a lot of firearms.  

I grew up in a house with dozens of unsecured firearms.  

I got my first BB gun at 4 and by the time I was eight I had every type of firearm (pistol shotgun and rifle).  (At 8 I got my Ruger Single 6 357 Magnum)  

But then again at 4 my father took me out, put safety glasses on me and without hearing protection shot a can of stewed tomatoes at about 10 feet with a full house 357 magnum load.  As I wiped off and stunned by the concussion he explained that the results would be the same on the area of my body the bullet hit.  It made an impression.  When other kids would come over he would lock up that room.

I knew one child who died from an accidental gun accident - one too many.  His parents never trained him or his brother what a firearm was (he was too "young") and during the riot scare after MLKs assassination his father loaded his shotgun and placed it out.  His brother shot him with it.  Do I think the father should have been charged - no - but I think it was entirely preventable.

REST IN PEACE LITTLE MAN.... IT'S NOT YOUR FAULT.. GOD BLESSES THE INNOCENT LITTLE CHILDREN... BLACK PEOPLE WE NEED TO WAKE UP!!! ALCOHOL,GUNS, AND DRUGS DON'T EVER MIX...REST IN PEACE TO THE MADEWELL DRIVE 1...WHERE'S THE DONATION BOX NOW?????? WAKE UP!

I agree with East Memphis on this one. More gun control laws won’t work. Neither does having a gun if it’s locked in a safe with a trigger lock on it. What are you going to do when you come face to face with a home invader? "Hang on there pal, let me go find the keys to my gun?” What we need is punishment for violating existing gun laws. The lady that dropped her gun last week and shot her child? She is only charged with a misdemeanor for not having a permit. What’s the use in having gun laws when the criminals aren’t held accountable for violating them?

Education and culture change is the only answer. Until everyone understands what it means to be an adult, things will never change

Laws of society don't matter to those who don't care about law or safety. For them education and cultural change only happens as a result of Darwin's Law of natural selection.  It's so sad that kids get caught in this too.

The ‘Parental Liability Act’, not to be confused with “Gun Safety Laws”,  makes parents responsible for their ‘irresponsible decisions/neglect’ . It does not matter what weapon the child had access to. When a child does something that causes injury or death to himself or another with a weapon, it is the parents responsibility.  As for “gun safety”, that should come under the heading of ‘common sense’.  A little “gun safety” and some common sense, by the parent/adult,  would have saved this child’s life.  

I agree with East Memphis and Dover both....gun safety is a common sense issue.  Unfortunately, common sense is not at all common.  Legislating gun control only hurts the law abiding citizen.  Most criminals aren't going to pay attention, right?  That's why they are called criminals!  However, in a case like this, I really believe the adults in charge should absolutely be held accountable!  THEY were responsible for the safety of those children.  THEY created an unsafe environment and a child paid with his/her life.  I don't care one lick about those adults or their "pain and sadness."  I just hope the older child gets help.  i cannot imagine how traumatized he is!  

I agree, Dover, Shadow, and East- common sense and personal responsibility will take care of many things.

And- people PLEASE- typing your whole post in all caps is considered YELLING/SCREAMING in online chats/blogs. Using it for certain words or phrases can be instrumental in showing emphasis, but to do so for your whole post tends to make people NOT pay attention to what you have to say.

This is one of the first intelligent things I've seen in awhile. They charged the dumba$$ who brought the gun in around the kids and left it. Idiot.

What a shame that two children's lives have been impacted in this sad way- one dead, one the accidental killer.

My sympathy to the family- even though one of them is an idiot.

News report - "According to the affidavit, Keveon’s uncle, Jerome Black admitted to police that he put the loaded gun under the couch cushion.  Police say the gun had not been secured by any safety devices to prevent it from firing."

------------------------------

BINGO Shadow!  There is that  Common sense that  IS NOT common!  Note – they did not report if the gun was registered or illegal.

Maybe they were screaming so that there voice could be heard!

Dover- I'll take that bet- who wants to vote it wasn't registered/legal and who wants to vote that it was?

I'll take not registered/legal- please.

Good morning my friends and illustrious leaders- Madames President/Vice President.

Married- well, as I find yelling in any form rude- they weren't being heard by me! ;-)

Hey married...those with intelligent opinions do not need to "yell."  Presumably, if we are posting here, we are all able to read.  

Morning Cat! My guess would be....the 'gun was illegal' also.

btw....if someone types with caps lock on.....I don't read it because I don't feel as if I need to be screamed at. ;-)

My vote:  illegal!

"   mnshadow53 said:
My vote:  illegal!"
__________________________________________________

Bingo

Point 1

For everyone's info here Jerome Black - DOB 10/27/1988 - the person responsible is 20 years old.  It is illegal for him to possess a handgun - that didn't stop him.

Point 2

11/01/2006 he was arrested for carrying a weapon onto school property - that didn't stop him.

Point 3

12/15/2006 he was arrested for robbery - that didn't stop him.

Point 4

It took until 04/23/08 to get him into criminal court on these charges - the city wasn't stopping him.

He was bent on being a criminal - more laws weren't going to change it - effective enforcemnet of the laws he broke and he wouldn't have been out to have the gun to kill the child.

An important blog related to this subject

http://community.myeyewitnessnews.com/blogs/speakup/archive/2008/03/18/2773262.aspx

I think he's just misunderstood. We should feel sorry for him. He didn't know he was breaking the law...

...yeah, right.

Unfortunately, the one who paid the ULTIMATE price was the dead child.

What always freaks me out is the bond is almost NEVER revoked or substantially raised in subsequent crimes - SOMETIMES IT IS LESS.

Case in point Brian Flowers. He was part of a team of three people who committed several armed robberies.  Aggravated robbery is a twitch away from murder.   Just one twitch by an untrained person holding a gun.  He got bonded out for basically 1000 dollars - got arrested again for dope - of course they didn't revoke his bond. He went on to be involved (in various capacities) in 12 more armed robberies as the AK-47 bandit who was terrorizing Orange Mound year before last.

They ended up dismissing ALL OF THEM.  Evidentily it was all a big mistake.  I wonder if some witnesses decided to fold up the tent and leave town.  Funny how that happens.

CATGIRL, I DON"T CONSIDER MYSELF AS SCREAMING,BUT  THAT'S YOUR OPINION, AND YOU HAVE A RIGHT TO IT. AND I PERSONALY HAVE A RIGHT TO MINE! SO DON'T PAY MY COMMENT'S ANY ATTENTION, THAT's "FINE" WITH ME! NOW ON TO MY COMMENT: I'M HAPPY THAT SOMEONE IS BEING HELD ACCOUNTABLE FOR THE DEATH OF THIS CHILD, MAYBE FROM NOW ON PEOPLE WILL START TO be MORE "RESPONSIBLE" WHEN THERE'S CHILDREN AND "GUNS" IN THE SAME HOME!

I think it should be law that every househould should have at least one firearm and everyone in that househould be trained in the safe and proper use of that firearm.  East Memphis has it perfectly right in the way his father trained him.  The adults in the home of that child's death are responsible for that horrible tragedy.  God bless them all.

Do you really think that "FROM NOW ON" blaa blaa blaa blaa...

Criminals+Guns+Children= TRAGEDY

It may take a generation or two but Darwin's Law of natural selection will eventually cleanse this city before any number of gun laws, gun safety classes, and parent classes.

"CATGIRL, I DON"T CONSIDER MYSELF AS SCREAMING,BUT  THAT'S YOUR OPINION, AND YOU HAVE A RIGHT TO IT."

She is telling the truth - common blog etiquette is that all caps is screaming.  I found out the same way you have.  I posted in all caps and was told it was screaming.

this is why everyone should not own a gun. u see of course it is your right to bear arms, but along with that right come responsibility. to have this happen in this manner i think is a waste. how do we know that was not the person who would one day find the cure for aids. i guess we as a society won't ever know, wil we.i will pray for this person because God truely needs to touch his soul.

SORRY , BUT THOSE ARE NOT MY INTENTION'S, THAT'S JUST THE WAY I WRITE, BECAUSE IT'S HARD FOR ME TO SEE THE SMALLER WRITEING, THE BIGGER THE BETTER FOR ME TO SEE, SO PLEASE EXCUSE MY WRITEING, IT IS NOT MEANT FOR SCREAMING,YELLING OR HOLLERING.

Under View on the top control bar you can control text size - I am nearing 50 and sometimes have to resort to it.

Here is my wish, Charlie Brown. I wish that we could get willie and Godwin and other city leaders into a formal chat on here someday. I know willie won't. Others may be game for it. My thinking is that if all the advice they are getting from their "cabinet" is not working, why not go to people that live among the crime everyday. Not that we are always right, but wouldn't it be nice to hear what they are thinking and to know that they might actually listen to us? The salaries that they get make them out of our neighborhoods, I'm sure, so wouldn't it make sense to listen to people that are on the streets. East Memphis, how many kids have been killed in the last year? I don't care about the adults that had a choice. If they were a part of why they got killed, I have no sympathy. However, I'm tired of hearing about kids being caught up in this. That makes at least 4 kids in about 2 weeks! I'm not much on sympathy. My wife and child live 350 miles away. My child was in the hospital last weekend and I wasn't worried. So sympathy isn't my strong point. However, these kids are so precious and all they want to do is love and grow up. True, that changes with time, but too many are being stopped before they have the chance to live. With all these kids getting killed, why have I not heard anything from willie? Where is our almight leader? Is he hiding from his haters? I thought he shook them off. Hmm. Where are the leaders in this city? When will we take a stand? What is the limit of kids killed for people to stand up and get rid of the criminals? Maybe willie will stop worrying about the haters and start worrying about the peope, if not them, the children. I'm not saying that it is his fault, but he wanted to be the leader of the city, so when will he start? I challenge him to set foot in these areas. If he won't do it, maybe its time we put someone in office that will. It really is time to stop this. How many kids have to die?

The whole CAPS thing is not my opinion- it is fact.

http://desktoppub.about.com/cs/fontselection/a/allcaps.htm

http://www.netmanners.com/courtesy1.html

Typing in all caps is considered yelling or screaming online. Those who type in all caps are perceived as lazy and not being considerate of those who will have to read their email (or blog).

But, for those of you who are told and still insist on doing it? Fine. Just don't expect to be listened to or respected. No skin off my nose. I'm not the one who looks stupid.  

mom of 2 said:
SORRY , BUT THOSE ARE NOT MY INTENTION'S, THAT'S JUST THE WAY I WRITE, BECAUSE IT'S HARD FOR ME TO SEE THE SMALLER WRITEING, THE BIGGER THE BETTER FOR ME TO SEE

That excuse doesn't fly.....why would you really need to read your own posts?  Seems to me you are just too lazy to type the correct way.    

mom of 2 said:
CATGIRL, I DON"T CONSIDER MYSELF AS SCREAMING,BUT  THAT'S YOUR OPINION, AND YOU HAVE A RIGHT TO IT.
----------------------------------------------
Using caps for emphasis is normal. Using caps for the entire post IS shouting. When you’ve been asked to stop shouting several times,  it is RUDE to continue doing it.  

Good Morning to all of you! East Memphis you are so right with your comment and if a person in a household wants to bear arms than everyone in the household should be trained properly or for smaller children taught about the usage of guns and the consequences to touching a gun. My prayers go out to the family and to the man that was careless. I feel he should be punished but not murder. It was an accident and its sad that a life was taken. But were was the parent and why didn't he/she handle the situation better as far as not allowing ppl to be so careless around his/her children. That man did not wake up with the thought of those kids playin with a hand gun. The mom should be charged as well. Children that small shouldn be left alone under any circumstance. They have to be watch constantly through the day because they can get into anything at anytime. Punish the mom as well. She should have been up with her children.

I wish we BLACK Parents would wake up!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Whose children do we see day in and day out on the news being shot, stabbed, abused, murdered? Our children that's who. It is our responsibility to nurture, and care for OUR children. I see it all the time in the store a Black mother with 1, 2 , 3, 6 kids in tow, yelling , screaming , cursing at them and some of the kids are toddlers. How do we expect our kids to grow up and be respectable, productive citizens when they are cursed and called out of their names by their own mothers!!!!!!!!!!!! Do we not remember the days of Big Mama??? We were disciplined, but then she took us in her arms and hugged us and said she loved us???? Do we not remember Mrs. Mattie across the street that watched us and told us to stop acting like we don't have No Home training??? What character of children do we think we are raising, by calling them out their names, cursing them, telling them they ain't nothing??? Do we know what we are raising we are raising gang members, murderers, robbers, stealers. Teachers can not raise our children. Teaching starts at home before the child even goes to school. I don't care how many metal detectors they install in school. Our children are not getting guns from school! They are brining them from HOME! Our ancestors died for us to have all the things that we have today. Do we teach our children their history, are we instilling PRIDE in them??????? Our children are LOST but do you know what?It is not their fault. It is the parent, adults in their life that are not being good parents, and until WE accept full responsibility for Our children they will continue to be a LOST generation.

Wow, momdadof2, it is so good to hear you say that. I know the news likes to only put postings on that are good for them, but I really hope what you said makes it. I wish there were more PARENTS like you out there that are truly parents. These people in this story weren't parents. They were just "unfortunate" enough to get pregnant and then have to keep them. I think if a child dies under a parents watch in a situation like this, they should be fixed and any other children taken away. They aren't fit to have kids. momdadof2 make sure to tell your parents thank you for me and that they did a great job of raising you.

Group applause for ---->  momdadof2's  post

*Applause* for momdadof2...

Yeah for momdadof2

first of all East Memphis don't put all his information out like that becus ya'll don't no him or wat he has been goin through....so b4 u post stuff on the internet learn yo facts...bcus most of those charges you listed wasn't true...don't let them fill yo head wit junk...check yo facts in ask around....coming from somebody who know him..
    ^

i know he didn't try to do it.... n guess wat ain't nothin gone stop him from living so 4 get wat ya'll say, he'll b out n a few more days...now talk

KnowB4USpeak said:
first of all East Memphis don't put all his information out like that becus ya'll don't no him or wat he has been goin through....so b4 u post stuff on the internet learn yo facts...bcus most of those charges you listed wasn't true...don't let them fill yo head wit junk...check yo facts in ask around....coming from somebody who know him..
   ^
March 20, 2008 6:04 PM  
  KnowB4USpeak said:
i know he didn't try to do it.... n guess wat ain't nothin gone stop him from living so 4 get wat ya'll say, he'll b out n a few more days...now talk

------------------------------------------------------------------
Try repeating that in English please!

I really hope KnowB4USpeak is a joke. If he isn't, his writing is. Are we really supposed to respect an opinion of someone that can't even spell out the word "you"? Is "wat" a word? I'm not really trying to be insulting, but its so easy. It doesn't take too much work. Don't expect to be respected or your opinion when you post like that. If he meant the kid to die or not, the fact is it happened, and under his watch. So, why is it wrong if he is punished for it? He may be a decent guy(but what decent guy would put a 357 under a couch cushion where kids could get it), but if this happened to me and my kid died, I would hope they throw kill me so I wouldn't have to live with the facts of what I did.

Nvr- you would want to be punished if that happened to you because you have a CONSCIENCE. That's the difference.

And most likely it wouldn't happen to you in the first place, because with that conscience goes a brain.

@ KnowB4USpeak     HUH?

Catgirl---Well spoken. I would also add to that, if I may, a sense of personal responsibility. Another great trait that so many are missing these days.

Nvr- personal responsibility? What is that?

Just kidding... but yes, that is a trait that appears to be close to extinction. Like the dodo bird.

Personal responsibility requires effort (or work) and I think that way too many people are "allergic" to those things. Perhaps our medical research dollars would be better spent developing a vaccination against laziness and stupidity...

I don't know. Have you seen some of the things they are researching? It seems as though a lot of money is already going to stupidity. You would think as smart as these people are they could figure out that lab rats would die if they are exposed to too much radiation or other stupid things like that.

CatGirl....I love you!  :- )  If we could develop a vaccination against laziness and stupidity, we might actually become the great country we once were!  

Nvr- lol... you're right.

How would you like a position in the Cabinet? (We're setting up our own government based on logic-lol).

Madames President and Vice-President?

What position would be fitting for our friend?

I think I would be perfect for the postion of Calling it like it is. I don't care black or white or any other color. I just want people to see it how it is. How about the position of the Secretary of Defense of the Uncolored? That is how it is supposed to be.
 
 Either way  I would be honored to be in your presence/cabinet!

How about we keep it unbiased and just be Secretary of Defense?

I think this might be the first government with which I won't have problems. Any position would be great. Too bad we can't make people pay taxes and retire after a few years with full benefits.

Nvrplyn- Welcome to the new regime!

Hi ladies- how've you been?

Gmoney- did you miss me?

Catgirl---Thank you for the warm welcome. How about we start running for real office? Oh, wait, then we'd have to become different people and stop thinking. Forget it. I'm just happy to be here.
 Which gmoney were you talking to? I think there is about 3 of them.

That was a careless mistake that cost a little boy's life. If one adult in the house had used their senses this could of been prevented. This is a lesson to keep guns and weapons out of the reach of kids.