Author Topic: 3 Year Old Girl Shoots Self in Wii-Related Incident (Read 17489 times)

Trainman · « **on:** March 08, 2010, 11:01:22 PM »

http://www.gonintendo.com/viewstory.php?id=116555 (EDIT: According to Warprattler, the girl did in fact die from her wounds.)

I figured I'd bring this topic here instead of Video Game Chat because I know that the gun control folks are gonna unnecessarily bring down the hammer excessively after they read this gem.

Okay, I shoot firearms, I don't mind the laws, and yes there should be some control, but not excessive control. However, even as a proponent of firearms/right to bear arms/etc., this is appalling and it makes like-minded proponents across the country look like idiots just because of some random parents' stupidity, carelessness, and irresponsibility.

1. This person stupidly did not have their weapon unloaded, unaccessible, and secured in this situation.
2. The mother saw the child pick up the firearm and start playing with it. She assumed the firearm was a "Wii Controller Gun" and walked away.

It's #2 that just kills me. How in the hell do you mistake a metallic, snub-nosed revolver for a white, large Wii Zapper? (As in, how could you not tell a real firearm from a white hunk of plastic that looks almost nothing like a firearm?)

In conclusion, while tragic, this is gonna unnecessarily stir the crap-pot when really, the parents are 110% at fault.

Weegee · « **Reply #1 on:** March 09, 2010, 03:37:43 PM »

Some third-party companies ~~do produce~~ used to produce peripherals which vaguely resemble actual firearms, but I suppose that's beside the point. What we have here is merely yet another case of redneckery gone awry, as it appears.

As for the general gun-control issue, I'm just once again thankful for a government which doesn't allow objects designed to kill or injure into the hands of irresponsible individuals. Cases of spousal/child abuse are far more likely than ones of self-defence or vigilante justice when it comes to firearms.

Luigison · « **Reply #2 on:** March 09, 2010, 05:56:10 PM »

Thank you for putting this in "Not at the Dinner Table."

I have no problem with people owning guns, but think that everyone that does should take a gun safety course similar to a driver's ed. class, pass a gun safety test similar to the DMV's drivers license test, and have the registration follow each gun sale similar to the way a cars title has to be registered by the owner.

superstarMASIAH · « **Reply #3 on:** March 09, 2010, 07:14:22 PM »

Quote from: Weegee on March 09, 2010, 03:37:43 PM

yet another case of redneckery gone awry, as it appears.

Oh, and I'm sure 3 out of 5 households in every project of America don't own an illegal firearm...

nensondubois · « **Reply #4 on:** March 09, 2010, 07:16:01 PM »

Next they'll be looking to ban Superscopes.

Trainman · « **Reply #5 on:** March 09, 2010, 08:37:08 PM »

Quote from: Luigison on March 09, 2010, 05:56:10 PM

Thank you for putting this in "Not at the Dinner Table."

I have no problem with people owning guns, but think that everyone that does should take a gun safety course similar to a driver's ed. class, pass a gun safety test similar to the DMV's drivers license test, and have the registration follow each gun sale similar to the way a cars title has to be registered by the owner.

No problem.

You *do,* in fact, have to take a gun safety course (at least in my area) depending on the circumstances. Also, every time you buy a firearm, regardless if you think they already "know you", you still have fill out endless amounts of paperwork and get a background check. If you have any arrests or anything on your record, then no deal. Then, there's a holding period on it. Days to weeks depending on the type of firearm.

I don't know why there's a redneck stereotype placed on it though, ~~Weegee~~. Could've happened anywhere, and it's a retarded generalization to make on your part.

I'll find the source for this, but I read that California has the strictest gun laws and reports 2.7% more gun-related murders/deaths/etc. per year than Texas, which has some of the country's loosest laws... even though Texas isn't really a redneck state. Kinda tells ya somethin.

Weegee · « **Reply #6 on:** March 09, 2010, 10:38:56 PM »

Rednecks are more likely to be irresponsible gun-nuts. Tennessee, the location of this incident, is somewhere on the higher end of the gun ownership rate spectrum, boasts the USA's seventh-highest homicide rate, and is situated right on the verge of hillbilly country. Hence, my retarded generalization.

The bottom line: This whole crapfest would never have occurred of the States' firearm ownership rate was 0%.

Quote from: Trainman on March 09, 2010, 08:37:08 PM

Texas isn't really a redneck state.

PaperLuigi · « **Reply #7 on:** March 10, 2010, 12:11:07 AM »

Austin equals no rednecks. Everywhere else equals rednecks.

Trainman · « **Reply #8 on:** March 10, 2010, 12:28:33 AM »

A cowboy hat + Bush does not = redneck.

This is redneck.

On the subject of firearms, I think stripping everyone's right to own a firearm would be a double-edged sword, honestly. I believe that while gun-related homicides, etc. would go down, if a person was malicious enough (lots of people), they could get firearms if they wanted to regardless of any laws put in place (been happening forever already) coupled with the backlash of people who are responsible gun owners basically saying, "Hey, I'm not a killer, I'm legal, I paid for my stuff. Why the hell are you gonna take it from me?"

Basically, while all responsible gun owners are getting the short end of the stick, all the people who want firearms any way they can get them will still be able to regardless.

(Tell me which one of those guys in the video bought their firearm legally. That video just goes to show how easy it is to get firearms illegally and how absolutely nothing would really change if guns were just straight up banned.)

NOTE: LINK CONTAINS STRONG LANGUAGE.

Rao · « **Reply #9 on:** March 10, 2010, 01:42:25 PM »

Did the girl die?

superstarMASIAH · « **Reply #10 on:** March 10, 2010, 01:51:01 PM »

Thank you, I was afraid to ask that......

PaperLuigi · « **Reply #11 on:** March 10, 2010, 01:59:27 PM »

Quote from: Trainman on March 08, 2010, 11:01:22 PM

(Note that the girl did not kill herself.)

WarpRattler · « **Reply #12 on:** March 10, 2010, 03:19:40 PM »

It's not noted in the GoNintendo article, but she did die.

SolidShroom · « **Reply #13 on:** March 10, 2010, 04:14:26 PM »

Strict gun control would be appropriate in modern times because stupid people killing others and themselves is reason enough to ruin it for everyone else; however, a lot of crimes are committed with illegal firearms. Weegee is in Canada; he doesn't actually know what a genuine Southern American redneck is.

Weegee · « **Reply #14 on:** March 10, 2010, 06:36:48 PM »

Warp's right; she died.

If those depicted objects were the actual ones involved in this incident, I guess it might be reasonable to have confused the two, save for the weight difference.

Trainman · « **Reply #15 on:** March 10, 2010, 06:52:10 PM »

Eh, I'm still kind indifferent. At first glance, yes, they may appear to be the ever so slightly the same, but give yourself a half second more to think, and it should instantly hit you... or at least occur to you to *check* instead of just saying, "Oh, guess it's a toy."

Weegee · « **Reply #16 on:** March 10, 2010, 07:00:21 PM »

A three-year-old doesn't have the capacity to make such refined judgements. In her mind, that big black shiny thing was the WiiMote add-on, and nothing else. Kotaku agrees.

PaperLuigi · « **Reply #17 on:** March 10, 2010, 07:06:30 PM »

I'm one of the few liberals who is against gun control. Maybe it's the Texan in me.

Trainman · « **Reply #18 on:** March 10, 2010, 07:28:18 PM »

Quote from: Weegee on March 10, 2010, 07:00:21 PM

A three-year-old doesn't have the capacity to make such refined judgements. In her mind, that big black shiny thing was the WiiMote add-on, and nothing else. Kotaku agrees.

No, Weegee. I'm talking about the mother. Also, does anyone have any word on the Wii gun? Is it third party or what?

Weegee · « **Reply #19 on:** March 10, 2010, 07:35:36 PM »

Oh, alright then.

As for the gun, that Kotaku article mentions that it was produced by HAIHONGCHANG, a Chinese company. At least the blame won't be falling on Nintendo this time.

Trainman · « **Reply #20 on:** March 11, 2010, 09:58:13 PM »

I dunno... I wouldn't be so sure. I can only imagine that Jack Thompson and the gun control folks are already oscar mike in their hybrid charter buses as we speak.

Rao · « **Reply #21 on:** March 12, 2010, 12:47:24 PM »

I don't see anything (besides the posts in this thread) that suggests the mother thought it was a Wii remote. She only said the daughter thought it was.

Weegee · « **Reply #22 on:** March 12, 2010, 08:05:39 PM »

Quote from: PaperLuigi on March 10, 2010, 07:06:30 PM

[PL's pic]

Yup, that's Canada in a nutshell. Having the SWAT team bust down your door every other week is indeed a bit of a nuisance.

Trainman · « **Reply #23 on:** March 12, 2010, 11:36:24 PM »

Quote from: Rao on March 12, 2010, 12:47:24 PM

I don't see anything (besides the posts in this thread) that suggests the mother thought it was a Wii remote. She only said the daughter thought it was.

If remember correctly, the article explains that the mother did see the firearm/child playing with the firearm and thought it was a "Wii Controller Gun."

Rao · « **Reply #24 on:** March 13, 2010, 10:40:36 AM »

Quote from: GoNintendo article

Ashe said the girl's mother was in the same room and the stepfather was asleep when it happened. The mother told investigators her daughter could have thought the gun was a controller for a Nintendo Wii.

Rao · « **Reply #25 on:** March 13, 2010, 10:45:27 AM »

And the Destructoid article doesn't indicate that the mother thought the weapon was a controller either.

Trainman · « **Reply #26 on:** March 15, 2010, 04:25:10 PM »

Whoa, all right man, I get it. So I didn't remember correctly.

That still brings up another point: The mother was in the same room when it happened... that must mean that either she had justwalked into the room, or she didn't have enough time to react when her daughter grabbed the gun and shot herself. Or, lastly, she just straight up didn't notice whatsoever until it was too late.

TEM · « **Reply #27 on:** March 16, 2010, 10:21:10 AM »

Anyone who doesn't think this was the parents' fault completely and fully is legally mentally retarded.

Weegee · « **Reply #28 on:** March 16, 2010, 05:45:10 PM »

It's Nintendo's fault for making a console for which third-party developers could make peripherals which vaguely resemble firearms to sell to irresponsible parents. Case closed.

Rao · « **Reply #29 on:** March 16, 2010, 06:43:59 PM »

The mother might have been on something.

Trainman · « **Reply #30 on:** March 16, 2010, 10:48:54 PM »

Quote from: TEM on March 16, 2010, 10:21:10 AM

Anyone who doesn't think this was the parents' fault completely and fully is legally mentally retarded.

My thoughts exactly. ^

Quote from: Trainman on March 08, 2010, 11:01:22 PM

In conclusion, while tragic, this is gonna unnecessarily stir the crap-pot when really, the parents are 110% at fault.

Quote from: Weegee on March 16, 2010, 05:45:10 PM

It's Nintendo's fault for making a console for which third-party developers could make peripherals which vaguely resemble firearms to sell to irresponsible parents. Case closed.

Well, Weegee, I guess you are, in fact, legally mentally retarded. Or, I guess, just an idiot.

Weegee · « **Reply #31 on:** March 16, 2010, 11:02:03 PM »

Actually, you are, for thinking I was being serious. I was mocking those who blame it on anyone but the parents, by using the most contrived logic possible.

Trainman · « **Reply #32 on:** March 16, 2010, 11:25:05 PM »

Contrived or not, it was hard to tell after reading some of your other posts in this thread.

Jman · « **Reply #33 on:** March 17, 2010, 08:32:52 AM »

And this is why you lock your guns away when you're not using them.

http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.weknowwii.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/09/shotgun.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.weknowwii.com/tags/nyko/&usg=__WcFCLn5_yY3U3eHSvvEgENGrk00=&h=280&w=280&sz=4&hl=en&start=9&um=1&itbs=1&tbnid=OTWEI-HqDVxQoM:&tbnh=114&tbnw=114&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dwii%2Bshotgun%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DX%26tbs%3Disch:1

Third image down: my brother owns one of those for a big game hunting game on the Wii.

My question is, why wasn't the gun unloaded? That is the most important thing about owning a firearm: keep it unloaded when you're not using it. That is the fault of the parents.

Trainman · « **Reply #34 on:** March 18, 2010, 11:08:04 AM »

Quote from: Jman on March 17, 2010, 08:32:52 AM

My question is, why wasn't the gun unloaded?

According to the article, the father said that he had his firearm handy because he suspected someone snooping around his property the night before and then just kinda "forgot about it" and left it loaded out in the open. Fatal mistake.

Jman · « **Reply #35 on:** March 18, 2010, 06:04:50 PM »

Quote from: Trainman on March 18, 2010, 11:08:04 AM

According to the article, the father said that he had his firearm handy because he suspected someone snooping around his property the night before and then just kinda "forgot about it" and left it loaded out in the open. Fatal mistake.

I'd say "accidents happen," but this could have easily been prevented. Like I said earlier, rule #1 of firearm safety. You don't leave a loaded gun out in the open.

Trainman · « **Reply #36 on:** March 19, 2010, 03:09:28 AM »

That's a fact.