The Douglas County Sheriff's Office has determined no crime was committed when a Highlands Ranch man was accidentally shot with a gun belonging to a Boulder police officer earlier this month.
Investigators said the off-duty officer was seated in the back seat of the vehicle with the victim when the third friend moved some items in the trunk of the car. The gun was among the items and discharged.
The bullet apparently went through the back seat and struck the victim on the side of his torso.
The officer and his two friends have known each other since middle school.
Boulder police said the weapon that discharged was not the officer's police-issued gun.
The unnamed officer was initially placed on administrative leave but police said Thursday he had returned to work after they completed their own investigation.
This is how gun owners, cops, prosecutors and civilians alike, protect each other. They call negligence accidents and write it off.
Rather, there should be strict accountability for gun owners. If you leave your gun in such an insecure way that someone else can discharge it unintentionally, YOU are responsible.
Gun owners love to shirk their responsibility, all the while calling for stricter sentencing guidelines for criminals.
What's your opinion? Please leave a comment.
Since you still haven't learned the differences among an accident, an act of negligence, and a crime, there's no chance that I can explain what happened here to you.
ReplyDeletePlease, try, Greg. I love it when you justify the negligence and irresponsibility of other gun owners. It makes me wonder about you and your actions.
DeleteAs I said, there's no chance that you'll understand. You can't even tell the difference between trying to identify exactly what happened and an effort to justify what happened. Just for clarity, typically, I'm doing the former before I consider doing the latter.
DeleteMike,
DeleteIn the past, we have pointed out that the US has both civil and criminal remedies for various acts. We have pointed out that in every one of these accidents there is sufficient evidence to prove civil negligence and require the responsible party to pay damages to the injured party if the person responsible party doesn't do so voluntarily.
Our difference with you is whether the actions rise to the level of criminal negligence. You think that it always does, and we think that some discretion is appropriate.
In every other situation, that discretion is considered appropriate--you may not be charged with vehicular homicide in every fatal accident that you are considered at fault in--you certainly will not be jailed every time someone is injured in an accident where you were at fault--aka negligent.
All we are saying is that gun accidents should be treated like car accidents, construction accidents, pool accidents, etc. Always have the responsible party pay damages to the injured party, and evaluate whether the case rises to the level that criminal negligence or recklessness charges should be brought.
You, on the other hand, seem to have no problem with all other accidents being treated in the traditional way, but want guns treated differently, starting with the determination that someone must be jailed, and the only question is how long. I doubt you would be in favor of such a treatment of other accidents--this person's leg was broken in a car crash--why was the other driver not arrested at the scene!
You "wonder" about Greg's actions based on what he says about another person's actions, but what does that mean? If Greg says he often looses track of loaded spur triggered Derringers which are lying about his floor strewn about with sheets of old newspaper and piles of garbage, and if he claims to fire several dozen celebratory rounds into the air on new years and July 4th- so what? He is only SAYING that he is doing these things, right?
ReplyDeleteNo, I store my loaded guns in the gas grill and then ask a toddler to cook me a steak.
Delete