Guns, Alcohol, and Parenting

[Glenn]

A sad reminderthat alcohol and guns don't mix, nor does alcohol and parenting when it results in a dad asking a 6-year old to bring a loaded gun to him.

Shot girl's dad: I drank vodka as I cleaned guns
Wash. man held in manslaughter probe after death of 6-year-old daughter

MARYSVILLE, Wash. - A father arrested after his 6-year-old daughter was fatally shot in their Washington state home allegedly told authorities he had been drinking double shots of vodka while cleaning his guns.

Court papers say Richard Peters told detectives he had asked his daughter, Stormy, to bring him the .45-caliber handgun Sunday. He said he must have pulled the trigger, and the girl fell to the floor. She was pronounced dead Monday.

Bail for Peters, 42, was set Monday at $250,000. He has been arrested for investigation of first-degree manslaughter.

His attorney, Annika Carlsten, requested that Peters be released from jail, The Herald newspaper of Everett reported. She argued that Peters isn't a flight risk, or a danger to himself or the community.

"It's obviously a tragedy for all involved and my primary concern is for my client and his family," Carlsten told The Associated Press on Tuesday night, declining to discuss any specifics.

The Snohomish County sheriff's office said two other children were removed from the home by Child Protective Services.

[Bill Glasheen]

The fact that he was drunk is no excuse. But of course that further validates what Glenn is saying.

I don't get real preachy about this. But consider that I graduated from U.Va. - a celebrated "party" school. While I didn't do a lot of binge drinking, I enjoyed a few brews and some wine over the years.

But now that I have 2 boys and one is about to get a license, I have stopped drinking. For my boys, it is worth it. I figure an example speaks a lot more loudly than words. And they know why I am making the sacrifice.

Plus... WTF was he doing asking his daughter to go get the gun? Holy cow! Given that part of the story, I'm not so sure we are getting the whole truth on this matter.

- Bill

[Valkenar]

Plus... WTF was he doing asking his daughter to go get the gun? Holy cow! Given that part of the story, I'm not so sure we are getting the whole truth on this matter.

Could be as simple as
Daughter: "Daddy can I help?"
Father: "Sure, honey, go get that one over there"

Simple stupidity and inebriation seems sufficient to me. Why do you think there's more?

[Glenn]

Simple stupidity and inebriation seems sufficient to me. Why do you think there's more?

The article says he told police that "he had asked his daughter" to bring him the gun, but then he told them "he must have pulled the trigger" (emphasis added). To me this reads that he remembers asking her to bring the gun, but does not recall how the shooting actually occured. That inconsistency does leave an opening in his story, but it could be there for any one of a number of reasons: Selective memory, possibly alcohol or shock induced, coached by his lawyer to not come out and say he shot her, had not come to grips at that point with the fact that he had killed her, a convenient story that is leaving out some details. Difficult to say if it is the whole truth or not with the little bit of detail presented in the article.

[Chris McKaskell]

Anecdotal:

This is a terrible story. And it's one of those things that that is easily avoided. People are so fallable.

I think about the half dozen or so peole I know who have been shot and in each case alcohol was involved - whether it was hunting, cleaning, suicide or anger the person handling the weapon was always drunk.

Is the answer to ban guns or alcohol? I doubt either. Is there an answer for human stupidity? I doubt that too.

Regardless of what punishment the man receives. Nothing can possibly balance such an empty and useless loss of a young life.

Sad

[Chris McKaskell]

Angry - I don't drink when I'm fixing machines at the shop.

Dumb-a$$.

Sorry, Bill.

[Bill Glasheen]

No apology necessary, Chris. I feel the same way.

- Bill