As reported, a New Albany, Indiana man allegedly went outside with his AR-15 and fired at least a dozen rounds into the air, to celebrate the new year. At least 3 bullets reportedly entered a nearby house, striking a 13 year old girl in the leg, and hitting households appliances. Troy Brown, the alleged shooter, was reportedly charged with criminal recklessness resulting in bodily injury, which is a felony. My thoughts are below:
First, I want to express my condolences to the injured girl and her family. It is sad that the reckless, rather than accidental, actions of another person have caused physical and emotional harm. I hope that this girl and her family are able to heal and move on with their lives, instead of blaming guns for the actions of a reckless individual.
Next, I would like to remind the anti gun people out there that isolated incidents such as this do not justify restrictions on gun ownership, which would affect the great many of us that are not reckless with our guns. Remember, about 40% of households have guns, yet very few people ever misuse their guns. Instead, us law abiding citizens use our guns to defend ourselves and our loved ones from criminals, to hunt, or to enjoy target practice. Also, note that further restrictions on gun ownership likely wouldn’t do much to prevent recklessly irresponsible individuals from causing harm to others, as such individuals would likely ignore the gun control laws, or find some other tool to misuse.
Finally, I would like to politely remind gun owners to follow the rules of gun safety, be sure to store their guns responsibly, and to teach children gun safety from a young age, so that they will be responsible gun owners as an adult. There is simply no excuse for firing a gun up in the air like this, as bullets can be deadly for miles.