Child’s accidental shooting puts Milton business in hot seat

In a tragic case that came out Wednesday, a young girl’s death in Kentucky is putting a local business in the hot seat.

Here’s a bit from the Associated Press:

BURKESVILLE, Ky. — In southern Kentucky, where children get their first guns even before they start first grade, Stephanie Sparks paid little attention as her 5-year-old son, Kristian, played with the rifle he was given last year. Then, as she stepped onto the front porch while cleaning the kitchen, “she heard the gun go off,” a coroner said.

In a horrific accident Tuesday that shocked a rural area far removed from the national debate over gun control, the boy had killed his 2-year-old sister, Caroline, with a single shot to the chest with a children’s rifle made by a company in Milton, Pa.

The rifle was manufactured by Keystone Sporting Arms, which sells guns specifically for children — “My first rifle” is the slogan — in colors ranging from plain brown to hot pink to orange to royal blue to multi-color swirls.

Keystone Sporting Arms has a “Kids Corner” on its website with pictures of young boys and girls at shooting ranges and on bird and deer hunts. It says the company produced 60,000 Crickett and Chipmunk rifles for kids in 2008. The smaller rifles are sold with a mount to use at a shooting range.

Keystone also makes guns for adults, but most of its products are geared toward children, including books and bright orange vests and hats.

“The goal of KSA is to instill gun safety in the minds of youth shooters and encourage them to gain the knowledge and respect that hunting and shooting activities require and deserve,” the website said.

The incident has put Keystone in the national spotlight – here’s some links to national coverage of the accident. We’ll have some local coverage on dailyitem.com coming up:

• Guns for Kids Marketing Debate Ignited by Latest Child Death
• New York Daily New Coverage including pictures of rifles
• Rifle used by Ky. boy in sister’s death made for kids

What should all this mean for the gun control debate? Is this just a freak accident or is it time for a drastic change?

Eastern Sports Show: Who’s right?

There’s been a lot of hoopla surrounding the Eastern Sports and Outdoor Show – vendors started pulling out after the show’s organizers put a limit of the types of guns and ammunition that could be brought to the show.

Now, after more than 300 vendors pulled out, the show has been postponed indefinitely.

And appears people are split about it, with some saying it serves the show’s organizers right to have to cancel, while others say it’s their right to limit what can be brought to the show.

Read more on the controversy at dailyitem.com.

Here’s a snapshot of the debate on Facebook:

What do you think? Let me know in the comments!

Gun control – What’s the answer?

Much like the debate over the  financial backing of firearms manufacturers, the debate about gun control is raging, with some people advocating for stricter gun controls, while others are saying that it’s not the guns that are the problem – it’s about treating mental illness and how entertainment glorifies violence.

Read more of my local coverage of the issue at dailyitem.com.

I posted the question on Facebook yesterday and got a bunch of responses. Here are a few:

What’s your take? Should we get tougher on guns or focus on other factors?