Posted on 12/06/2005 5:31:58 AM PST by bikepacker67
WARE, Mass. (AP) - The father of a 10-year-old killed in a hunting accident said the boy was shot as the two descended a hill and the elder man slipped. The shotgun he was carrying went off, striking the boy in the back.
"I was sliding," Raymond F. Libby Jr., of Ware, told The Republican newspaper on Sunday, a day after his son died during a father-and-son outing.
"That's when the gun went off. It hit some branches. I didn't have my hand on the trigger ... I jumped up quick and I ran to him before he collapsed."
Libby asked his son, Raymond F. Libby III, if he was hit, and his answer "yes" would be the last word the father would hear him say.
He said he carried the boy at least 200 yards to the area where their truck was parked, where another hunter who heard the shot was emerging from the woods in the town of Hampden, south of Springfield. That man used his cell phone to call for help.
Hampden police, who received a 911 call at 9:30 a.m., said the fourth-grader was pronounced dead at Baystate Medical Center.
"He was my hunting and fishing buddy," the father said. "I mean, he always waits for me after work."
Police were investigating, but said it appeared to be an accident.
The father said the safety on his shotgun was on as he and his son, who carried a BB gun, went down the hill. The elder Libby said the boy always walked behind him, but had gotten ahead when the father slipped and fell.
Libby and his wife also have a 12-year-old daughter, Amber.
You just know Soros and Co. are going to use this as propoganda.
It doesn't say what he was hunting so I can't really be sure he was doing anything unusual on that point, but it seems that the safety should have prevented the gun from firing.
You are obviously not a hunter. This is a tragic accident. The investigation will probably show that the safety was off, he was carrying his gun improperly, and/or was careless in his descent of the hill.
Not true.
But until you are set-up, you shouldn't load.
And until you're ready to fire, the safety should be on.
When you're ready to leave... unload.
Ever scare up a bunny and try to load, aim, and fire before it's gone? Same thing with pushing deer late in the season.
They weren't 'pushing deer', they were walking out.
I know exactly were this happened, and it's about 200 yds from the road. In other words, illegal to be firing off rounds.
This is indeed tragic. However, unless somebody can explain how the safety magically disengaged itself and pulled the trigger, it sounds like negligence to me. More like Dad had the safety off and his trigger on the finger in case a bird went up, and he slipped.
Gun Rule #1B, Treat every gun as if it were a loaded gun
Gun rule #1A, Never, ever, at anytime allow yourself to be in front of the muzzle of any gun.
This appears to be a terrible and tragic accident.
If that's true then you're correct. He should not have had a chambered round.
The safety is a mechanical device that can fail
That is the truth. Stay away from the business end of any and all weapons.
I'm going to assume you know the laws in your state and accept it at that. It appears that dad did a lot wrong here.
Terrible tragedy, and completely avoidable. It sounds like they weren't actively hunting at the time of the accident. If so, his shotgun should have been unloaded.
If they were actively hunting, they should have been walking side-by-side. The shotgun should have had the safety on.
On slippery terrain, going down a hill, I would have unloaded the shotgun, regardless of whether I was thinking about game or not.
When we were young adults out hunting we kept an eye on each other and pointed out dangerous situations to each other all the time. Just handing a gun back and forth called for a final check of the safety before the weapon changed hands.
It's so typically FR-at-its-near-worst* immediately to look for ways to blame the dad. Seems to be the first thought of so many. "Who sinned -- the boy, or his dad?"
How nice for so many of you that you evidently never, ever make mistakes that could have serious consequences. If you ever do, God help you if it gets reported here.
My first thought is how unsurvivably and completely devastating it would be. I'm horrified and sick to my stomach just reading about it happening to another. An almost pathological fear that some inattention, forgetfulness, distractedness, or simple butt-stupid mistake of mine would bring harm to any family member.
God help this guy.
Dan
*FR at its worst is probably those threads that make jokes about human tragedies.
>Not true.
Okay...
You are obviously not a very experienced hunter. ;-)
Most of the deer hunting I did growing up was still hunting, but there are many types...and many of those require movement with chambered rounds.
I know exactly were this happened, and it's about 200 yds from the road. In other words, illegal to be firing off rounds.
The article says he carried the boy "at least 200 yards" to where the truck was parked, and it doesn't say that the truck was parked on a public road. Besides, 200 yards is four times the legal distance from the road for firearm discharge. From the Abstracts of the 2005 Massachusetts Fish & Wildlife Laws:
Discharge of any Firearm or release of any arrow upon or across any state or hard-surfaced highway, or within 150 feet of any such highway, or possession of a loaded firearm, discharge of a firearm or hunting on the land of another within 500 feet of any dwelling or building in use, except as authorized by the owner or occupant thereof.It might or might not be appropriate to do so, but your criticism of this man is unfounded.
If I were the father, I don't know that I could survive such a thing...or would want to.
Setup? You mean standing still in your spot?
I guess you never stalked game?
Thank you for saying that. Perhaps the father or son was at fault. Perhaps pointing out proper firearm-handling and hunting procedures will prevent readers from being careless. Perhaps there's room for discussion and debate in this case.
But the knee-jerk unfounded blame-throwing is not helpful. I recall when my father slipped and broke his ankle while hunting with me when I was a teen, the first thing he checked was the safety--and it had disengaged in the fall. I'm perhaps a bit paranoid, myself, hating revolvers that rely on double-action trigger pulls without a safety, for example. But it's important to realize that the safety can disengage, and the trigger can be pulled, in brush.
The pain this father must feel...it must be horrific for him.
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