I agree as I pointed out to Firearms. Unfortunately the progressives have an upper hand in this issue: lock your guns away. Unfortunately i have to lock my guns away when I am not home. I need to get my wife and daughters to a gun safety class so they are not fearful of my pistol and get a gun they are comfortable with. Funny thing. When we are out and about they feel safe with me toting my gun.
The progressives do not have the upper hand. They are clearly on the defensive. Years ago, murders of JFK, RFK, and MLK resulted in the GCA of '68. Today, mass shootings result in increased sales of guns and soaring stock prices of gun manufacturers. The last major federal infringement of our RKBA in '94 resulted in the Democrats losing control of the House for the first time in 40 years. We have federal liability protection for gun manufacturers, shall issue is the norm across the nation, and 10 States now allow carry of a concealed firearm without needing a permit at all. Most politicians would rather talk about changing SS than attacking RKBA.
A person who is uncomfortable around guns doesn't need the guns to be locked up, unless s/he is intent on handling the guns.
A gun on a closet shelf poses no more problem to an untrained person than a gun in a safe...unless the untrained person handles the gun. Which why would they do if they are fearful?
There are very good reasons to lock up firearms including to prevent theft and to secure them against those who are not trained and cannot be trusted to leave them alone. Keeping them out of the hands of person with suicidal or criminal issues is also a very good reason.
But I don't see where this case applies to any of those. A 15 year old is plenty old enough to have access to firearms if she has been trained and demonstrated competency. If there were not warning signs about suicide, then there is no reason to keep guns locked up and away from the 15 year old.
To suggest that the mom should have had her guns locked up is to buy into the progressive, gun hating non-logic that any bad thing that happens is prima facia evidence that not enough was done to keep that bad thing from happening. That just isn't so in some cases and we in the RKBA community need to stand firmly against such rhetoric.
If there is solid evidence the young lady had shown suicidal tendencies, then I'll agree mom should have secured the gun away from her. Lacking that, I will not accept a moment's culpability on the part of the mom. A young lady made a tragic decision, without warning. Nobody's fault but her own.
Secure storage is a slippery slope toward losing RKBA. Give an inch the antis will take a mile. If the actual cost of storage that meets their demands doesn't place gun ownership outside your reach, the liability they will impose for any misuse of your gun (even if it took thieves 3 hours with power tools to breach your safe) will.
We take reasonably storage precautions based on our individual circumstances. That is all that should ever be required.
Charles
