Personally, I have no compunctions about punishing people who do stupid things with firearms. In this case, a charge of manslaughter is perfectly acceptable
SEDALIA, MO. (AP) -- Officials are trying to decide whether to file charges against a Missouri man who fatally shot his wife while trying to install a satellite TV system in their home. Thirty-four-year-old Patsy Long of Deep Water was pronounced dead Saturday evening after being shot in the chest with a .22-caliber handgun. Her husband, Ronald Long, fired the shot from the inside of their home after several unsuccessful efforts to punch a hole through the exterior wall using other means. Henry County Sheriff's Deputies say the woman was hit by the second of two shots fired by her husband.
SEDALIA, MO. (AP) -- Officials are trying to decide whether to file charges against a Missouri man who fatally shot his wife while trying to install a satellite TV system in their home.
Thirty-four-year-old Patsy Long of Deep Water was pronounced dead Saturday evening after being shot in the chest with a .22-caliber handgun. Her husband, Ronald Long, fired the shot from the inside of their home after several unsuccessful efforts to punch a hole through the exterior wall using other means.
Henry County Sheriff's Deputies say the woman was hit by the second of two shots fired by her husband.
This defies common sense. You don't use a nail gun to paint your house, you don't use a .22 to put holes in the wall. Once you pull that trigger, you are responsible for where that round lands. If you are oblivious to what lies beyond your target, you stand a good chance at hitting something you weren't expecting and that in no way absolves you from wrong doing.
I've used screwdrivers as hole punches. I've used a power saw when probably a handsaw would have sufficed. Using the wrong tool isn't a crime. Using them in a reckless manner and harming someone else is.
Now, this story does sound a little fishy, but only because I can't imagine how stupid you'd have to be to try to "shoot" a hole through your wall. If you're trying to run coax cable through it, a .22 isn't going to work anyway. However, if the story is legitimate, this man deserves some time behind bars.