Parents of boy who shot himself plead not guilty
The parents of a 2-year-old boy who died after accidentally shooting himself with a gun he found at home pleaded not guilty to charges related to the death. Jason Matteau, 27, and Rebecca Matteau, 24, of Jewett City, were arraigned Tuesday in Norwich Superior Court on charges of negligent storage of a firearm and risk of injury to a minor. If convicted of both felonies, they face up to 15 years in prison.
The parents of a 2-year-old boy who died after accidentally shooting himself with a gun he found at home pleaded not guilty to charges related to the death.
Jason Matteau, 27, and Rebecca Matteau, 24, of Jewett City, were arraigned Tuesday in Norwich Superior Court on charges of negligent storage of a firearm and risk of injury to a minor. If convicted of both felonies, they face up to 15 years in prison.
Stupid people. Very stupid people. Unfortunately, their stupidity cost their child his life. It was negligence that caused that boy's death and the responsibility lies with the ignorant parents.
His mother had told him to stay away from the gun moments before the accident, warning him that it was "Bad boo boo's," according to a police report.
Gross ignorance. Massive, lethal ignorance. Punishable ignorance although the one who paid the most was the innocent party. You don't keep a firearm where a 2 year old can get a hold of it any more than you leave knives or bottles of poison lying around. And when you realize you're too stupid to own a gun and realize your son tries to play with it, you don't tell him it's "Bad boo boo's", you fucking unload the gun or put it somewhere where the child cannot possibly get to it.
I disagree with safe-storage laws insofar as being just another law about common sense that shouldn't have to be enforced at the cost of others' freedom. If, in an instance of something like this, you can determine that not enough care was taken to secure a firearm from the reach of a child, then a blanket child endangerment charge is plenty.
I am absolutely stringent on safe storage. All my firearms that are not in immediate use remain locked away, and those that are loaded remain where a child cannot reach them (even with a chair) or on my person. My oldest is well educated enough to know to not play with them or even touch them, and my youngest is still too little to understand the concept, so as a parent it is my responsibility to ensure they do not get a hold of dangerous items (I don't let my girls play in the garage near all my tools either, for the exact same reason).
I do not know these people. They may be otherwise outstanding citizens and nominally good parents who, by the loss of their child, will suffer the worst possible punishment imaginable. Regardless, they may be able to weasel out of a "guilty" charge, but they are still responsible for what happened.
May the courts of justice produce the appropriate outcome.