February 7, 2015 7:04 AM

Finally, a chance to use "accountability" and "gun violence" in the same sentence

The father of a boy who was 4 when he shot and killed a 6-year-old neighbor was sentenced Thursday to three years in prison after tearfully telling the court he’s haunted by the shooting. Anthony Senatore, 35, of Toms River, pleaded guilty last year to child endangerment for leaving his gun unlocked. He will serve up to 10 months in prison before becoming eligible for parole…. He was charged with keeping a loaded .22-caliber rifle unlocked in his bedroom, where his son found it in April 2013. The boy took it outside and shot Brandon Holt once in the head. The child died the next day…. “We could not have imagined that such a horrific event would occur,” Senatore told the judge. “The torment of these thoughts will occupy me throughout my existence on this earth.”

I’ll start by stating the obvious: there are no winners in this sad and tragic saga. Anthony Senatore is going to prison for a stupid, irresponsible lapse of judgment that could only fairly be called a mistake. Christine Holt and her husband will never get to find out what kind of human being their son Brandon would have become. Senatore’s son will have to live with the knowledge that he killed someone, though there’s no way to believe he knew what the consequences of what his actions would be.

That Senatore is going to prison is a good thing only in the sense that a child being killed by a firearm should carry severe and significant consequences. Parent who insist on owning guns must keep them locked away from small children. Senatore, for whatever reason, failed to do so, and he’s rightfully being called to account for his irresponsibility. A weapon he failed to properly secure was used in the accidental killing of a child; there should be a stiff price to pay. My hope is that the lesson of this story will not be lost on the wider community of gun aficionados…or, more accurately, gun nuts. Though I hope for better, I suspect this tragedy and its attendant lessons will be lost on gun nuts, many of whom value their gun “rights” more than life itself.

Sure, it’s sad the kid’s dead, but that doesn’t have anything to do with me, and you’ll get my guns when you pry them from my cold, dead hands.

I’m no gun-grabbing, bleeding heart Liberal…oh, Hell, who am I kidding? I kinda am, but I understand that what I want to see (no guns) will never happen in this country. No, were that to happen, the ammosexuals would be in the mood for violent revolution. Since I can’t get what I want, how about getting what we NEED in order to stop the drumbeat of stories about small children shooting and killing friends, parents, neighbors, etc.? How about we pass laws creating common sense gun control and hold guns owners responsible for crimes and/or death committed with their weapons? How about we start holding people accountable for their irresponsibility? It’s time society began to demand guns and responsibility not be mutually exclusive, and it’s truly time to stop leaving guns in places where small children can find them.

WE DESERVE BETTER. So did the Holt family.

blog comments powered by Disqus

Technorati

Technorati search

» Blogs that link here

About this Entry

This page contains a single entry by Jack Cluth published on February 7, 2015 7:04 AM.

The only Republican proposal to solve our nation's problems was the previous entry in this blog.

In the end, it's only a game...and sometimes life has far more pressing issues planned for you is the next entry in this blog.

Find recent content on the main index or look in the archives to find all content.

Contact Me

Powered by Movable Type 6.0.2