Remember that shooting in April, when the 5 year-old boy shot and killed his 2 year-old sister?

Yes, the George Zimmerman verdict was reached on Saturday, and there is much to say about it—about the implications of the case regarding racial profiling, Stand Your Ground legislation, and our gun laws (or lack thereof). But many others have weighed in on these issues. So instead we are going to draw your attention to a story that broke early last week, which has gotten much less publicity.

Do you remember that horrible shooting in April in Burkesville, Ky., in which a five-year-old boy shot and killed his two-year-old sister with a gun made specially for children that he’d been given as a gift? A week ago, the county prosecutor decided that no one would be charged with a crime in the little girl’s death because, according to investigators, “the family didn’t realize the gun was loaded.” This decision is completely unsurprising; even in states that are less gun-crazed than Kentucky, prosecutors are reluctant to charge parents criminally when a child finds a loaded gun in the house and accidentally shoots someone. There is too much sympathy for the parents, and the pain their mistake has already caused them.

But this is precisely why these accidents continue to take place. When there are no legal consequences, there is no incentive to change behavior. Until that starts to happen, The Gun Report, sadly, will continue to be dotted with near-daily examples of children, not knowing any better, shooting loaded guns at their brothers or sisters....

Read More: http://nocera.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/07/15/weekend-gun-report-july-12-14-2013/