Saturday, June 11, 2011

Those damn Rule One violations will get you every time

So, one of my Facebook friends posted this link to an online petition.  The text there:

To be delivered to: The New Hampshire State House, The New Hampshire State Senate, Governor John Lynch, Sen. Kelly Ayotte (NH-2), The United States House of Representatives, The United States Senate and President Barack Obama
“Harsher punishments for people who use guns in an irresponsible way! Amend the Reckless Conduct punishment and change it to time in prison, depending on the circumstance!”
We want harsher punishment for irresponsible gun use! People who use guns irresponsibly should know that there are consequences for there actions and that they will go to jail if they use guns irresponsibly, This is about our cousin, Tony Girginis, who was killed by irresponsible gun use, the person responsible only got RECKLESS CONDUCT!

Being the naturally curious type, I decided to do a quick Google search on this fellow and find out just what had happened.  Who shot him?

I mean, surely,  reading that, he must have been shot, right?  He was killed by irresponsible gun use, and someone else is to blame, so that means he must have been shot.

Er, well, apparently not:

Joseph Harding, 23, was charged in connection with the shooting at a house party in April. Prosecutors said several people were playing with guns at the house when a shot was fired, killing Anthony Girginis.

Prosecutors said that at one point, Harding placed a round in a revolver and didn't tell anyone. He then pointed the gun at his head and pulled the trigger before giving the weapon to Girginis, prosecutors said.
Investigators said that Girginis put the gun to his head and fired a fatal shot.

Seriously, is there anyone out there who thinks that putting a gun to your head and pulling the trigger is a good idea?  (And yes, boys and girls, this breaks more rules than just Rule One, but that's the one the others all depend upon.)  I mean, other than this dude.

Oh, wait:
The partygoers not only pointed the unloaded .357 but other firearms at themselves as well, according to one of the indictments for reckless conduct. Walsh declined to speak further about the game the partygoers allegedly played and the guns used.

Now, this would be a hell of a way to commit a murder.  Except, well, Joseph Harding DIDN'T murder Anthony Girginis.  Anthony Girginis killed himself.  Unintentionally?  Yes.  And stupidly.  Stupid should hurt. And sometimes it is deadly.  Which sucks for those left behind. 

Here's the thing.  Anthony Girginis did something colossally stupid. And so did Joseph Harding.  I can't find anything after Mr. Harding's trial, but the wording on the petition leads me to think that the jury didn't go for the homicide charges. This is because, to a reasonable person, "Don't point a gun at your head and pull the trigger" is a, well, no-brainer. (Too soon?)

I know how bad it hurts to lose someone you love.  I had a friend killed in a car wreck back in high school.  Hit a telephone pole at roughly twice the speed limit.  One of the worst parts of the whole thing was coming to grips with the fact that Paul died because of his own stupidity.  But he did.  And so did young Mr. Girginis. 

No change in law would help that, sorry folks.

4 comments:

Unknown said...

"We want harsher punishment for irresponsible gun use!"

Really? Is there a better example of "irresponsible gun use," than pointing a gun at one's own head and pulling the trigger? Are these people upset because the government didn't manufacture an artificial consequence for Harding, one as harsh as the logical and natural consequence suffered by Girginis?

Yes, Girginas was killed by his own stupidity, and if Harding doesn't wise up, he too will likely suffer a similar fate. The law has nothing to do with it.

greg said...

Seems to me there was already a pretty harsh punishment doled out for the irresponsible gun use...Mother Nature/Natural Selection is usually a much harsher judge and jury than people are...

Julesagain said...

""Don't point a gun at your head and pull the trigger" is a, well, no-brainer. (Too soon?)"

That made me snort. I'm still fighting a rolling giggling snicker-fest as I write this.

Mike W. said...

When you pick up a gun, point it at your own head and then pull the damn trigger it's hard to call it "unintentional."

Play stupid games, win stupid prizes.