Only in America, #94: Four year-old girl shoots herself - with Grandmother's gun

[Gilliver's Travels]

Granny - a respected magistrate - was out shopping with her granddaughter, with a gun in her 'purse', as one does...


COLUMBIA, SC (WIS) - Authorities say a four-year-old girl from Salley is recovering after she grabbed a gun out of her grandmother's purse and shot herself in the Harbison Blvd. Sam's Club Monday.

The child underwent emergency surgery Monday afternoon at Palmetto Health Richland Memorial Hospital.

Lewis says no major organs were hit by the bullet, and the child is out of surgery and in the recovery room right now. The hospital says she's in stable condition.

Investigators tell WIS News 10's Stewart Moore they believe the child was sitting in her grandmother's shopping cart when she pulled a small-caliber handgun out of her grandmother's shopping cart and accidentally shot herself in the chest.

The entire incident was captured on surveillance cameras near the store's pharmacy.

"They made an announcement that they were closing and that there was an official on the scene. No announcements to what happened," said Heath Mills, who was in the store at the time.

CPD spokesman Brick Lewis says the grandmother has not been charged with a crime, and no other injuries have been reported.

Lewis says the grandmother, Donna Hutto Williamson, has a weapons permit.

Williamson is a respected name in Northeast Aiken County as a magistrate judge.

Friends from Aiken County were quick to come to Williamson's defense.

"She's law and order, she's firm behind family," friend Mickey Williams said.

"I know a lot of people that tote guns, they got licence to tote guns, but it could easily happen to one of them," friend Rickey Williams said.

Store officials say the store was closed for about an hour after the shooting.

"Everyone at Sam's Club is deeply saddened by today's tragedy. Our thoughts and prayers are with the little girl and her family," said Tara Stewart, South Carolina spokesperson for Wal-Mart and Sam's Club.

Stewart said as of right now they do not have a policy on concealed weapons, but after this incident, that could change.

"While we don't have a sign posted, I think everyone knows the rules and laws. We are working with police to make changes if necessary," said Stewart.


So, post all your smug, 'stupid Yanks' sneers here folks!

 

[Barrel of Fun]

To quote the owner of the Buy a Car, Get a Gun store...

Owner Mark Muller said: "We're just damn glad to live in a free country where you can have a gun if you want to."

 

[sten_super]

I just don't understand this desire to carry a firearm. I can't understand why there isn't a much more powerful anti-gun lobby, and why the NRA is so powerful. It completely baffles me.

 

[Twinkle Toes]

I just don't understand this desire to carry a firearm. I can't understand why there isn't a much more powerful anti-gun lobby, and why the NRA is so powerful. It completely baffles me.

It's called the United States Constitution. Well that & having a largely pig-ignorant population, of course. No prizes for guessing why

 

[Gilliver's Travels]

I just don't understand this desire to carry a firearm. I can't understand why there isn't a much more powerful anti-gun lobby, and why the NRA is so powerful. It completely baffles me.

I think you have to be American to understand their interpretation of freedom. Freedom of access to information, freedom from routine, mass CCTV surveillance, UK-style - I'd support.

Freedom to be insanely irresponsible and take incalculable risks with lethal weapons is something else. Too many people over there can't see the difference, and perpetuating the spirit of the Wild West is somehow lumped in with an admirable hunger for genuine personal liberty.

 

[Trufflehound]

"...and shot herself in the Harbison Blvd...."

Strange euphemism. Is that above or below the waist?

 

[sten_super]

It's called the United States Constitution. Well that & having a largely pig-ignorant population, of course. No prizes for guessing why

I appreciate that according to the constitution they have 'the right to bear arms'. I just don't understand why they would want to? If they suddenly allowed people to carry firearms in this country, there is no way in hell I would want to do so.

 

[caesar]

Just got back from 2 weeks in Vegas yesterday. During that time i made several visits to The Gun Store, where you can fire just about any gun imaginable, from handguns to fully automatic machine guns. On the first visit i took my passport for ID but it wasnt needed. Within 5 minutes of entering the place i was blasting away with an AK47 as my mate was in the next bay with an oozi.
On the next visit there were a group of 4 kids with an older lady. They could only have been 12 or 13 years old. The guy from the range asked if she was their mother, but she replied that she was their grandma! The whole thing seemed very wrong!
Any of you going to Vegas, however, i would highly recommend this place, great fun.

 

[readingstockport]

I just don't understand this desire to carry a firearm. I can't understand why there isn't a much more powerful anti-gun lobby, and why the NRA is so powerful. It completely baffles me.

In 2007 more US citizens supported gun control than opposed it but the NRA are so powerful that they simply bludgeon anyone who supports gun control out of their way.

The Swamp: Support for gun control dwindling in America

And this is great.

In North Carolina a 12 year old must obtain parental permission in order to play little league baseball. They do not require permission to posses a rifle or shotgun.

http://www.soros.org/initiatives/justice/articles_publications/publications/gun_report_20000401/GunReport.pdf

 

[Gilliver's Travels]

I appreciate that according to the constitution they have 'the right to bear arms'.

No, there was a typo in the original Constitution. They had wanted a 'fair fight' clause for hunting. So should have been 'The right to arm bears.'

 

[Gazwag]

In North Carolina a 12 year old must obtain parental permission in order to play little league baseball. They do not require permission to posses a rifle or shotgun.

Its due to Americans being cowards at heart. To kill somebody with a baseball bat you have to be within four to six feet, but with a gun you can be hiding out of site many yards away.

 

[che]

For me most Americans has no brains.

 

[bhaexpress]

The reason why so many Americans have guns is ostensibly to protect themselves from the bad guys that have guns. It's actually not quite as stupid as it sounds as there's no shortage of people out there who will kill for the price of a pint. Sadly that's a trend that's starting to come here now.

 

[bhaexpress]

For me most Americans has no brains.

Yes, people like Thomas Edison are stupid aren't they ? This very interent tht use use to post on here is an American invention. The problem with the US is their truly dreadful education system. We moan about ours enough but their's is a whole different matter.

 

[readingstockport]

The reason why so many Americans have guns is ostensibly to protect themselves from the bad guys that have guns. It's actually not quite as stupid as it sounds as there's no shortage of people out there who will kill for the price of a pint. Sadly that's a trend that's starting to come here now.

The current price in South Africa is about 50 rand, that's roughly £3.50

 

[readingstockport]

Yes, people like Thomas Edison are stupid aren't they ? This very interent tht use use to post on here is an American invention. The problem with the US is their truly dreadful education system. We moan about ours enough but their's is a whole different matter.

No it's not. The internet was developed by a variety of educational establishments to allow data exchange. The hyperlink protocol and the like which allowed browser development as we now undertsand it and which most of us now regard as the internet was in fact developed by a BT technician in the UK.

I do agree that not all Americans are stupid though if by stupid you mean thick. If by stupid you mean uneducated and lacking in any worldy wisdom then they are definately stupid with a BIG S.

 

[Simster]

Can someone bounce this thread when Juan wakes up please. He's going to go APE SHIT at the thread title.

 

[sten_super]

The reason why so many Americans have guns is ostensibly to protect themselves from the bad guys that have guns. It's actually not quite as stupid as it sounds as there's no shortage of people out there who will kill for the price of a pint. Sadly that's a trend that's starting to come here now.

The problem being that the reason that the bad guys have as many guns as they have is due to the easy availability of guns. Although of course it does mean that it would be extremely difficult to introduce any serious kind of license system for weapons.

Yes, people like Thomas Edison are stupid aren't they ? This very interent tht use use to post on here is an American invention. The problem with the US is their truly dreadful education system. We moan about ours enough but their's is a whole different matter.

I thought the internet was invented by some British guy? I forget the name though

 

[bhaexpress]

No it's not. The internet was developed by a variety of educational establishments to allow data exchange. The hyperlink protocol and the like which allowed browser development as we now undertsand it and which most of us now regard as the internet was in fact developed by a BT technician in the UK.

I do agree that not all Americans are stupid though if by stupid you mean thick. If by stupid you mean uneducated and lacking in any worldy wisdom then they are definately stupid with a BIG S.

The basis of the Internet is Arcnet, designed by the US military for use in the event of a global war. The idea being that instead of have a network linked point to point in the event of one part of the network being destroyed the traffic could be rerouted by another connection. The education bits came after that. Hyperlinks were developed by a British man I know but the original concept was designed in the US.

Agree with your second paragraph though.

 

[Barrel of Fun]

The reason why so many Americans have guns is ostensibly to protect themselves from the bad guys that have guns. It's actually not quite as stupid as it sounds as there's no shortage of people out there who will kill for the price of a pint. Sadly that's a trend that's starting to come here now.

There was a very interesting article about how the press have played their part in arming teenagers. With so much coverage, kids have taken it upon themselves to ‘tool up’ as every single teenager carries a knife or weapon, allegedly?