10. Children and Guns: The Hidden Toll

The article written by Michael Luo and Mike McIntire present the readers various incidents and examples relating to firearm accidents during young age. Luo and McIntire try to provide the readers enough information regarding the classifications made after the accidents. Many events presented by the authors show that accidents happened because children were able to find firearms in different places inside a friend’s house or even their own. The consequence, obviously, lead to the death of someone close at the time the child handled the gun, or even the death of the very own child holding the gun. Still, the authors raise two main points throughout their article. They are: the negligence of parents and adults who leave weapons unsecured in their homes; and the people who classify the deaths later, who many times declare accidents a homicide.

Luo and McIntire use a decent choice of vocabulary, which opens their essay to a bigger audience. They provide more than enough information and examples of various cases were people got killed because of a child was handling a gun. One of the points they raise – which is the negligence of parents regarding leaving guns unsecured in their homes – is supported by many examples, such as the case of a young child, Lucas Heagren, who shot himself back in 2011 because of his parents lack of care. The authors present a picture of the boy holding a rifle with his father outside their home, leading the conclusion that this action would influence the child to handle the firearm again. The other main topic raised by the authors is the lack of proper judgment of such cases. Luo and McIntire provide examples followed with pictures of documents that show how children were unfairly accused of homicide. The essay has a formal tone and provides informations of various incidents that make the readers formulate their own decision rather bearing arms should be legal.

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/29/us/children-and-guns-the-hidden-toll.html?hp