Always check, even if you think you know

A toddler was shot in the neck by an air rifle fired by his Dad...

Sky.

A two-year-old boy who was shot in the neck with an air rifle has been described as "critical but stable" after surgery.

The toddler was hurt at his family home in Winthorpe, Skegness, in Lincolnshire.

His 29-year-old father, who was arrested and quizzed after Monday's incident, was released on bail to be by his son's bedside, police said.

It is believed the person who fired the gun did not know it was loaded.

The boy was initially taken to Skegness Hospital before being transferred to Glenfield Hospital in Leicester.

He then underwent surgery to remove the air rifle pellet from his neck.

A spokeswoman said: "Glenfield Hospital have confirmed that the child is critical but stable following surgery."

Now I don't know if his Dad is an idiot or not, it might be that this is just a tragic accident, however one of the rules about any type of firearm is that you never assume it's not loaded and you never under any circumstances point it at people, for the reasons as shown above.
It will be interesting to see what if anything comes of this, the UK already has the toughest firearm rules in the EU, yet the temptation to make them stronger or go for an outright ban is there with some people in government and the political classes. After all, if their side has all the weapons, it will be far more difficult to overthrow them if or more likely when they finally push us too far.
Accidents will happen all the time, but any kind of weapon has special risks, though It's amazing the damage you can do with a set of hedge trimmers and yet some people insist on treating them as toys (guns, not hedge trimmers) For the sake of the boy, I hope he doesn't lose his Dad to a prison sentence, however for the Dad, I hope he's learned a hard lesson in the harshest possible way, guns are not toys and you should always make sure they aren't loaded and you should never aim them at someone unless you actually intend to use it on them. That's why the police will shoot after giving you one warning, even if it turns out you're just carrying a table leg. They don't take chances, neither should anyone else.