Today in Guns

[Content Note: Guns; violence.]

Saturday was the first annual National Gun Appreciation Day. It went great, obviously.

MSNBC: 5 accidentally shot at gun shows in North Carolina, Ohio, Indiana.

Five people were wounded in accidents at gun shows in North Carolina, Ohio and Indiana on Saturday, according to authorities.

In Raleigh, N.C., authorities said three people were wounded when a loaded shotgun accidentally discharged at the Dixie Gun and Knife Show at the N.C. State Fairgrounds. ...The three victims, Janet Hoover, Linwood Hester and Jake Alderman, were hit, respectively, in the right torso, left hand and right hand, WNCN reported. They were taken to the hospital for non-life threatening injuries.

...In Medina, Ohio, an exhibitor at a local gun show was opening a box containing a gun when the weapon went off, striking his partner, who was sitting next to him, NBC station WKYC of Cleveland reported. The victim suffered non-life threatening injuries in the arm and thigh and was taken to a hospital.

...In Indianapolis, state police said a 54-year-old man was loading his .45 caliber semi-automatic gun when he shot himself in the hand, The Associated Press reported.

In other news:

* A 15-year-old in New Mexico is in custody as the primary suspect in the murder of his parents and three younger siblings, who were "fatally shot multiple times with a 'military-style' assault rifle and other weapons."

* A 14-year-old in Georgia "unintentionally shot and killed his 15-year-old brother early Saturday morning while playing with his mother's gun, according to police."

* A man in Texas shot and killed his estranged wife and then killed himself at their 16-year-old daughter's birthday party.

That is not a complete list. It's just the stories I happened to read.

The NRA argues that it's not guns that kill people, but people. And that in accidental shootings, it's not the guns, but irresponsible gun ownership.

Yet, despite the evidence of numerous dangerous and irresponsible gun owners, the NRA will not support reform that creates higher barriers to gun ownership. What reason is there to refuse to support compulsory training, licensing, registration, and periodic checks, just like there is to own and operate a vehicle, if you actually give a shit about keeping guns away from dangerous and irresponsible owners?