Lethal negligence
by digby
We all know that nobody should ever go out on a walk in the country without carrying a gun to protect themselves. There could be gang-bangers roaming the hillsides. But even if she'd had one on her it's hard to know how this woman could have protected herself from this:
The Benton County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the weekend shooting of a 60-year-old woman wounded on her way to get the newspaper outside her Monroe area home.
Capt. Greg Ridler with the BCSO said Monday Gale Fogelstrom was walking down a rural street for about half a mile to her newspaper box when she reported hearing about 40 rounds of ammunition being fired. Hearing shots in the area is fairly common, according to Ridler.
As she continued down the road, Fogelstrom told deputies she was struck twice by bullets, entering both her lower left back and her left buttocks. Folgestrom was eventually picked up by a motorist and given a ride to her home, where her boyfriend called 911.
Neither bullet exited Fogelstrom’s body, but her injuries did not appear to be life-threatening upon initial assessment, Ridler said.
Two people, 47-year-old Jeffrey Field and 37-year-old Lena Potter, were named by Ridler Monday as being responsible potentially for Fogelstrom’s injury.
Deputies spoke to Field and Potter, who live about 100 yards from the road where the incident occurred. Both Field and Potter admitted to conducting target practice on their property when Fogelstrom was shot.
Accidents happen. But any time someone's exercising their second amendment right, no matter how benign their intention might be, the possibility exist that stray bullets will end up in an innocent person's body. Perhaps the penalties for such accidents ought to be a little bit stiffer. Maybe people would be a little bit more careful.
.