As we grieve, let us also learn from tragic accident

As we grieve, let us also
learn from tragic accident

Last weekend’s accidental shooting death of a vibrant, intelligent, athletic and spirited 18-year-old woman in Poland Township has fractured a family and a community.

The tragic shooting also underscores the life-threatening dangers of handling firearms without a 100 percent focus on safety.

We extend our condolences to the family of Marissa Plakosh, a 2007 Poland Seminary High School graduate and an Ohio State University freshman who was killed Saturday morning when a loaded 9-mm semiautomatic pistol discharged, striking her in the neck.

We also extend our sympathies to the myriad members of the Poland community who knew and admired Marissa for her athletic and academic prowess, as well as an infectious smile and winning personality.

Marissa, home for holiday break after her first academic term at OSU, awoke early Saturday morning to find her brother visiting with a family friend in the Plakosh great room. According to police, that family friend was handling a loaded firearm when he accidentally fired the gun, striking Marissa.

“It was absolutely an accidental event,” Poland Township Police Sgt. Gary Abeid said.

There is a line that ought to be recognized between recklessness, negligence and an accident, which provides a debate for another day. But what is clear is that this was a tragic and heart-breaking death — and that it can also be instructive. Let it serve as a lesson to licensed gun owners and to all who come into contact with firearms to never let their guard down on safety.

Basic gun-safety rules

Although gun owners must undergo safety training before being registered, anyone who lives in or visits homes with guns in them must also be knowledgeable about the most basic safety precautions.

Here are some of the most fundamental precautions that the National Rifle Association accentuates in its training courses and safety awareness campaigns:

U Always keep a gun pointed in a safe direction, one in which no injuries or damage would result should it accidentally go off.

U Always keep fingers off the trigger until ready to shoot. When holding a firearm, fingers should rest on the trigger guard or along the side of the gun.

U Always keep guns unloaded until ready to use. Whenever picking up a gun, immediately engage the safety device.

U Store guns where they are totally inaccessible to children and untrained individuals.

U When in doubt, always assume a gun is loaded with live ammunition.

Those are valuable guidelines. Further, a novice should not even touch a gun that is being shown or passed around as a matter of curiosity.

Such tips, we realize, will do nothing to undo the tragedy in Poland Township last weekend. But as Marissa’s mother Jeanne Plakosh appealed, “Maybe somebody can learn from this. We know she didn’t die in vain.”

If her death can inspire others to follow gun-safety procedures more vigilantly, then that wish of Marissa’s grieving mother will be granted.