Gun accidents that kill family members

High-profile gun accident of senator killing mother of his children on mother's day draws public attention to gun laws & gun law enforcement.

Photo above of the deadly weapons: the gun, the clip and the bullets (Photo: Taweesak Sukasem).

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Fully loaded and totally lethal

Questions over gun ownership and rules governing their use in public are being raised after a senator accidentally shot and killed his long-time partner in Phrae
19/08/2012
Vichaya Pitsuwan

The tragic fatal shooting of Chanakarn Detkard, 46, by the senator with whom she had two children, has raised serious issues about gun ownership and the handling of private weapons in public places.

Last Sunday Chanakarn died from a bullet wound to the stomach after Mae Hong Son Senator Boonsong Kowawisarat, 56, accidentally discharged a weapon at a family gathering to mark Mother's Day, witnesses told police.

The tragedy took place in the afternoon in Phrae's Mae Kerng subdistrict at Piyanart Garden resort, owned by a relative of Chanakarn, when the senator took out a new pistol he had bought to show to the gathering.

Pol Lt Choosak Poonsawat of Wang Chin police station told the Bangkok Post Sunday that the weapon was a 9mm Uzi semi-automatic handgun.

The footage from the scene indicates the weapon is the Israeli-made Jericho 941, also known as an Uzi Eagle, which can hold 15 9mm bullets in its clip.

The footage showed 14 bullets on the table with one empty shell casing. The senator had removed the magazine clip, but one bullet remained in the gun, the report said.

Pol Lt Choosak said the gun fired when Senator Boonsong was placing it back in a bag after one of the diners told him it could accidentally discharge.

The officer said he did not know why the senator, who told police he suffers from partial paralysis, was carrying the weapon or whether he should be allowed to given his physical condition.

Senator Boonsong told police the safety of the gun was on and he does not know why it discharged.

The gun is now at Wang Chin station and investigating officers are awaiting the result of a gunshot residue test. They are also checking with the Interior Ministry to determine whether the senator is licensed to own and carry a gun.

According to an Interior Ministry official, persons other than security officials are only allowed to carry a firearm if they have a Por 12 licence.

Owning a gun requires another licence issued by the local municipal office. A provincial governor has to give approval for the gun to be carried in that province and the Interior Ministry grants approval for a gun to be carried nationwide.

The Por 12 licence does not allow the carrier to show a gun in public places like restaurants or schools.

In practice, provincial police determine whether the applicant needs a gun licence and whether they are physically and mentally capable of carrying a weapon. After police approve the application for the licence, to be renewed annually, it is sent to the Interior Ministry for final approval.

''The police were informed that the gun belongs to the senator,'' said Pol Lt Choosak.

Mae Hong Son Municipal administration office, which police referred the Bangkok Post Sunday to on the issue of firearm ownership, said it cannot reveal how many guns the senator owns or whether he has a licence to carry a gun, unless it has approval from the municipal head.

When asked about autopsy and forensic reports, officers at Wang Chin station said they can only reveal details after approval by their superiors.

The senator's mother, Chandee Mahasing, who lives in Mae Hong Son, told the Bangkok Post Sunday she had never seen her son with a gun.

''I didn't know he owned one. If he owns a gun, I would not know why he needs it. He has been a senator for almost 10 years and everyone loves him. He has no enemies,'' she said.

However, Chanakarn's mother, Somjai Detkard, who was at the dinner, said the senator was a gun enthusiast.

''In the past, the couple never had any disputes,'' she told Post Today. ''But Mr Boonsong likes to show his guns. He showed me once when I visited Mae Hong Son, but this particular gun I have never seen before, so I think he might have just bought it''.

Chanakarn died on the way to hospital and a distraught Senator Boonsong was filmed weeping over her covered body. However, the senator was able to perform his political duties and attended the current parliamentary session in Bangkok early last week.

Chanakarn's family members have said they will not press charges against the senator.

However, police say he will be charged with causing death by negligence after the parliament session ends.

Pol Lt Choosak said Senator Boonsong cannot be immediately detained due to parliamentary privilege.

Senator Boonsong received a bachelor of law degree from Ramkhamheang University and once ran a law office in Mae Hong Son.

He is a past president of the Mae Hong Son Rotary club and a member of the provincial Election Commission.

Ms Chandee said Senator Boonsong, the third of her five children, is a gentle, quiet and easy-going man.

She confirmed he has two daughters with Chanakarn but said the pair were not legally married.

The couple and their children, along with Chanakarn's mother, lived together in Mae Hong Son when the children were young.

However, the women relocated to Chiang Mai after Chanakarn and the senator separated, Ms Chandee said.

They reunited after Senator Boonsong fell ill recently.

''The two granddaughters spend most of their time with their mother and their other grandmother, not me,'' Ms Chandee said. ''We will have to see what their father decides for them.''

Chanakarn's funeral service was held last week in Phrae near where the shooting took place. Her body is at Maharaj Nakorn Chiang Mai Hospital where it will be used for medical research.

''The victim registered with our hospital while she was alive requesting that her body be donated for medical study purposes. We have her body with us now,'' a hospital spokesman said

(Source: Bangkok Post, Fully loaded and totally lethal, Questions over gun ownership and rules governing their use in public are being raised after a senator accidentally shot and killed his long-time partner in Phrae, 19/08/2012, Vichaya Pitsuwan, link) 


Gun Accident and Gun Law Vocabulary

gun - (See Wikipedia) ปืน
pistol - a small gun that you hold in one hand ปืนพก,ปืนสั้น

firearm - a gun
firearm ownership - owning a gun

gun safety - "rules for safely using firearms. The purpose of gun safety is to eliminate or minimize the risks of unintentional death, injury or damage caused by improper handling of firearms"   (See Wikipedia)
gun accident

gun law - "a political and/or controversial issue in many societies. There are many differing views on how gun laws should be set up in a society. A typical disagreement is over whether guns should be prohibited in the interest of public safety, or whether citizen gun ownership improves safety and should be allowed. This debate is fueled by black market sales of firearms, illegal firearm manufacturing, cross border purchases, self defense as a right, use of deadly force in self defense, victims rights, accidental shootings, hunting vs. self defense use, alternatives to firearms, etc." (See Wikipedia)

gun control - "any law, policy, practice, or proposal designed to restrict or limit the possession, production, importation, shipment, sale, and/or use of guns or other firearms by private citizens. Most commonly the guns in question are personal firearms, typically handguns and long guns" (See Wikipedia)

issue - matter; a subject that people discuss or argue about; a problem that needs to be considered ประเด็น
the issue of firearm ownership

safety of the gun - the switch that prevents the gun from firing accidentally when not in use (See Wikipedia)
the safety of the gun was on

loaded gun
fully loaded

lethal - very dangerous and able to kill you เป็นอันตรายถึงชีวิต
fatal - causing someone to die ถึงตาย

fully loaded and totally lethal

accidentally shot and killed her

Questions over gun ownership and rules governing their use in public are being raised after a senator accidentally shot and killed his long-time partner in Phrae

tragic - causing or involving great sadness, because someone suffers or dies
tragic fatal shooting

issues - subjects that need to be considered; an important subect that people are discussing and debating about ประเด็น
serious issues

raised serious issues
raised serious issues about gun ownership

handling of private weapons in public places

bullet - a small, metal object that is shot from a gun กระสุนปืน
wound - an injury in which your skin or flesh is damaged, usually seriously บาดเจ็บ บาดแผล

bullet wound
bullet wound to the stomach

died from a bullet wound to the stomach

discharged a weapon

gathering - a party or a meeting when many people come together as a group การรวมตัว, การประชุม
family gathering

mark - to show respect for or commemorate something; to celebrate something ฉลอง เป็นเครืองแสดง
to mark Mother's Day

family gathering to mark Mother's Day

accidentally discharged a weapon at a family gathering to mark Mother's Day

witnesses - a person who say an event, usually an accident or crime that they describe, an eyewitness
witnesses told police

The tragic fatal shooting of Chanakarn Detkard, 46, by the senator with whom she had two children, has raised serious issues about gun ownership and the handling of private weapons in public places. Last Sunday Chanakarn died from a bullet wound to the stomach after Mae Hong Son Senator Boonsong Kowawisarat, 56, accidentally discharged a weapon at a family gathering to mark Mother's Day, witnesses told police.

tragedy - a very sad event that causes people to suffer or die โศกนาฏกรรม
relative - a member of your family ญาติพี่น้อง

footage - film or video of some subject or event ฟิลม์หรือคลิปภาพยนตร์ หรือวิดีโอ การเสนอข่าว

scene - scene of the crime (the place where the crime happened, where the police must collect evidence from)
footage from the scene

The tragedy took place in the afternoon in Phrae's Mae Kerng subdistrict at Piyanart Garden resort, owned by a relative of Chanakarn, when the senator took out a new pistol he had bought to show to the gathering. Pol Lt Choosak Poonsawat of Wang Chin police station told the Bangkok Post Sunday that the weapon was a 9mm Uzi semi-automatic handgun. The footage from the scene indicates the weapon is the Israeli-made Jericho 941, also known as an Uzi Eagle, which can hold 15 9mm bullets in its clip.

shell casing - outside of bullet (police investigators search scene of crime for "shell casings")

empty - having nothing inside ว่างเปล่า
empty shell casing - inside of shell expelled when bullet is shot from gun (shell casings drop to the ground)

magazine clip - holds many bullets that are fired  

discharge - to send out something (a bullet from a gun; a substance, especially liquid or gas) ปล่อยออก, ขับออก
discharge gun - shoot bullets from a gun

fire gun - Same as "gun discharge"
gun fired

The footage showed 14 bullets on the table with one empty shell casing. The senator had removed the magazine clip, but one bullet remained in the gun, the report said. Pol Lt Choosak said the gun fired when Senator Boonsong was placing it back in a bag after one of the diners told him it could accidentally discharge

paralysis (noun) - cannot move a part of your body
paralyzed (adjective)

partial - only part of something (not complete, not 100%) บางส่วน
partial paralysis

suffers from partial paralysis

physical - real things that can be touched and seen (not just an idea or legal right)
physical condition - healthiness, how healthy and fit a person is

The officer said he did not know why the senator, who told police he suffers from partial paralysis, was carrying the weapon or whether he should be allowed to given his physical condition. Senator Boonsong told police the safety of the gun was on and he does not know why it discharged.

residue - a small amount that remains after most has disappeared
investigating officers are awaiting the result of a gunshot residue test

licence (noun) - an official document that gives someone permission to do or use something ใบอนุญาต
licensed (verb) - given a license and permission to do some activity

licensed to own and carry a gun

determine - to officially find out or decide something ตัดสินใจ ชี้ขาด กำหนด
determine whether the senator is licensed to own and carry a gun

security - the activity of making safe or protecting from harm, being free from danger ความปลอดภัย
security officials - military or police (people whose job is make a place safe and protect people from harm and property from damage)

Por 12 licence

local - in or related to the area that you live, or to the particular area that you are talking about ท้องถิ่น
municipal - of a town, city or district with its own local government เทศบาล
local municipal office

issued - made available ออกใหม่
licence issued by the local municipal office

approval - official permission การอนุมัต
give approval for

grants - gives
grants approval for

nationwide - throughout a whole country ทั่วทั้งประเทศ
gun carried nationwide

The gun is now at Wang Chin station and investigating officers are awaiting the result of a gunshot residue test. They are also checking with the Interior Ministry to determine whether the senator is licensed to own and carry a gun. According to an Interior Ministry official, persons other than security officials are only allowed to carry a firearm if they have a Por 12 licence.  Owning a gun requires another licence issued by the local municipal office. A provincial governor has to give approval for the gun to be carried in that province and the Interior Ministry grants approval for a gun to be carried nationwide. The Por 12 licence does not allow the carrier to show a gun in public places like restaurants or schools.

practice - a way of doing something การปฏิบัติ
In practice, ...  - what is commonly done in a situation ....

capable - able to do something; very good at a job มีความสามารถ

physically capable - the body is able to do it
mentally capable  - the brain is able to able to do it

physically and mentally capable of carrying a weapon

approve the application for the licence
final approval

renew - to arrange for something to continue for a longer period of time (example: renew a driver's license)
annually - happening every year ทุกๆปีด
renewed annually

In practice, provincial police determine whether the applicant needs a gun licence and whether they are physically and mentally capable of carrying a weapon. After police approve the application for the licence, to be renewed annually, it is sent to the Interior Ministry for final approval. ''The police were informed that the gun belongs to the senator,'' said Pol Lt Choosak.

reveal - to let something be known เปิดเผยข้อมูลว่า to show something that was covered or hidden เปิดเผย ทำให้ปรากฎ
reveal details

cannot reveal how many guns the senator owns
reveal whether he has a licence to carry a gun

Mae Hong Son Municipal administration office, which police referred the Bangkok Post Sunday to on the issue of firearm ownership, said it cannot reveal how many guns the senator owns or whether he has a licence to carry a gun, unless it has approval from the municipal head.

autopsy - when a doctor (medical investigator) takes a careful look at the body after death to determine cause of death (See Wikipedia)

forensic - relating to the use of scientific methods to solve crimes or to find out why something happened เกี่ยวกับนิติวิทยาศาสตร์
forensic report

superiors - people who are senior (having a higher position) to you in an organisation ผู้บังคับบัญชา
approval by superiors
reveal details after approval by their superiors

When asked about autopsy and forensic reports, officers at Wang Chin station said they can only reveal details after approval by their superiors. The senator's mother, Chandee Mahasing, who lives in Mae Hong Son, told the Bangkok Post Sunday she had never seen her son with a gun.''I didn't know he owned one. If he owns a gun, I would not know why he needs it. He has been a senator for almost 10 years and everyone loves him. He has no enemies,'' she said.

enthusiast - has a hobby or pasttime (something they do in their freetime) 
gun enthusiast - someone very interested in guns as a hobby

However, Chanakarn's mother, Somjai Detkard, who was at the dinner, said the senator was a gun enthusiast.

couple - two people who are married or are involved in a romantic relationship คุ่รัก
the couple

disputes - arguments, fights, disagreements

''In the past, the couple never had any disputes,'' she told Post Today. ''But Mr Boonsong likes to show his guns. He showed me once when I visited Mae Hong Son, but this particular gun I have never seen before, so I think he might have just bought it''.

distraught - extremely upset, worried or confused

weep - cry
weeping over her covered body

political duties
perform his political duties

session - a formal meeting of an institution such as a parliament or a court การประชุม
current - at the present time ปัจจุบัน
current session

parliament
parliamentary
parliamentary session
current parliamentary session

Chanakarn died on the way to hospital and a distraught Senator Boonsong was filmed weeping over her covered body. However, the senator was able to perform his political duties and attended the current parliamentary session in Bangkok early last week.

press charges - bring a criminal case against a person
will not press charges against the senator.
Chanakarn's family members have said they will not press charges against the senator.

negligence - when a person does not give enough care or attention to something and causes harm or damage to something or someone  ความประมาท, ความไม่เอาใจใส่
causing death by negligence
charged with causing death by negligence

However, police say he will be charged with causing death by negligence after the parliament session ends.

detain - keep in jail or prison (not allowed to leave a place and go free) 
immediately - happening right after something else with no delay; right away ทันที

immediately detained
cannot be immediately detained

privilege - 1. a special thing that you get that others do not get; a special benefit that is available only to a particular person or group เอกสิทธิ์ 2. when some people get to do things that others can't (rich elite get to do it, but poor people cannot)

parliamentary privilege - something special that you get because you are an elected member of parliament (example: police cannot arrest you)

Pol Lt Choosak said Senator Boonsong cannot be immediately detained due to parliamentary privilege. Senator Boonsong received a bachelor of law degree from Ramkhamheang University and once ran a law office in Mae Hong Son. He is a past president of the Mae Hong Son Rotary club and a member of the provincial Election Commission.

easy-going - relaxed, calm, not easily angered (does not take things too seriously) 
an easy-going man

Ms Chandee said Senator Boonsong, the third of her five children, is a gentle, quiet and easy-going man.

confirmed - said that a claim is true, verified (say that some statement is a true fact when people were not sure whether it was true)
relocated - moved to a new place

separated - 1. when a husband and wife do not live with each other anymore; 2. when two things are not at the same place 
reunited - when two people who were separated come back together again

She confirmed he has two daughters with Chanakarn but said the pair were not legally married. The couple and their children, along with Chanakarn's mother, lived together in Mae Hong Son when the children were young. However, the women relocated to Chiang Mai after Chanakarn and the senator separated, Ms Chandee said. They reunited after Senator Boonsong fell ill recently. ''The two granddaughters spend most of their time with their mother and their other grandmother, not me,'' Ms Chandee said. ''We will have to see what their father decides for them.''

funeral - a ceremony that takes place after someone dies, usually including a religious ceremony งานศพ ในที่นี้หมายถึง งารพระราชพิธีพระราชทานเพลิงพระศพ
funeral service

Chanakarn's funeral service was held last week in Phrae near where the shooting took place. Her body is at Maharaj Nakorn Chiang Mai Hospital where it will be used for medical research. 

victim - someone who suffers as a result of another's actions; someone who has been affected by a bad situation, such as a crime or accident เหยื่อผู้เคราะห์ร้าย
registered - officially recorded with the government (and given permission to do something)

''The victim registered with our hospital while she was alive requesting that her body be donated for medical study purposes. We have her body with us now,'' a hospital spokesman said