Father says he is to blame in son's accidental shooting

SARASOTA (FOX 130 - The accidental shooting of a teen at a Sarasota gun range has re-ignited the debate on guns.

Deputies said the boy's father accidently shot him after a hot shell casing deflected into his shirt.

Less than two days after he accidentally fired the shot that killed his son, Stephen, William Clayton Brumby told the Tampa Bay Times "the gun didn't kill my boy, I did."

Stephen's brother David, who witnessed the shooting, said the same thing.

"It was a freak accident," said David Brumby.

Meanwhile, chatter on Facebook and Twitter has been loud. One user Tweeted, "there'd be less freak accidents if there were less guns."

Another said, "freak accident? Sounds like negligence."

A third said, "we'd arrest him if his foot was on the gas and head in the clouds, but because it's a gun, it's a freak accident?"

But others disagreed. One saying, "respect to the brother for not blaming guns."

Someone else said, "there are serious rules to follow regardless of what happens."

Joseph Newton of Bill Jackson's Shop for Adventure said the latter comments generally reflect the community of gun owners he knows.

"[If] I hand you a gun, when you touch that, it is a hundred percent your responsibility," said Newton.

He's horrified by Brumby's death, but said it's a reminder for ranges to evaluate their safety procedures and how they train patrons.

Though many ranges do allow teens, Newton said Bill Jackson's does not allow anyone under 18 in the range for handgun practice.

"It should always be discussed, we welcome [the discussion]," he said. "[It's a] sad situation, we hope we can learn from it and perhaps make our procedures even safer."

The family declined an additional interview Tuesday. The sheriff's office said the case has been investigated and, at this point, no charges will be filled.

The medical examiner said it has not yet issued a final report.