Posted on Oct 9, 2014
Does the Camp Lejeune death show we need to crack down on firearm safety?
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Yesterday, Marine Lance Cpl. Brandon Little was sentenced to two years behind bars for inadvertently shooting and killing a fellow Marine outside the Camp Lejeune main gate back in April. Little’s rank and pay were also reduced to E-1, and he will receive a dishonorable discharge.
Little said he had been absent-mindedly flicking the safety switch on his M4 service rifle from “safe” to “semi” while directing traffic at the end of a 12-hour shift. When he returned to the gate house he was about to unload his weapon, but didn’t check to make sure the safety was on. He pulled back the charging handle and accidentally chambered a round. When that happened, he stood up to try to correct it, but pulled the trigger in the process, shooting Lance Cpl. Mark Boterf who was in front of him.
The lead attorney for the government argued Little should get a five-year sentence with forfeiture of all pay and rank and a dishonorable discharge for violating all four of the Marines’ cardinal firearms safety rules. Would a tougher sentence have sent a more powerful message for all Marines and service members?
On the other hand, Little’s defense pointed out he had taken full responsibility for his actions and stressed he will endure a lifetime of guilt and torment for what happened. Since this is an isolated incident, should Little’s punishment be left at that?
This tragic case certainly brings attention to the importance of weapon safety and proper procedures. The Marine’s death was an accident, but it could have easily been prevented had Little not been messing around with his gun. Are some service members becoming too comfortable with carrying such powerful weapons that they forget safety measures?
What can be done to prevent these tragedies from happening? What are some mistakes you’ve seen fellow service members make with their firearms that go against proper safety measures?
Little said he had been absent-mindedly flicking the safety switch on his M4 service rifle from “safe” to “semi” while directing traffic at the end of a 12-hour shift. When he returned to the gate house he was about to unload his weapon, but didn’t check to make sure the safety was on. He pulled back the charging handle and accidentally chambered a round. When that happened, he stood up to try to correct it, but pulled the trigger in the process, shooting Lance Cpl. Mark Boterf who was in front of him.
The lead attorney for the government argued Little should get a five-year sentence with forfeiture of all pay and rank and a dishonorable discharge for violating all four of the Marines’ cardinal firearms safety rules. Would a tougher sentence have sent a more powerful message for all Marines and service members?
On the other hand, Little’s defense pointed out he had taken full responsibility for his actions and stressed he will endure a lifetime of guilt and torment for what happened. Since this is an isolated incident, should Little’s punishment be left at that?
This tragic case certainly brings attention to the importance of weapon safety and proper procedures. The Marine’s death was an accident, but it could have easily been prevented had Little not been messing around with his gun. Are some service members becoming too comfortable with carrying such powerful weapons that they forget safety measures?
What can be done to prevent these tragedies from happening? What are some mistakes you’ve seen fellow service members make with their firearms that go against proper safety measures?
Camp Lejeune
Marine Corps
Safety
Firearms and Guns
Command Post
Posted 11 y ago
Responses: 76
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I don't know a whole lot on the story , but...I do know that with training safety comes naturally...
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NO!!! WE NEED TO DO MORE ABOUT THE MENTALY ILL AND UNGODLY AND THE REASON THESE THINGS HAPPEN IS A LACK OF GOD IN THE USA
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The harsh truth is that nothing can be done to prevent them. The best we can do is to reduce the frequency.
"Getting tough" on gun safety isn't any more likely to eliminate weapon-related accidents and oversights any more than it has eliminated DUIs.
That said, I think this incident does say something about post-war training standards and leadership at the junior NCO level. Who neglected to drill basic military habits into this young Marine? How could his muscle memory skip extracting the magazine before operating the bolt? How many other skills which are learned primarily through boring, repetitive drills under the watchful and unwavering eye of an NCO have been similarly neglected?
"Getting tough" on gun safety isn't any more likely to eliminate weapon-related accidents and oversights any more than it has eliminated DUIs.
That said, I think this incident does say something about post-war training standards and leadership at the junior NCO level. Who neglected to drill basic military habits into this young Marine? How could his muscle memory skip extracting the magazine before operating the bolt? How many other skills which are learned primarily through boring, repetitive drills under the watchful and unwavering eye of an NCO have been similarly neglected?
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The story he concocted sounds a bit fake. First why would he chamber a round or pull on the charging handle as though he didn't know what would happen? The story just sounds too unbelievable to be plausible even for the dumbest of Marines (believe me there are some that you wonder how they actually made it through MCRD, MCT, MOS school, and then to a unit). Just feels to me that he had competent legal counsel and concocted this story to save him from worse charges.
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1LT William Clardy
CPL Fernandez, we had a similar incident way back when I was in Europe.
One of the cav troopers on motor pool guard duty was wandering around the motor pool playing with his M1911A1, loading and unloading it and pointing it in people's faces. When somebody brought over the mail for the guys on guard duty, this fool shot him twice (once in the chest and once in the head). His defense was that the shooting was accidental because he thought his weapon was unloaded and the second round was the result of a startle reflex.
Believe it or not, the other soldiers present corroborated that he was so startled that he was shrieking and dropping his pistol to the floor immediately after the second shot.
The court accepted the AD explanation, which resulted in a conviction on a reduced charge of negligent homicide (or whatever the UCMJ equivalent was back then) and a sentence of reduction to PV1, 5 years at Leavenworth and a dishonorable discharge.
One of the cav troopers on motor pool guard duty was wandering around the motor pool playing with his M1911A1, loading and unloading it and pointing it in people's faces. When somebody brought over the mail for the guys on guard duty, this fool shot him twice (once in the chest and once in the head). His defense was that the shooting was accidental because he thought his weapon was unloaded and the second round was the result of a startle reflex.
Believe it or not, the other soldiers present corroborated that he was so startled that he was shrieking and dropping his pistol to the floor immediately after the second shot.
The court accepted the AD explanation, which resulted in a conviction on a reduced charge of negligent homicide (or whatever the UCMJ equivalent was back then) and a sentence of reduction to PV1, 5 years at Leavenworth and a dishonorable discharge.
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Rule number one, ALWAYS Keep that muzzle pointed in a safe direction.
But I think we all know that.
But I think we all know that.
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1LT William Clardy
And I think that the available evidence indicates that not all of us do know that.
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