Hunter Pleads Guilty to Second-Degree Manslaughter

Edward Taibi, the hunter who accidentally shot and killed 16-month-old Charly Skala, has pled guilty to second-degree manslaughter. Taibi will be sentenced in October, to two to eight years in prison. Taibi was approximately 400 feet from the mobile home where Skala was staying when he took a shot at a deer. New York state law prohibits the discharge of a firearm within 500 feet of a dwelling.

Was this a hunting accident? Not according to District Attorney Stephen Lungen, who says the residence was within Taibi's view at the time, and he never should have taken the shot.

My blog post at the time, in November, 2008, received several comments supporting hunting. Not one of them condemned this hunter's reckless behavior or expressed any sadness over the death of a toddler. Could it be possible that they don't consider this hunter's behavior to be that unusual? Are they so used to hunting accidents, that their first instinct is to defend their "sport" without any regard for the victims - even the human victims?

Links:

• Toddler Killed in Hunting Accident
• How Many People are Killed or Injured in Hunting Accidents?
  
• Arguments For and Against Hunting
  
• How Are Deer Managed by State Wildlife Agencies?