Recently in Safety & Accidents Category
'I didn't fire' doesn't mean you were safe
Townie 76 writes about Stupid People at the range.
Raising the hunting age in Washington?
Hiker's death prompts calls to raise hunting age
On August 2nd a hiker was accidentally shot by a 14-year-old bear hunter on Sauk Mountain north of Seattle. The boy, who was not supervised by an adult, will be charged with manslaughter. Adult supervision is not required by law.
Washington previously required supervision for hunters 14 and younger but eliminated the restriction in 1994 when lawmakers revised the state's gun laws, said Democratic Rep. Brian Blake, chairman of the House Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee.
Blake, who believes the change was accidental, is seeking support for a measure to restore the age limit for solo hunters.
Attempts to raise the hunting age in Washington -- last tried in 2005 -- have been met with widespread opposition, said Blake, who did not think organized lobbying by hunting groups and the National Rifle Association was entirely to blame.
"Even family members can disagree about how this should be administered," he said.
Obviously, this was a tragedy. And no shooters are supposed to fire until they're positive of their target and what's behind it. This kid made a terrible mistake.
The gun was a .270.
Whether or not that warrants a change in the hunting laws in Washington is a different matter.
Some of the comments on the Seattle PI are, um, interesting:
Seems to be a pretty unreasonable situation, but the reaction is good.
Don't tell Murdoc that this isn't from a comic book:
And don't tell him it doesn't look like fun.
What's particularly awesome is the fact that it comes complete with a 21-piece task force of:
- Infantrymen
- Tanks
- Gunners
- Trucks
- Cruisers
- Battleships
- Jet Planes
- Bombers
- Riflemen
- Spaceships
And this:
Makes your friends' toys outdated
With an advertised price of $1.00, this was from before Murdoc's time. But boy oh boy, would I have wanted one.
From Lileks' gallery of BB Gun Ads, which starts with this:
Use the right tool for the job
Via Bitter:
A Fort Worth man trying to scratch an itch on his back used a revolver and accidentally shot himself.
Jorge Espinal, 44, was drinking beer and playing poker around 3 a.m.
Always follow them.
- Treat all guns as if they are loaded.
- Keep your finger off the trigger until ready to fire.
- Don’t point the muzzle at anything you don’t want to put a hole in.
- Know your target, what’s behind it, and what’s around it.
Excellent discussion over at Monster Hunter Nation, and be sure to check out the comments.
I've seen a lot of guys get pretty upset when their safety standards are, um, a bit lax. Me? When I catch myself nearing or crossing the line I'm ASHAMED OF MYSELF and make damn sure I don't do it again. My guess is that, at least in some cases, those that take offense at being corrected are simply embarrassed and don't take well to public criticism, not people who really don't care about safety.
Still no excuse, though.
Tempe man with road rage shoots self
A man accidentally shot himself in the stomach after waving his gun in anger at a fellow driver in Tempe, and police said Monday he will face charges.
David Lopez, 33, is expected to survive and could face charges including disorderly conduct, reckless display of a firearm and felony flight from police in the Friday night incident, Tempe police spokesman Brandon Banks said.
Banks said soon after Lopez shot himself, he tried to evade police by driving into a nearby neighborhood, but he crashed his car into a canal embankment. Lopez then ran on foot, but police soon caught up with him.
The other driver also fled the scene. When police caught up with him, they arrested him for drunken driving.
But it was just a 'tiny piece' that struck her
Caution: No running or shooting in pool area:
An off-duty New York City police detective's gun accidentally went off yesterday inside Peekskill Middle School and the bullet shattered, with a tiny piece striking a woman by the pool.
No charges, of course.
Assuming his finger did not press the trigger, he's carrying around a service piece that discharges when jolted? Do these people not maintain their weapons? They don't think that endangers the public?
And leaving it wadded up in his clothes unsecured on a bench where children are playing is not negligent?
West Virginia Governor Signs Hunter Safety Education Bill
Signed into law on April 1, Senate Bill 9 directs the West Virginia Board of Education to develop a hunter safety program for use in the state’s public schools.
It will be offered to students in grades six through twelve. This is a great thing, because anything that exposes kids to guns and teaches them safe handling and proper use is not only good for the shooting sports, it's good for anyone who takes the time to learn and also benefits those around them.
Doubtlessly, antis will see things differently. If people aren't terrified silly of guns, how are they ever going to ban them?
3-year-old girl finds gun, shoots self in head
DETROIT - A 3-year-old girl found a gun in a bedroom of her home and shot herself in the head Sunday, police said.
Secure those guns. Particularly with kids in the house.
Stupid if true:
Officials are trying to decide whether to file charges against a Missouri man who fatally shot his wife while trying to install a satellite TV system in their home.
Thirty-four-year-old Patsy Long of Deep Water was pronounced dead Saturday evening after being shot in the chest with a .22-caliber handgun. Her husband, Ronald Long, fired the shot from the inside of their home after several unsuccessful efforts to punch a hole through the exterior wall using other means.
