Gun Fail

Fri May 24, 2013 at 08:01 PM PDT
GunFAIL XIX

by David Waldman

Extremities in defense of liberty is no vice. Sacrificing themselves in the cause of Freedom this week were four hands, five legs, and one foot.

Six Patriots flipped the bird to private property rights, just as the Founders intended, and exercised their Second Amendment right to leaden trespass, by committing this week's half dozen home invasion shootings. Three Freedom Fighters let fly while cleaning loaded weapons. And it was a banner week for those who let their guns slip from their warm, live hands without even realizing it. We saw eight such pillars of the community forget to secure their weapons before heading to the airport (three in Salt Lake City alone). But once again, the news reports we saw were just a fraction of the real activity level, since the TSA found some sixty such secreted weapons inside of the past week.

Among the standout stories this week were the brand new gun owner who had his first accident (a home invasion shooting) on the very day he bought his new pistol; the varmint hunter who accidentally shot a 70-year-old woman out enjoying (up to that point) a round of golf, and; a teacher in Wichita, Kansas, who, apparently so excited by the new state law allowing school districts to designate an employee to carry a gun at work, designated his own self without telling anybody and ended up having the cops called on him. Thank you, Patriot!

The winner of this week's "Respect the Culture" award goes to the young man in Waterloo, Iowa, who decided to drive home his point about his disapproval of his girlfriend's short shorts by firing five rounds into the air. But don't worry, folks. If you love Freedom enough when you do this—and how can someone who brandishes weapons over wardrobe disagreements really be said not to love Freedom?—those bullets don't have to come down.

In more somber news, 10 kids shot themselves, shot other kids, shot their siblings, or were shot by folks unknown in this week's report. And in Hempstead, Long Island, the police showed us what can actually happen when you fire away at a gunman holding a hostage in a headlock. It was a crazy situation to be sure. But keep that in mind if you can, if you're ever thinking of trying to pull a pick-off move in a crowded movie theater or mall some day. Was the four-hour concealed carry course really enough to prepare you for this? And does that even matter, if you love Freedom hard enough?

This week's list begins below the fold.

1.     PEMBROKE, IL, 4/20/13: A paralyzed woman told police a gunshot wound to her leg was accidentally self-inflicted Saturday afternoon. The 41-year-old Rantoul woman was taken to Riverside Medical Center shortly before 4 p.m. Saturday for a gunshot wound to her inner right thigh. The woman, paralyzed from the waist down and confined to a wheelchair, told Kankakee County sheriff's police that she shot herself while looking at a friend's pistol in Pembroke Township.
2.     BROOK PARK, OH, 4/30/13: A caller reported that a man had shot himself in the hand April 30. The man told officers that while handling his gun, he accidentally pulled the trigger and shot himself. Officers detected an odor of alcohol coming on the man. When asked, he said he had been drinking. He refused a chemical test and was transported to Metrohealth for medical services.
3.     LANSDALE, PA, 5/03/13: Charges have been filed against a Lansdale man who police say accidentally discharged his handgun during a party earlier this month, the bullet shattering the glass of his neighbor’s storm door more than 100 feet away. Gordon Richard Arthur, 57, of the 300 block of York Avenue, faces one misdemeanor reckless endangerment charge and summary disorderly conduct and criminal mischief charges in connection with the incident that occurred on the night of May 3. Police said that Arthur—who smelled of alcohol and whose eyes were red and glassy, according to the affidavit—told them that he and some friends were drinking at a party at his house across the street when he accidentally discharged one round from his Glock 19 pistol as he picked it up from his dining room table to put it away.
4.     TAFT HEIGHTS, CA, 5/10/13: A man was arrested after he was caught firing a firearm while allegedly on bath salts. It was reported two men were walking southbound on Third Ave. armed with rifles, and one of the men was wearing a mask. Both men were armed with loaded .22 caliber rifles. Deputies found Ray was acting bizarre, hallucinating, and believing the responding deputies were God. Deputies learned Ray had been using the designer drug “bath salts” and meth. Deputies determined Ray's odd behavior was a result of using these drugs.
5.     SALT LAKE CITY, UT, 5/14/13: A man ticketed to fly to Chicago O'Hare Airport was found carrying a loaded Kahr Pm9. He was arrested for investigation of weapons violations at the airport, a class A misdemeanor.
6.     FRANKFORT, OH, 5/16/13: 9:27 p.m. — A man told authorities he shot himself in the hand in Frankfort.
7.     HEMPSTEAD, NY, 5/17/13: Here's what really happens if you shoot at a suspect who's got a hostage in a headlock and a gun to her head. The New York college student who was shot during a home robbery early Friday was killed by police gunfire, officials said at a news conference Saturday. According to WNBC, Rebello, a Hofstra University student, and Smith were both shot and killed as he was trying to back out of a rear door holding the woman in a headlock and pointing a gun to her head, police said. An officer fired eight rounds, seven of which hit the suspect and one that hit Rebello, police said, according to WNBC.
8.     BRADENTON, FL, 5/17/13: A 16-year-old boy is in stable condition after what appeared to be an accidental shooting Friday night. Deputies responded about 7:45 p.m. to a fire station in the 1800 block of 30th Avenue East, where they found EMS personnel treating the teen, according to the Manatee County Sheriff's Office. The shooting took place two blocks over, in the 1800 block of 28th Avenue East.
9.     EAST PALO ALTO, CA, 5/17/13:  A 19-year-old man injured in a shooting in East Palo Alto Friday afternoon probably shot himself, Police Chief Ronald Davis said on Twitter. The evidence indicates the victim accidentally shot himself in the leg with a gun in his pocket, Davis said. The victim had told police he was walking to his car on the 200 block of Gardenia Way shortly before 1 p.m. when he heard gunfire and realized he had been hit, Detective Sgt. Angel Sanchez said on Friday.
10.     COALING, AL, 5/18/13: I thought you was a hog, so I shot you in the junk. Still, this could've happened with a crossbow. Or a swimming pool. A man was shot at a hunting camp on Clements Road early Saturday after a suspect hunting hogs possibly mistook the victim for an animal, according to the Tuscaloosa County Metro Homicide Unit. About 1 a.m., Tuscaloosa deputies responded to a reported shooting at the hunting club off Clements Road. The victim, a 26-year-old man, was taken to DCH Regional Medical Center with a single gunshot wound to the groin area and then went into surgery.
11.     BATON ROUGE, LA, 5/18/13: A 12-year-old boy accidentally shot his 8-year-old brother Saturday at a home on Old Rafe Mayer Road, sending the 8-year-old to a hospital with non-life threatening injuries, the East Baton Rouge Sheriff’s Office reported. The 12-year-old found a .380-caliber pistol in a closet in the boys’ grandparents’ home in the 400 block of Old Rafe Mayer, Sheriff’s Office spokeswoman Casey Rayborn Hicks said. The weapon was sitting on the top shelf in the closet, Hicks said.
12.     CHICAGO, IL, 5/18/13: A 12-year-old boy was hospitalized after being accidentally shot while handling a gun with another boy in the Little Village neighborhood Saturday afternoon, police said Sunday morning. The 12-year-old was with another juvenile handling a gun they found inside a residence in the 2800 block of West 23rd Street about 3 p.m. Saturday when the gun accidentally discharged and the 12-year-old was shot in the arms, Chicago Police Department News Affairs Officer Hector Alfaro said this morning.
13.     ASHEBORO, NC, 5/18/13: A 2-year-old boy was accidentally shot when the toddler found an unsecured handgun at his residence on Spring Valley Road, just outside the Asheboro city limits, Saturday afternoon just before 2 p.m. Reynolds said the family—mom, dad and three older siblings—were at home at the time. The child saw the handgun in the parents’ bedroom and put it in his mouth, where it went off.
14.     COLORADO SPRINGS, CO, 5/18/13: I know you'll have a hard time believing this, but someone decided to have a few drinks and clean a loaded gun, and then accidentally shot himself. A Colorado Springs man says he shot himself in the finger Saturday night while cleaning his gun. Joshua T. Crabtree called police around 11:15 p.m. to his home on the 500 block of S Hancock Ave. Crabtree said he had been cleaning his gun when it accidentally went off, shooting him in the left index finger. Police say Crabtree had been drinking at the time of the shooting.
15.     SALT LAKE CITY, UT, 5/18/13: A 48-year-old American Fork woman flying to Chicago Midway Airport was arrested Saturday morning after a loaded Ruger LC9 with seven rounds of ammunition was found in her luggage, according to TSA officials. She was arrested for investigation of weapons violations at the airport, a class A misdemeanor. This was the 18th gun found at the Salt Lake City airport this year. Twenty were found in all of 2012.
16.     QUEENS, NY, 5/18/13: On Saturday, a man traveling to San Francisco was caught with an unloaded .40 caliber gun with two magazines, each loaded with three rounds of ammunition in his carry-on bag. That man was also arrested on a state weapons charge.
17.     HUNTSVILLE, TX, 5/18/13: A teenager was shot and killed at a Walker County residence over the weekend in what is being investigated as an accidental shooting. Officers with the Walker County Sheriff’s Office responded to a call of a reported shooting at a home in the 3000 block of Highway 19 in the early morning hours of May 18. Deputies discovered that two young boys were involved and one had been fatally shot.
18.     PARK CITY, MT, 5/18/13: On May 18, at 5:51 pm., medical assistance was requested for a man on Valley Creek Rd. who accidentally shot himself in the hand.
19.     GEORGETOWN, SC, 5/18/13:  The deputies were told a family friend was at their house and they were all talking when the woman said she bought a new gun. The man asked to hold it, so she retrieved it from her car and handed it to him. Minutes later a shot was heard and the man said he had shot himself. The man did not know the gun was loaded.
20.     DAYTON, NV, 5/19/13: Investigators in Lyon County say an accidental shooting has claimed the life of a 12-year-old in Dayton. Deputies responded to a home on Riverpark Parkway just before 11:30am on Sunday. They say the shooting was an accident and the scene was quickly turned over to detectives.
21.     ST. SIMONS ISLAND, GA, 5/19/13: Police in Glynn County say a man has been charged with reckless conduct in an accidental shooting at a coastal Georgia golf course. Police say a 70-year-old Sea Island woman was shot in her stomach Sunday morning and is hospitalized in stable condition. Authorities say 65-year-old Edward Johnson called emergency dispatchers saying he was shooting at squirrels and accidentally wounded someone.
22.     FLINT, MI, 5/19/13: Police responded around 3:30 a.m. to the 1000 block of Davison Road for a possible shooting. A 26-year-old woman told police she got into an argument with her husband, 25. She told police she tried to shoot him, but ended up shooting herself in the hand and knee, according to the report.
23.     PORTER CO., IN, 5/19/13:  Road rage vs. bicyclists. Three bikers say they were threatened by a man with a gun who was apparently angry with them for not riding far enough over toward the side of the road. "Hey, if you don't watch out that you don't get killed, I'll kill you!"
24.     DEMOPOLIS, AL, 5/19/13: On Sunday, May 19, police responded to an accidental shooting at Cherry Drive.
25.     SHEPHERDSTOWN, WV, 5/19/13: Police said no one was injured, although the bullet ended up lodged in the wall near a table of patrons at the Domestic restaurant, 117 E. German St. Prior to firing the gun, the suspect—a heavy-set white male, age 20-25 and possibly having a first name of Eli—entered the apartment and encountered one of the residents living there, the release states. "The suspect then produced a handgun. The resident retreated to his room as the suspect fired a shot that went through the floor and into the restaurant below. The bullet lodged in the wall near a table of patrons. The suspect then fled the area," it reads.
26.     GARDEN GROVE, CA, 5/20/13: Another guy cleans a loaded gun, and his leg pays the price.
27.     CENTURY, FL, 5/20/13: A 38-year old woman was accidentally shot by her grandfather this evening in Century. Witnesses said the grandfather had .22 caliber weapon to shoot something in yard. The woman reportedly tried to take the weapon from her grandfather when it fired accidentally, striking her in the lower chest or upper abdomen.
28.     STAMFORD, CT, 5/20/13: Pretty much exactly what this whole series is about, all in one incident. A Stamford man was arrested after his new gun accidentally went off while he was cleaning it Monday, Capt. Richard Conklin said. According to Conklin, John Patrick Duffy, 32, of 223 Woodridge South Drive, was cleaning his .40-caliber semi-automatic pistol when the gun went off, sending the round in the chamber through his window and into a neighboring home on Florence Court at 5:15 p.m. Monday. Duffy originally denied the bullet came from his gun, which he had just purchased that day, police said. But officers continued to question him and told him to tell the truth after they saw a piece of paper taped over a hole in the window, the captain said.
29.     SPARTANBURG, SC, 5/20/13: Police say the couple had been staying at a Spartanburg apartment as guests of another couple. A police report says Sutelman told officers they were playing with a 12-gauge shotgun inside the apartment and she thought the gun's safety was on so she pulled the trigger, hitting Moholland. Coroner Rusty Clevenger says an autopsy was scheduled for Tuesday.
30.     ATLANTA, GA, 5/20/13: A fight breaks out in a parking lot (on Gun Club Road). Who got shot? The 8-year-old girl sleeping in her bed in a nearby apartment, that's who. That's some great shootin'.
31.     WICHITA, KS, 5/20/13: This year, the state Legislature passed a law that allows school districts to designate an employee to carry a gun. But the Wichita district has not addressed the issue, and all seven board members have said they would not support an employee carrying a gun. Still, I guess that was enough for one teacher to just go right the #*@% ahead and bring a concealed gun to school. Didn't even bother to tell the principal, who was actually the one who called the police.
32.     HEBRON, KY, 5/20/13: A Union, Kentucky, man is arrested after TSA agents at the Cincinnati airport found a loaded gun in his carry-on bag. Officials say the man was arrested on Monday morning during the screening process. TSA contacted the Airport Police who confiscated the .380 caliber handgun, loaded with six rounds, and arrested the man on a state weapons charge.
33.     HARVEY, LA, 5/20/13: A witness told detectives that McClendon and another man were drinking with Casbon in Casbon’s garage around midnight. McClendon told investigators that he accidentally shot Casbon while moving the gun from a shelf and putting it into his pants pocket. The men had been engaged in horseplay while drinking and McClendon claimed he was moving the gun for safety, Boyd said. Nice job on the "safety" thing.
34.     QUEENS, NY, 5/21/13: A man found carrying a loaded gun in his carry-on baggage at John F. Kennedy International Airport has been arrested, according to the Transportation Security Administration. This is the second such arrest at JFK in four days, officials announced. TSA screeners spotted the loaded gun inside the man’s bag Tuesday morning and alerted Port Authority Police. The officers confiscated the .22 caliber handgun that was loaded with two rounds and arrested the man on a state weapons charge, the TSA said.
35.     LEBANON, TN, 5/21/13: Police Chief Scott Bowen said in a news release that the incident occurred about 8:40 p.m., Tuesday, May 21, at 505 Fairview Ave., Lebanon. Upon arrival by officers, they found a 14-year-old boy who had been shot in the leg. He was on the front porch with a friend who is also 14, looking at a gun when it was discharged. The victim told police that he accidentally shot himself while handling the gun. He was transported to Vanderbilt Medical Center from University Medical Center for further treatment. “Police do believe this to be an accidental shooting,” Bowen said.
36.     TRIGG CO., KY, 5/21/13: Busy night at Vanderbilt! An accidental shooting sent a Trigg County toddler to Vanderbilt Medical Center overnight. Kentucky State Police were called to a residence in Trigg County just after 9 p.m. Tuesday in reference to a 2-year-old suffering a gunshot wound to the head. The child was initially taken to Trigg County Hospital, then transferred to Vanderbilt with non-life threatening injuries.
37.     PHILADELPHIA, PA, 5/21/13: A Cumberland County man was taken into custody after a loaded gun was found in his luggage at Philadelphia International Airport. Transportation Security Administration officers at the airport spotted a loaded gun in a man's carry-on bag yesterday. Philadelphia police arrested the Vineland man on a state weapons charge and confiscated the .22 caliber revolver. The man is also facing up to $11,000 in fines.
38.     SHEFFIELD, AL, 5/21/13: This is very nearly the ultimate dick move in #GunFAIL: the "home invasion" that actually hits somebody. Yet another guy decides to clean a loaded gun in his apartment, and this time when it goes off, he gut-shoots his neighbor through the wall, sending him to the hospital in critical condition. Way to go, Responsible Gun Owner!TM Thank you for keeping your neighborhood safe and blessing us with Liberty!
39.     EUGENE, OR, 5/21/13: A Springfield man who claimed to have accidentally shot himself Tuesday with a gun he found in Skinner Butte Park ended up being charged with a crime after investigators learned he is a convicted felon, police said. Eugene police officers were called to PeaceHealth Sacred Heart Medical Center University District hospital shortly after 5:30 p.m. and spoke with Benjamin E. Degroot, who had arrived at the facility after suffering a gunshot wound to his left leg, a police spokeswoman said. Degroot, 19, told officers that he was walking in Skinner Butte Park in Eugene when he came upon a handgun and picked it up, police said. Degroot said the gun accidentally went off and a bullet struck him in the leg, police said.
40.     CLEVELAND, OH, 5/21/13: A 61-year-old Independence man was arrested Tuesday afternoon after Transportation Security Administration officers found a loaded gun in his carry-on bag at Cleveland Hopkins International Airport. The officer called Cleveland police, who confiscated the .38-caliber gun, which was loaded with five rounds, including one in the chamber, TSA said in a news release. The man told police that he had a concealed carry permit for the gun, according to police reports. Prior to arriving at the airport, he said that he looked through his bag three times and could not find the gun, assuming that he left it in another bag.
41.     CLOQUET, MN, 5/21/13: A woman told police her husband was drunk and had fired two shots from a revolver. Police say she locked herself in a bedroom but was able to get out of the house when police arrived. She told authorities her husband hid the gun. Police talked to the man over the phone and were able to get him to come out of the house without further incident. They found the gun on the roof of the home.
42.     CROZET, VA, 5/21/13: Police still aren't saying for sure whether this was an accidental shooting, but it certainly has all the hallmarks of one. Tuesday at 10 a.m., the call went out for help. Albemarle County police say a 14-year-old boy shot Maggie and killed her on the 1400 block of McAllister Street. Albemarle County police remained on the scene for several hours to conduct their investigation. Neighbors say the shooting happened at a home behind the Open Door Ministry Center. Maggie's father Paul is the pastor at Commonwealth Christian Community Church, formerly Victory Hill Church of God, in Crozet.
43.     WATERLOO, IA, 5/21/13: Police have arrested a Waterloo man accused of firing a handgun into the air because he was upset that his girlfriend was wearing short shorts. Police say Bullock and his 21-year-old girlfriend argued because of her shorts. Officers say that during the argument, Bullock raised a handgun in front of the woman, left the home and fired at least five shots into the air. Police say he then went back inside and told his girlfriend he would hurt her and her children if she told police he had a gun. Please respect gun culture, everybody.
44.     FT. WAYNE, IN, 5/22/13: One man was hurt after a gun went off in a garage on McKee Street early Wednesday morning. The gun was either being placed into a bag or fell to the ground when it discharged, according to investigators. Detectives said several witnesses provided varying descriptions of what happened. Police said the owners of the property found the gun in the garage when they moved in. Police found a second gun behind the house during the investigation. No one claimed ownership of either weapon.
45.     BISMARCK, ND, 5/22/13: Yet another home invasion shooting, where gun rights reduce property rights to an "oopsie." Now, let's see if we can solve the mystery that eluded the reporter in this story. "Bismarck police are trying to find out who fired a gun inside an apartment building on East Indiana Avenue. It happened sometime around 10:30 Wednesday night. A resident said he was in bed when he heard a bang, and noticed a bullet had come through his door. A man then came to his apartment and asked if he was ok, and said it had been an accident." Okay, I'm going to guess that the Bismarck police should be talking to ... the man who came to this guy's apartment.
46.     HARRISBURG, PA, 5/22/13: A Harrisburg man suffered significant injuries Wednesday night when he accidentally shot himself with a sawed-off shotgun, according to city police. The 39-year-old man was carrying the shotgun wrapped in a jacket when it discharged, police said.
47.     MOBILE, AL, 5/22/13: After accidentally shooting himself in the foot Wednesday, officers are expected to arrest a man currently recovering at a local hospital, according to the Mobile Police Department. The man told officers he was robbed and shot by two men, but the story didn't make sense to investigators, according to Patrick. "Further investigation revealed that our victim had accidentally shot himself," Patrick said. He had been carrying a gun illegally and ditched it before police arrived. Patrick said it, along with a "small amount of marijuana," was found in a nearby patch of woods.
48.     ODESSA, TX, 5/22/13: An Odessa teenager shot in the leg, tried to play the victim, but ended up being arrested instead. 17-year-old Hilario Loya initially told investigators he was shot by a stranger in a pickup while he was walking with his friend. When things didn't add up, they questioned the friend, 17-year-old Ricardo Uribe. Uribe confessed that he and Loya were driving in a vehicle when Loya pointed a pistol out of the car window. It misfired and when Loya pulled the gun back in.
49.     LITTLE ROCK, AR, 5/23/13: Tell us again how we need to stop worrying about concealed carriers, because they're so much better trained and more responsible than most! Concealed carrier leaves 5 and 6 year old kids in the truck alone (with a loaded gun in the console), but hey, it was only for a minute! Which is coincidentally about how long it takes a 6-year-old girl to find a loaded gun in a truck's center console and use it to shoot her 5-year-old brother.
50.     WEST PALM BEACH, FL, 5/23/13: Concealed carry ninja blasts himself in the stomach when the gun in his pocket goes off. We just had that happen to the guy in the bowling alley last week. Same county.
51.     SALT LAKE CITY, UT, 5/23/13: Not. Even. Kidding. A THIRD gun was found by TSA agents at the Salt Lake City airport this week, this one loaded & strapped to a man's prosthetic leg! That's the 19th gun found there this year. And sixty guns were found at airports nationwide in the past week.
52.     BURNSVILLE, MS, 5/23/13: Tishomingo County authorities say a five-year-old died after being accidentally shot by a family member Thursday night. Sheriff's officials say they were called to the Cotton Gin Trailer Park in Burnsville along with Burnsville Police around 10 p.m. When officers arrived, they found the child. Officials are not releasing the names of those involved and say the case is closed.
53.     GREENVILLE, TX, 5/24/13: Greenville police say a child was accidentally shot and killed inside a home Friday morning. According to police, they received a 911 call at about 10:45 a.m. that someone had been shot inside a residence. The first officer arrived at the scene only a minute later and located the injured 12-year-old child, identified as Keshawn Carter Davis. The child was transported to Hunt Regional Medical Center in Greenville where he was later pronounced dead.
54.     HOMESTEAD, FL, 5/24/13: Police are on the scene investigating after a student was grazed by a bullet at a South Florida school. The incident occurred at Redland Middle School, located on 16001 SW 248 St. in Southwest Miami-Dade, Friday afternoon. According to a Miami-Dade County School District spokesperson, a student took a gun to school in a backpack. The gun accidentally discharged and hit a student in the leg.
55.     BEND, OR, 5/24/13: A boy was flown to a Bend hospital after investigators said he was accidentally shot by a family member. It happened at 10:40 a.m. Friday on Thicket Lane in the Crooked River Ranch community of central Oregon. Deputies arrived and said a juvenile male suffered a non-life threatening gunshot injury.

Originally posted to David Waldman on Fri May 24, 2013 at 08:01 PM PDT.