Really - we're still screwing it up with the guns

Source: Daily Kos

GunFAIL VII
by David WaldmanFollow

Just as the Founders intended.
It's time for #GunFAIL VII.

Because the shooting hasn't stopped.

Once again, a banner week for cleaning loaded guns. I believe we have a baker's dozen of such incidents this week, including a near "perfect storm" of #GunFAIL, in which a concealed carry ninja decides to clean her gun during a visit to the local Taco Bell.

In other news, a Maine state trooper says his gun had an accidental discharge of the type that never, ever, ever happens. Nobody touched the trigger, and it was in his holster, unexposed to anyone. And yet it fired.

Put 'em in the classrooms, stat!

Speaking of which, another near "perfect storm" comes to us out of Van, Texas, where a school maintenance worker training under the district's new program aimed at certifying employees to carry safely on campus has shot himself in the leg during some post-class one-on-one time with his firearms instructor. He was, of course, explaining the difficulty he was having in clearing jams from his gun. Glad they got that fixed.

Other unusual news documented in this round of #GunFAIL:

    Yes, a dog shot a man this week. But if you thought it was a once-in-a-lifetime sort of thing, it also happened last month. #GunFAIL III documented, it, I believe.
    Another shooting at a gun show. That makes six shows this year.
    Eight accidents this time involving open or concealed carriers, including a new rash of holster accidents.
    Three shooting range accidents
    Find them all documented in the dishonor roll, below the fold.

    NEWTOWN, CT, 1/6/13: This one just turned up, but they've been preoccupied in Newtown of late. A man up on the roof of his home was struck in the hand by a stray bullet fired from a nearby private shooting range.
    SALEM, NH, 2/13/13: Missed this one last week, which was already a record week for cleaning loaded guns.
    ZACHARY, LA, 2/13/13: Leroy Wilkerson, 62, of Zachary, is accused of shooting Aswan Wilkerson, 35, also of Zachary, in the leg during an altercation the two men had at the 21828 Samuels Road residence they shared. Investigators said they believe Leroy Wilkerson accidentally shot his son in the leg. However, on Monday, Feb. 18, Aswan Wilkerson died in the hospital where he was recovering from the gunshot wound to his leg.
    MORGAN CO., GA, 2/19/13: Guy buys a .40 caliber Taurus handgun and asks a co-worker to show him how to disassemble and assemble the weapon. Practicing what he's learned, he accidentally ends up leaving the magazine in the weapon, and shoots himself in the finger.
    WOOSTER, OH, 2/19/13: An Akron man is accused of accidentally shooting and killing a woman as they sat in a van. Police said Wilson and Mathis were inside a van parked on North Buckeye Street in Wooster when the woman was struck in the chest by gunfire. Mathis died the following day.
    AIRWAY HEIGHTS, WA, 2/19/13: What is the Perfect Storm of #GunFAIL? When a concealed carry ninja decides to clean her gun.
    LINCOLNVILLE, ME, 2/20/13: Not accidentally, but unintentionally shot himself through the left foot. Not sure what he did intend. Maybe the right foot.
    BRAGGS, OK, 2/21/13: If you said cleaning a loaded gun was the last thing you'd ever do, you might be right. This man was right when he said it.
    GREENDALE, WI, 2/21/13: Ninja shoots himself in the leg outside the mall. Second one to do it in a little over a year. So that's two Responsible Legs, and zero bad guys, at least at this particular mall.
    CORDOVA, TN, 2/21/13: Is it suspicious that he shot his wife in the head while cleaning a gun at 4:30 AM? I don't know. Police think so. But that's liberty for you. It's a messy business.
    COVINGTON, GA, 2/21/13: A 75-year-old man accidentally shot himself while getting into his car to head to work. He never made it. Not alive, anyway. He works at a funeral home.
    REYNOLDSBURG, OH, 2/21/13: A Reynoldsburg man accidentally shot himself in the leg while cleaning his .357 revolver. Seriously, though, how was he supposed to be able to tell his revolver was still loaded?
    WILKES-BARRE, PA, 2/22/13:  Jeremy Bartz, 23, accidentally shot his friend inside the residence, but initially claimed an unknown gunman shot him while they were jogging. Police said Bartz accidentally shot James Marsicano, 26, in the upper leg at the home with a .40 caliber gun. The gun is owned by David Ritchie, who loaned the gun to Bartz, police said.
    BRONX, NY, 2/22/13: 5-year-old shot himself with dad's gun. So dad tells cops it was a made-up bad guy. Responsible!
    CHATTANOOGA, TN, 2/22/13: I didn't think it was loaded, bro. Man shoots brother with shotgun. But the point is, he didn't think it was loaded. So therefore, freedom.
    CAMDEN, NJ, 2/22/13: Knock, knock! BLAM! BLAM! BLAM! I mean, who's there? Oh, my autistic neighbor. And a pool of blood. How did that happen? How embarrassing that I didn't even look out the window to see who it was! And I'm a cop. Golly.
    ALBANY, OR, 2/22/13: A man said he accidentally shot his Springfield .40-caliber handgun in the house. He did not know if the bullet hit the residence next door, and he couldn't get anyone there to respond to his knock. There appeared to be no injuries.
    SONOITA, AZ, 2/22/13: A guy decides to go hunting for javelina with a .45 handgun. Bags himself a nice thigh. His own, of course.
    DANVILLE, VA, 2/23/13: Another day, another American shooting himself cleaning a loaded gun.
    PANAMA CITY, FL, 2/23/13: But because it's Saturday, two Americans have done it.
    LAPEER, MI, 2/23/13: And another.
    HONOLULU, HI, 2/23/13: I don't think I've documented an accidental shooting from Hawaii up until now. But Hawaii is America, so naturally this is a father shooting his 3-year-old while cleaning his assault rifle.
    CHARLOTTE, NC, 2/23/13: Two very manly men got into a heated argument. Tempers flared. The tension escalated. A gun was drawn! And a third person who had absolutely nothing whatsoever to do with this very manly argument was shot in then neck. The two manly men then fled the scene. And it all happened on Freedom Drive.
    LEXINGTON, KY, 2/23/13: Kody Thacker, 19, took his own life after accidentally shooting and killing his brother, Kyle, 24, with a shotgun, investigators said. nvestigators believe Kyle was asleep on a living room recliner when Kody, who was on a nearby couch, picked up a 12-gauge shotgun which accidentally discharged and struck his older brother in the head. Kody became distraught and turned the gun on himself after realizing what had happened, deputies said.
    TROTWOOD, OH, 2/23/13: Two-fer! Not only is this the story of a concealed carry ninja shooting himself holstering his new toy, but it happened at another gun show!
    DES MOINES, IA, 2/23/13: Two 13-year-old boys found a handgun. So one shot the other.
    BALTIMORE, MD, 2/23/13: A 64-year-old woman said she was accidentally shot in the foot during a struggle over a gun; stemming from an argument.
    STOCKTON, CA, 2/23/13: Another ninja shoots himself trying to get his gun into his pocket. He can't manage to safely get it in there at home, but believe me, he'll totally bulls-eye that shooter in the confusion of a darkened theater. Don't worry about it!
    WINNEMUCCA, NV, 2/23/13: a 15-year-old boy and some friends were "handling" firearms together. The friends will be in school on Monday. The 15-year-old is dead.
    FRENCH VALLEY, CA, 2/23/13: Not far away, in French Valley, a man accuses his wife of cheating on him in the middle of a party. They argue. He produces a gun. What happened next, he says was an accident. But police say it's attempted murder.
    SEBRING, FL, 2/23/13: This is the second time this year a dog has stepped on a gun and shot someone. I don't know that more needs to be said here. Except, of course, that neither the Responsible Gun Owner nor the dog thought the gun was loaded.
    STARKSBORO, VT, 2/23/12: Man target shooting his shotgun in his back yard reloads and blasts his own foot.
    VILLANOW, GA, 2/23/13: There was really no way to know, other than an understanding of physics or the massive compilation of YouTube videos showing exactly the same thing happening over and over again, that a 12-year-old girl might have difficulty handling the recoil of a shotgun, and that that could pose a danger to herself or others around her.
    READINGTON, NJ, 2/23/13: An off-duty police officer, believing himself under attack, drew his weapon but fired it unintentionally.
    TUSKAHOMA, OK, 2/23/13: A 10-year-old has died after an accidental shooting over the weekend. Pushmataha County Sheriff Terry Duncan says the shooting happened Saturday night near Tuskahoma. Rowdy Lane Beasley-Walker was killed by what Duncan says was an accident. Another juvenile was involved in the shooting.
    DELAVAN, MN, 2/23/13: A man out hunting was hit in the right thigh when his bullet ricocheted off the frozen ground.
    MOBILE, AL, 2/23/13: A 62-year-old man was out grilling in his driveway, when he was shot in the arm by a stray bullet.
    FULSHEAR, TX, 2/23/13: A 9-year-old boy and his grandfather went for a walk. Then a bullet fired by nobody came out of nowhere and freedomed him in the leg.
    BENSON, AZ, 2/24/13: A 9-year-old boy and his grandfather went for a shoot. Then, a bullet fired by the boy came out of his gun and freedomed him in the leg. Progress!
    HOUSTON, TX, 2/24/13: 4-year-old finds dad's gun and dies.
    DALLAS, TX, 2/24/13: A four alarm fire was reported at the DFW Gun Range and Training Center. There were roughly 75-100 people inside the gun range at the time of the fire.  A patron inside fired off a tracer bullet, a prohibited round, sparking the fire. Responsible Gun Owner FTW.
    MISSION, TX, 2/24/13: Drunk guy shows up at his friend's house at 1:30 AM asking to borrow a gun. Gun owner tells him no. Drunk guy grabs the gun and takes off. Gun owner tries to take the gun back. Drunk pulls it away and accidentally shoots himself in the head in the process. And that is 1:30 AM Sunday, Texas style.
    CHICAGO, IL, 2/24/13: Chicago's gun laws are too restrictive. We need to makes sure more good guys in Chicago have guns. And of course, we'll need to be sure they clean those guns. And you know what that means.
    PITTSBURGH, PA, 2/24/13: Everybody thinks everybody else is an intruder these days. Apparently nobody is waiting to look and see, either.
    FRANKLIN, NJ, 2/24/13: Skeet shooting accident. Dude loading his shotgun shot the dude loading the clay targets.
    MYRTLE BEACH, SC, 2/24/13: Next time, make the marijuana real and the guns synthetic, and you might not get shot in the face.
    HUNTINGTON, NY, 2/24/13: Steven Miller, 31, from Midland Park, New Jersey, was arrested in Syosset and charged with second degree criminal possession of a loaded firearm after he allegedly shot himself in the foot in Huntington.
    BROOKLYN, NY, 2/24/13: A 79-year-old man found dead in his apartment was, police believe, the victim of a stray bullet. Or rather, the person who fired it, since bullets probably don't kill people, either.
    CHICOPEE, MA, 2/25/13: A Chicopee police officer was shot and wounded during a training exercise. The accident happened during a special weapons and tactics training exercise that was not supposed to involve live ammunition.
    RALEIGH, NC, 2/25/13: Another incident involving a law enforcement officer drawing a weapon believing he was under attack, and accidentally fires a round.
    SEATTLE, WA, 2/25/13: Drunk guy argues with his roommate and threatens him with a gun. Waving it around over his head, he accidentally puts a round through the ceiling.
    IMPERIAL, MO, 2/24/13: A man awoke to find a bullet had shattered his bedroom window, gone through a door and lodged in the bathroom wall. Police might or might not do some investigating about it, because meh. If it turns out there was malicious intent, they'll submit the bullet for a lab analysis. "Jefferson County is still somewhat rural and we do occasionally get projectiles entering through the siding of homes." Deal with it.
    QUEENS, NY, 2/24/13: A man accidentally shot himself in the neck after a night of drinking with friends in their Jackson Heights apartment.
    SUNNYSIDE, WA, 2/26/13: A guy decided to clean his gun. And you know how that goes.
    WASHINGTON, WI, 2/26/13: Two people were wounded in an accidental shooting in Eau Claire County. A 21-year-old man was trying to place a loaded handgun in a cardboard storage box when the weapon accidentally fired. The man was hit in the left hand and a 22-year-old woman seated next to the man was hit in the right arm.
    JACKSONVILLE, FL, 2/26/13: In Jacksonville, accidental shootings don't even rate a newspaper article anymore. Just a police blotter listing right next to the trespass complaints, stolen license plates, etc.
    BIRMINGHAM, AL, 2/26/13: Police spotted men running with guns, and stopped them. They said they were chasing someone who'd broken into a nearby business. The officers took and attempted to unload the weapons. In doing so, the cylinder of one of the guns fell to the ground, discharging a bullet and shooting one of the officers in the leg.
    WASHINGTON TOWNSHIP, NJ, 2/26/13: Man thinks he hears someone breaking into his apartment, so he grabs his rifle and promptly blasts the floor. Police found no trace of any attempted break-in.
    ORANGE, TX, 2/26/13: Unloading groceries from the car, a 17-year-old knocks a camera case containing two handguns off the back seat. The case hit the ground, and the .25-cal. Titan inside shot her in the leg. Camera case. Why not?
    SARANAC LAKE, NY, 2/26/13: A man sees an old text on his wife's cell phone from an old boyfriend. The discussion gets heated, and he decides that what's really needed at this point in the exchange is the family shotgun. She disagreed, naturally, and in pushing the gun's barrel away, took a blast in the hand.
    RUSK, TX, 2/26/13: Hypothetical question: Was this gentleman still a Responsible Gun Owner at the time he told police he was attacked? The answer is, no, he was not. Because he was lying. He shot himself.
    RICHMOND, IN, 2/26/13: It's good that a burglary suspect was caught. But it's interesting what people with guns think it's a good idea to do instead of calling the police first when they suspect a neighbor is being robbed. These folks went out with their guns and peered in the windows and spotted a burglar. They didn't call the cops for half an hour after first suspecting something, and then called again a few minutes later to report they'd "accidentally" shot the suspect.
    ATLANTA, GA, 2/27/13: An Atlanta high school student decided to take her gun with her to school, and ended up shooting herself in the leg.
    AUGUSTA, ME, 2/27/13: A Maine state trooper accidentally discharged his service weapon during a computer training class. "He had an ache or a pain... He put his hand on his weapon to push it away from his body. It was in his holster. The trigger wasn't exposed." Complete mystery, apparently. Of precisely the sort that people swear can never, ever, ever, ever happen.
    VAN, TX, 2/27/13: Speaking of hypotheticals that could never, ever really happen, an employee of the Van Independent School District undergoing weapons training as part of the district's plan to permit faculty and staff to carry weapons on school grounds accidentally shot himself during that training. Oh, and remember when they said we'd all be safer if maybe a male maintenance worker were around, and armed? Guess who shot himself?
    NORTH FREEDOM, WI, 2/27/13: Is there a better place in which to shoot yourself in the foot while cleaning a gun? How about in which to clean a gun while drunk? I ask you!
    ROCHESTER, WA, 2/27/13: Ninja shoots himself in the hand and his wife in the leg trying the tricky, tricky maneuver of holstering his weapon. Gotta wonder how these folks who struggle with their holsters would fare in a gunfight.
    MOORESVILLE, IN, 2/28/13: A man who accidentally fired a gun in his apartment sent a bullet through the floor, hitting a neighbor in the apartment below. Because he was a Responsible Gun Owner, he fled the scene and was later found by police.
    NEW ORLEANS, LA, 2/28/13: Two brothers, 15 and 11 years old, were playing with a pistol. The 11-year-old came out on the short end of the stick.

Originally posted to David Waldman on Fri Mar 01, 2013 at 09:25 AM PST.
Also republished by Repeal or Amend the Second Amendment (RASA), Shut Down the NRA, and Daily Kos.