Gun Fail

Sat May 04, 2013 at 12:51 PM PDT
GunFAIL XVI

by David WaldmanFollow


This week's compilation includes three God-given-but-somehow-forgotten guns, four accidents while cleaning loaded guns (which nobody ever does, though I've now found 102 who've done it so far this year), two home invasion shootings, one NRA-certified instructor shooting himself, six law enforcement officer FAILs, two more turkey hunters shot, and 10 kids accidentally shot, nine of whom either shot themselves or were identifiably shot by other kids under the age of 16. The victims are (or were) ages 2, 3, 4, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 14 and 14. All were accidentally shot within a seven-day span, from April 27th through May 3rd.

The new twist on the kid shootings this week was, of course, that two of the kids shot and killed younger siblings with their own guns, as opposed to guns belonging to parents or guardians which they found around the house. I felt sure earlier in the week that we'd all be talking about the Mountain Home, Alaska 8-year-old who shot and killed his 5-year-old sister with the rifle he'd taken hunting the day before. But that was before—one day before—the Burkesville, Kentucky 5-year-old shot and killed his 2-year-old sister with the rifle he'd been given for his 5th birthday. The 9-year-old girl shot the very next day by her 7-year-old brother in Auburn, Washington, was, it seems, shot with a rifle belonging to third sibling.

This week's derp title has to go to Fred Petersen of Stockton, MN. Mr. Petersen is an NRA-certified firearms instructor, who nonetheless managed to shoot himself in the hand. Now, it must be noted that he's not the first NRA-certified instructor to accidentally shoot himself. Not by a long shot. But he wins the crown this week for evidently deciding to answer his wife's query/challenge as to whether or not his .38 Special could be fired while it was still in the holster by actually sticking his hand in and pulling the trigger.

“The gun was pointed in a safe direction,” Petersen said, “but my finger was not in a good spot.”

So as you can see, it was the fault of the finger, acting on its own volition, and putting itself in a bad spot, quite independent of Mr. Petersen's wise counsel. Other than that, the gun was absolutely pointed in a "safe" direction. Clearly, it is only with the benefit of 20/20 hindsight that we can, from the safety of our own homes, point out that it all could have been done more safely had he used his NRA training to unload the gun before running the experiment.

Also of some note this week, given the number of states currently considering legislative changes to allow students to carry their guns on college campuses: a student at the University of Southern Mississippi accidentally shot himself in the thigh, while sitting in his Jeep, parked on campus. School policy bans guns on campus, but state law permits it, if you're one of those highly trained individuals who've been granted a concealed carry permit.

Below the fold, please find this week's full Dishonor Roll.

1.     HARTFORD, CT, 3/28/13: Hartford police say one of the victims in a shooting on Bedford Street in March is actually a co-conspirator in the case who was accidentally shot by the other suspect. Two people suffered multiple gunshot wounds in the attack. Police now say that one of those hospitalized after the shooting,  22-year-old George Harris is believed to be a co-conspirator who was hit accidentally.
2.     NORTH BEND, WA, 4/14/13: Yadda, yadda, pry it from my... purse when I forget it at the bar. Police responded to a report at 11:40 a.m. April 14 of found property at North Bend Bar and Grill. A customer had left her purse and gun by accident. Police educated the owner of the gun about weapons laws in bars.
3.     SUMNER, WA, 4/18/13: A man driving home from Sportco in Fife decided to pull over on the SR 167 highway near Sumner to check out his new purchase, a loaded gun. He tried ejecting a round and shot himself in the leg.
4.     ANN ARBOR, MI, 4/19/13: Police responded to a report of an accidental shooting where a gun went off while being cleaned and caused a non-life threatening hand injury. The gun accidentally discharged at about 3:47 p.m. April 19 in the 4100 block of Boulder Pond Drive, according to police.
5.     PUYALLUP, WA, 4/22/13: A man was cleaning his gun in an apartment on 9th St. SW and apparently forgot it was loaded, discharging a round into a common wall with the neighboring apartment. There was no one in the apartment so officers entered and found the round was lodged in an air mattress in the closet.
6.     GREER, SC, 4/22/13: According to the incident report, the woman said that the man had become angry because she would not go and cash a child support payment she had received in the mail. The man left the home, but returned several hours later and was intoxicated, the report said. Upon his return, he began packing a bag to leave the home. While packing, he picked up the woman's handgun and placed it in the bag, she told police. She removed the gun from the bag and was going outside to secure the gun in her car when he grabbed her by the back of her shirt and tried to pull the gun from her hand. As the two struggled, a witness said that the gun went off. Police have determined that the shooting was accidental.
7.     BARTON CO., KS, 4/25/13: A male was treated for a gunshot wound to the leg Thursday over the noon hour at the Great Bend Regional Hospital Emergency Room. He told the investigating deputy he accidentally shot himself at a friend’s house in the county.
8.     WAUWATOSA, WI, 4/25/13: Another super-ninja has left his Precious in the crapper. At 12:40 p.m. Thursday, police were called to Mayfair after a loaded revolver was found in a men’s restroom on the first floor just off center court.
9.     STOCKTON, MN, 4/25/13: A shooting accident sent a local firearms instructor to the hospital with injuries to his left hand. Fred Petersen, 66, of rural Stockton was showing his wife a .38 Special handgun Thursday morning in their home, Winona County Sheriff Dave Brand said. Brand said Petersen had cleaned the pistol and was putting it into a holster when Petersen’s wife asked him whether it was possible to pull the trigger when the weapon was holstered. In attempting to answer that question, Petersen triggered the action while holding the gun and holster in his left hand, accidentally firing a shot. The slug struck his left index finger between the first and second joint, damaging the bone, Brand said. “The gun was pointed in a safe direction,” Petersen said Monday, “but my finger was not in a good spot.” Petersen is an NRA-certified instructor for classes required to qualify for a Minnesota concealed-carry handgun permit.
10.     HOUSE SPRINGS, MO, 4/25/13: A House Springs man accidentally shot himself in the left hand Apr. 25 as he was "twisting the cylinder" of a Ruger LCR .38 Special 5- shot revolver, according to a Jefferson County Sheriff's Department report. The report stated the man was target shooting in his backyard and while handling the firearm, discharged a round completely through his left hand.
11.     EVANSVILLE, WI, 4/25/13: The man was cleaning a .25-caliber Browning semi-automatic handgun and thought it was unloaded. When he pulled the trigger to take the slide off, a bullet struck him in the right top area of his foot. The bullet exited at the bottom of his foot.
12.     PARKSIDE, PA, 4/26/13: So important was it to Michael Wanko that his wife Michelle learn to safely protect the family with his firearms, that he waited until they were drunk at 3:30 in the morning to show her how it was done. Michelle woke their 5-year-old that night with her frantic screams as she called 911 after accidentally shooting and killing her husband.
13.     HENRICO, VA, 4/27/13: A four-year-old boy is recovering after he was accidentally shot inside his Tuckahoe home Saturday morning. Police were called to the home on Rolando drive off Patterson Avenue around 7:00 a.m. The child's father, Willie Alley, says he always keeps his gun locked away. Now, he has a message for all parents who own a gun and have children in their home. "Think twice about buying guns, I have," said Alley. Alley says he never imagined his .38 caliber gun would get anywhere close to his two sons. He says his wife was home with the kids, ages four and 10. Somehow that gun went off and his four year old was shot in the leg.
14.     NEW ORLEANS, LA, 4/27/13: A New Orleans man died early Saturday after he accidentally shot himself while trying to repair his gun, authorities said.
15.     CHICAGO, IL, 4/27/13: In the city's South Shore neighborhood, a 54-year-old man shot himself in the abdomen in the 7200 block of South Paxton Avenue at 3:15 p.m., according to Chicago Police Department News Affairs Officer Joshua Purkiss. The shooting is believed to have been accidental.
16.     RICHLAND CENTER, WI, 4/27/13: Viroqua Assistant Police Chief Todd Simonson accidentally shot himself in the leg Friday while he was off duty in Richland Center, authorities said. According to the Richland Center Police Department, Simonson was re-holstering his service weapon while seated in his personal vehicle when it discharged. The round inflicted a minor wound to Simonson’s left hand and then entered and exited his left thigh.
17.     OSAGE, IA, 4/27/13: The hand of a friend of an off-duty cop has greeted his bullet as a liberator. Officer Brad Evans was showing his friend Hakkon Rosendahl his personal weapon, "and it went off," according to Osage Mayor Steve Cooper. Evans was suspended without pay for three days and will have to take additional firearms training. None will be required for Cooper, who says the gun just "went off." That's being too hard on Cooper, perhaps, who's to be commended for getting involved, I guess. But as long as we're punishing Evans (quite properly), let's not pretend it's because of something the gun did. Even gun enthusiasts say they agree with that.
18.     HOUSTON, TX, 4/28/13:  According to investigators, a 15-year-old boy accidentally shot his 14-year-old step-brother in the head. Police said the step-brothers were playing with a gun at their home when it discharged. The 15-year-old then ran to the nearby Glenbrook Golf Course and ditched the weapon, possibly in a bayou. Police haven't located the gun yet. The boy reportedly told police they found the .38 revolver a few months ago.
19.     PACE, FL, 4/28/13: A little girl was hospitalized following an accidental shooting at a Florida Panhandle home. The Santa Rosa County Sheriff's Office reports that the 6-year-old girl and another small child were playing with an unattended hand gun at the Bell Ridge Apartment Sunday evening when the gun discharged. The girl was wounded and taken to a Pensacola hospital.
20.     CALHOUN, LA, 4/28/13: A Ouachita Parish man is recovering in the hospital after an accidental shooting. Deputies say a 23-year-old was shot on the 100 block of Wildlife Lane in Calhoun. The sheriff's office says a gun was jammed and when the owner attempted to fix the problem, it accidentally fired.
21.     GALES CREEK, OR, 4/28/13: A Washington County Sheriff's Office jail deputy has been placed on paid administrative leave following an altercation that occurred at a drunken party inside a barn early Sunday morning, the agency said. Authorities learned at some point during the altercation, Gargalis, who had consumed "a large amount of alcohol," had lost control of his personal firearm. No shots were fired. Authorities are still investigating whether Gargalis pulled his gun during the altercation.
22.     FORSYTH, GA, 4/29/13: A cadet with the Warner Robins police department was injured in a training accident when he shot himself in the leg at the Georgia Public Safety Training Center in Monroe County. According to Allison Willis of the Monroe County Sheriff's Office, Michael Jaudon was attempting to reholster his .40 caliber Glock when it accidentally discharged.
23.     FRESNO, CA, 4/29/13: A gang member who shot himself in the ankle with a stolen handgun was arrested by police on Monday. Police say 33-year-old Christopher Gutierrez was dropped off at Community Regional Medical Center with a gunshot wound to his ankle. Gutierrez told emergency room personnel he was shot by gang members near the intersection of Blackstone and Clinton avenues, police said. However, detectives found that the gunshot injury was self-inflicted.
24.     MOUNTAIN HOME, AK, 4/29/13: A 5-year-old Mountain Village girl died Monday afternoon in a shooting by her older brother, according to Alaska State Troopers. “Investigation revealed that an 8-year-old boy was playing with a Ruger 10/22 (rifle) that he had used the day before to go hunting, when he shot his 5-year-old sister, killing her,” troopers wrote. “The boy was home, his 5-year-old sister came home and within the span of 15 minutes she was dead."
25.     BIRMINGHAM, AL, 4/29/13: New mom shot dead holding her 10-day-old infant, hit by a stray bullet when a nearby argument between two men escalated to gunfire. Our armed society proves polite once again.
26.     CRAWFORDSVILLE, IN, 4/29/13: Police are asking for the public’s help to piece together how 40-year-old Josh Tribby got shot in the chest Monday night. “At this point, all options are still open. We’re not leaning one direction any more than another,” Casteel said, referring to whether the gunshot wound was the result of an accidental discharge by a nearby hunter, was self-inflicted, or was the result of an attack.
27.     TREMPEALEAU, WI, 4/30/13: The Trempealeau County Sheriff's Department says a 14-year-old was taken to the hospital after he accidentally shot himself in the hand. Deputies say the teenager was trying to clear a malfunction of a .380 caliber semi-automatic handgun when his hand moved in front of the muzzle of the weapon and the gun went off.
28.     SOMERSET, WI, 4/30/13: A 28-year veteran of the Washington County sheriff's office was accidentally shot by a hunter as he walked a potential turkey hunting site in St. Croix County, Wis., Tuesday, April 30. Cmdr. Jerry Cusick was shot once with a shotgun, officials said. Cusick was unarmed and scouting the area when turkey hunter Anthony Cardarelli fired a shot, wounding the commander in the head, face, neck and shoulder, said St. Croix County Sheriff John Shilts. "At least at this point, we have no indication (Cardarelli) was trying to harm Cusick," Shilts said. "He thought what he was shooting was a turkey." "I've never known a human being to look like a turkey," Shilts said.
29.     BURKESVILLE, KY, 4/30/13: A 5-year-old boy who was playing with a .22-caliber rifle accidentally shot and killed his 2-year-old sister in Cumberland County on Tuesday afternoon, according to a news release from the state police. Cumberland County Coroner Gary White identified the girl as Caroline Starks. He said the children's mother was at home when the shooting occurred, and the gun was a gift the boy received last year. "It's a Crickett," he said. "It's a little rifle for a kid. ...The little boy's used to shooting the little gun." White said the gun was kept in a corner, and the family did not realize a shell had been left in it. "Just one of those crazy accidents," White said.
30.     BALDWINSVILLE, NY, 5/01/13: One man was accidentally shot in the head when the gun he had in his hand went off after a struggle with his sister, state troopers said. Around 11:30 a.m., troopers were called to 8 Wood St., where a brother and sister were fighting, Sgt. Tom Hamann said. The man had pulled a .22-caliber pistol and threatened to use it on himself during an argument with his sister, troopers said. When his sister tried to pull the gun away from her brother, it accidentally went off and the man was shot in the head, troopers said.
31.     DARBY BORO, PA, 5/01/13: Authorities say a suburban Philadelphia sheriff's deputy was wounded in the leg by an accidental gunshot while taking part in a raid. The Delaware County sheriff's office says 33-year-old Vincent D'Agostino was with local police and federal drug officers conducting a raid on a Darby barbershop Wednesday afternoon. As officials were making sure no one else was inside the building, D'Agostino was injured at about 1:30 p.m. Wednesday by the accidental discharge of another officer's gun.
32.     WAVERLY, VA, 5/01/13: Our fourth accidental shooting of the short turkey hunting season, this one a fatality. Raymond Weidner, 70, and Kevin Brooks, 46, were hunting wild turkey using shotguns. At some point, the two men separated. Weidner says he accidentally shot Brooks when he saw movement and shot in Brook's direction.
33.     SAN ANTONIO, TX, 5/01/13: A startled home seller who didn't hear knocks shot at the realtor showing her house to a potential buyer, hitting the realtor's husband (an off-duty cop) in the shoulder. It's a nice place, but you'll have to replace the stained carpeting before I buy.
34.     AUBURN, WA, 5/01/13: A 9-year-old girl was accidentally shot in the leg by her 7-year-old brother Wednesday night in Auburn, police said. Police said the gun was a .22 caliber rifle that had been in the closet of a third sibling who was not home at the time.
35.     BRITTON, SD, 5/01/13: Eighteen-year-old Dusty Groom was showing some others a .22 caliber handgun he thought was unloaded. It wasn't, and his friend's head has a hole that can prove it. Luckily, it seems the teenage victim is recovering in a Fargo hospital. Groom faces misdemeanor charges for reckless discharge of a gun, having a firearm on school grounds and false reporting to authorities. Wonder what he falsely reported, and whether that's consistent with Responsible Gun Ownership?TM
36.     DAYTON, OH, 5/01/13: A regular, old adult accidental shooting. Boring! Police say the victim wasn't co-operating about how the shooting happen, but police say it appears to be accidental. His injuries are reported to be non-life threatening.
37.     YUMA, AZ, 5/01/13: A 3-year-old boy shot and killed himself with a gun he found in his grandmother's backpack, which she'd left on top of the dryer. The backpack also held her meth pipe, if that's of any interest to you.
38.     WAKE VILLAGE, TX, 5/02/13: Police Chief Ronnie Sharp says a group of people were inside the home when one person was handling a .22 caliber rifle and it went off. The bullet struck a 17-year-old female, who has since undergone surgery and is expected to make a full recovery. Her name has not been released. 24-year-old Travis Strange has been arrested and charged with aggravated assault causing serious bodily injury.
39.     MASON, OH, 5/02/13: Police in Mason said a man accidentally shot himself in the leg while handling a firearm while driving. Authorities said the 30-year-old man, whose name has not been released, was messing around with the gun about 8:30 a.m. Thursday near the 800 block of Reading Road when it discharged.
40.     MERIDIAN, ID, 5/02/13:  A 76-year old Meridian man accidentally shot himself while cleaning a handgun Thursday night, according to Meridian police. The man was attempting to unload the gun inside his home when it went off. The bullet passed through the webbing of his left hand, but did not hit any bone, police said. He was treated and released at a local hospital.
41.     FREDERICKSBURG, VA, 5/03/13: A Fredericksburg man was arrested Thursday after he fired a shot into a neighbor’s home—apparently accidentally, police said. A resident called police after finding a bullet hole in a bedroom wall. The responding officer found the bullet lodged in a wall inside the bedroom closet. The shot had actually been fired about an hour earlier, Bledsoe said. The woman said she heard the shot and a neighbor across the street in Central Park Townhomes, formerly Bragg Hill, had come to make sure she was OK. But the neighbor didn’t tell her he was the one who fired the shot. Police later went to the neighbor’s home and recovered the gun. Antonio Robinson, 29, was charged with two misdemeanor offenses, reckless discharge of a firearm and illegal discharge of a firearm within the city limits.
42.     SAN ANTONIO, TX, 5/03/13: An investigator with the Bexar County District Attorney's Office accidentally shot himself in the foot while clearing a weapon of ammunition, at the S.A.P.D. training academy.
43.     PARK CITY, KS, 5/03/13: A man in his 30s has been transported to the hospital with potentially life-threatening injuries after an accidental shooting in Park City. Emergency crews were called to the scene in the 1600 block of E. Gary just after 9 p.m. Friday. Dispatchers said a man accidentally shot another man in the stomach. UPDATE: He died. UPDATE 2: How did it happen? Police say a friend who lives in the home thought he had unloaded the gun and was putting it back together when it discharged and hit the 36-year-old Denver resident in the abdomen.
44.     WILLIAMSPORT, MD, 5/03/13: An 8-year-old Williamsport boy was flown to the Children’s National Medical Center in Washington, D.C., on Friday evening after he was shot accidentally, the Washington County Sheriff’s Office said. The boy suffered a single gunshot wound to the left thigh from a handgun.
45.     BRIGHTON, AL, 5/03/13: Police in the Birmingham area say a 4-year-old boy is in critical condition with a gunshot wound to the head after an apparent accidental shooting. The boy and a 4-year-old girl were in a bedroom and one apparently got hold of a gun, though police weren't sure which.
46.     HATTIESBURG, MS, 5/03/13: A University of Southern Mississippi student from Brandon remains in critical yet stable condition Friday after accidentally shooting himself in the thigh while sitting in his vehicle on campus. Blake Ballard, 22, was found on the pavement outside his jeep Thursday afternoon on the service road adjacent to the Ogletree Alumni House. University officials say Ballard apparently was not in violation of state law by having a gun in the vehicle on campus because he was over 21 and had obtained an enhancement to a concealed firearms permit, but he may face university discipline for having a gun on campus at a later date.
47.     CARROLL TOWNSHIP, PA, 5/03/13: Carroll Township Police say they won't charge a woman who they say accidentally shot her husband with a handgun Friday. Police reported on the department's Facebook page that the husband had gotten some old handguns from the attic Friday evening but didn't realize that one, a .22 caliber, was loaded. His wife was examining the gun, police said, and it went off, sending a bullet into and out of his chest.
48.     FT. WORTH, TX, 5/03/13: A courier left a gun in the teachers’ bathroom of W.P. McLean Middle School Friday morning, spurring authorities to lock down the campus. Fort Worth Independent School District spokesman Clint Bond says the Fort Worth officer assigned to the school found a .38 revolver in the bathroom of the teachers’ lounge Friday morning. Bond said an armored car courier who used the facilities earlier in the morning accidentally left the gun there.
49.     ELY, MN, 5/03/14: Covering all bases, these "Patriots" fired their guns indiscriminately from the car they were driving while drunk. But where was their swimming pool?

Originally posted to David Waldman on Sat May 04, 2013 at 12:51 PM PDT.