TRAGIC NEWS!!!
QUOTE: San Antonio Express-News, Monday, 2-8-99; PAGE ONE (1A)
Collector accidentally shot at gun show
By Lisa Sandberg; San Antonio Express-News Staff Writer.
A 31-year old man attending a North Side gun show was shot in the leg Sunday morning by another customer who mistakenly believed the Walter .380-caliber pistol he was handling was unloaded, police said.
Police were investigating the possibility that a prankster inserted a bullet into the gun's chamber some time after the display was set up Sunday morning. ...
Charges weren't likely to be filed against the customer who fired the weapon or the owner of the gun display, (San Antonio Police Sgt.) Cannon said. ...
Sunday's incident prompted gun control advocates and the National Rifle Association to agree on the need for gun safety.
Also, it occurred just one day after President Clinton used his weekly national radio address to endorse legislation that would toughen the control on sales at gun shows.
Sen. Frank Lautenberg, D-N.J., is sponsoring the legislation. It would extend the background checks required under the federal Brady Law to gun buyers at gun shows.
Mark Nevins, a spokesman for Lautenberg, called the incident "clearly a dangerous situation" that could have been avoided with mandatory safety devices.
"The key here is we need to hold the firearms industry responsible for accidents with their guns," Nevins said. ...
The gun show's manager, Frank Smith, said the man handling the handgun had removed a plastic security band from the weapon -- designed to prevent accidental discharges -- so he could get a better look at it. ...
Smith said a bullet struck the ceiling of the convention center last year when a gun accidentally discharged during a gun show.
UNQUOTE
Exclusive of headlines, bylines, and credits, the article comes to 19.25 inches. It further explains:
-- The gun had been properly cleared upon entry to the show.
-- The gun had been secured with the usual plastic cable tie.
-- The tie had been removed so the customer could "get a better look" at the gun.
-- Removing the tie is acceptable.
IMHO:
1) To surreptitiously load someone else's firearm should be a felony. "Prankster" does not apply.
2) The person responsible for the gun did not clear (check) the gun before letting the customer handle it.
3) The customer did not clear (check) the gun before handling it.
4) There was a nut loose on the trigger.
How "convenient" it happened "just one day" after our President's speech. Hmmm.
[This message has been edited by Dennis (edited 02-08-99).]
QUOTE: San Antonio Express-News, Monday, 2-8-99; PAGE ONE (1A)
Collector accidentally shot at gun show
By Lisa Sandberg; San Antonio Express-News Staff Writer.
A 31-year old man attending a North Side gun show was shot in the leg Sunday morning by another customer who mistakenly believed the Walter .380-caliber pistol he was handling was unloaded, police said.
Police were investigating the possibility that a prankster inserted a bullet into the gun's chamber some time after the display was set up Sunday morning. ...
Charges weren't likely to be filed against the customer who fired the weapon or the owner of the gun display, (San Antonio Police Sgt.) Cannon said. ...
Sunday's incident prompted gun control advocates and the National Rifle Association to agree on the need for gun safety.
Also, it occurred just one day after President Clinton used his weekly national radio address to endorse legislation that would toughen the control on sales at gun shows.
Sen. Frank Lautenberg, D-N.J., is sponsoring the legislation. It would extend the background checks required under the federal Brady Law to gun buyers at gun shows.
Mark Nevins, a spokesman for Lautenberg, called the incident "clearly a dangerous situation" that could have been avoided with mandatory safety devices.
"The key here is we need to hold the firearms industry responsible for accidents with their guns," Nevins said. ...
The gun show's manager, Frank Smith, said the man handling the handgun had removed a plastic security band from the weapon -- designed to prevent accidental discharges -- so he could get a better look at it. ...
Smith said a bullet struck the ceiling of the convention center last year when a gun accidentally discharged during a gun show.
UNQUOTE
Exclusive of headlines, bylines, and credits, the article comes to 19.25 inches. It further explains:
-- The gun had been properly cleared upon entry to the show.
-- The gun had been secured with the usual plastic cable tie.
-- The tie had been removed so the customer could "get a better look" at the gun.
-- Removing the tie is acceptable.
IMHO:
1) To surreptitiously load someone else's firearm should be a felony. "Prankster" does not apply.
2) The person responsible for the gun did not clear (check) the gun before letting the customer handle it.
3) The customer did not clear (check) the gun before handling it.
4) There was a nut loose on the trigger.
How "convenient" it happened "just one day" after our President's speech. Hmmm.
[This message has been edited by Dennis (edited 02-08-99).]