Injuries at Lakeland, FL gun range

M

MLeake

New member
Sorry the article isn't more detailed. Quick summary: couple injured by own weapon, and at least one bullet hit a customer in the adjacent stall. Incident involved a Jennings 9mm and "at least three bullets."

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/southwest/orl-bk-gun-range-shooting-100309,0,4957970.story

I didn't even realize Jennings made a 9mm. I've only seen a Jennings .22, and didn't like the look or feel of that.

Without more detail, not sure if this was a case of the weapon malfunctioning and going full auto, or pure handling error. It will be interesting to see if they follow up on it.
 
I'm not sure where it says three bullets... one was struck in the hand, another in the arm and the third in the shoulder and throat. It's perfectly plausible for a single 9mm FMJ to have done all of that.
 
I'm not sure where it says three bullets...
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In the final paragraph of the article.

The shooting, which involved at least three bullets, happened a little after 10:30 a.m. at Saddle Creek Shooting Range, 3716 Morgan Combee Road.​
 
In the final paragraph of the article.
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Ooo... missed that part. Now that does seem odd. A single unintentional discharge I can see, but three... unless it did go full auto, is hard to imagine.
 
That's pretty strange...

I could see it conceivably going off once after being set down if something broke.

I don't really understand how it could go off a second and third time with no outside help. Most autopistols won't cycle if they're not being held--they need the resistance provided by the shooter's hand.

I wouldn't say it's impossible, but I'd want some real convincing evidence from the scene to back up that story before I'd buy in.

Either way it's a fairly bizarre story.
 
My brother had a Jennings that would fire if you let the slide go sharply. It would fire if you put it down hard. It would fire full auto when you pulled the trigger.

I was terrified of the mere mention of that thing. I told him it was an accident waiting to happen.

He got rid of it some way or another. I never asked and he is no longer with us so it's sort of a moot point.
 
I suppose a hangfire (delayed fire) followed by the gun going stupid-auto is *possible* but...dayum. That means a bad primer followed immediately by a bad gun. Bad as hell LUCK that would be.

OR...OK, say the firing pin (or striker?) "hung up" somehow and didn't go forward right away. Now we at least have the whole fault on a bad gun, which is a bit easier to buy.

Stupid gunsmithing could easily be involved. Say, it was jamming a lot, somebody tried to "polish the internals" without knowing what they were doing?

This is all assuming that the story we're hearing now is actually true of course...
 
my dads friend traded for a Jennings 9mm a while back. walking down the stairs of his back porch he dropped it and it did a "true lies"(Jamie lee Curtis drops the Uzi), but some holes in his house but missed him and his dog.

if you pull the trigger it will fire all the rounds in the mag even if you let off the trigger.

it will also fire from impact, and once firing it doesnt stop.
 
I repeat myself, but:

Jennings, Davis, Cobra, Lorcin, Jimenez, Wilkinson, Phoenix Arms, Raven, Hi-Point, Stallard, RG, etc., etc.

What can I say, except that a fool and his money are soon parted.
 
A single unintentional discharge I can see, but three... unless it did go full auto, is hard to imagine.
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I'm with you. Hard to believe that it would discharge after being placed on the bench. If that is that case, that's just plain scary.
 
Aw, Ravens aren't so bad for a zinc gun. My first auto was a Raven back in the 80's and I still have it! If it were truly junk and did not function I would have cut it up and sold the parts. It didn't have to go back to the factory for adjustments to make it function like some of your "kustom" high dollar guns! Then again I am not too hot on the idea of a larger caliber gun made with the same pot metal concept. Needs more detail to know what really happened, but I would avoid that sort of gun in any case. I think the Raven was around 60$ NIB so it is not like I bought a 800$ gun that FTF.
 
"Detectives say the gun fired at least three times after Thourot set it down facing his wife, rather than downrange, which is considered a proper safety procedure."

Certainly started off on the right foot.
 
I find it very interesting that it took as many posts as it did before anyone said anything about where the gun was pointed when he sat it down. Who knows, if it would have been pointed downrange maybe no one would have been hurt.

It's easy to start blaming the Brand when things like this happen, and it could very well be a malfunction, but there was also a statement from the police or the paper that the gun could have been altered. Which by the way I find disturbing they have to throw that comment in the article.

Bottom line for me is that there is way to little info to start making judgements about altered weapons, quality of said gun and so on. All we know is that there was careless gun handling and three people are injured.
 
http://www.theledger.com/article/20...WIRE05?Title=Three-Hurt-in-Gun-Range-Accident
Detectives say the gun fired at least three times after Thourot set it down facing his wife, rather than downrange, which is considered a proper safety procedure. The gun began to spin, striking Flynn, who stood next to a bench a few feet away.
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Broke the rule about keeping the gun pointed in a safe direction. However, if and/or when the gun malfunctioned; there is little that could have been done to prevent the spinning from the recoil.

If Thourot altered the gun so that it malfunctioned then he was negligent.
If he bought a used gun that was altered then I'd say it is not Thourot's fault assuming he was ignorant of the alteration.
If the gun was not altered and malfunctioned then it is the manufacturer's fault, and a product liability suit should ensue.
 
If Thourot altered the gun so that it malfunctioned then he was negligent.
If he bought a used gun that was altered then I'd say it is not Thourot's fault assuming he was ignorant of the alteration.
If the gun was not altered and malfunctioned then it is the manufacturer's fault, and a product liability suit should ensue.
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I believe pointing it in an unsafe direction would have made him negligent regardless. The only question is whether he is solely responsible, or if the negligence of a third party contributed to incident.
 
I guess i find myself wondering why there was a loaded magazine in the gun with the slide left forward on a chambered round when every range ive ever been to on the face of this planet has required that firearms be placed on the bench with slides back and magazines out.

Seems like everyone involved here is to blame for one reason or another.
 
I'm not buying it

Closer to the truth, husband still had his finger on the trigger and was putting the gun down when he accidently pulled the trigger, then panicked and let two more round go.

"Thourot set it down facing his wife, rather than downrange, which is considered a proper safety procedure." At what shooting range is this considered proper safety?
 
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