Tuesday, February 23, 2016

Oh, my aching ass. What a wonderful advertisement for the Three Percent.

12-year-old girl shot through the stomach during Idaho militia meeting
The daughter of a militia member was shot and wounded Sunday after a local meeting of the III% Idaho group. The 12-year-old girl, whose name was not released, was taken by helicopter to a hospital for treatment after the shooting at the Rupert Gun Range, reported the Twin Falls Times-News. . .
Curtiss said a militia member’s gun accidentally fired while cleaning the weapon, and the bullet struck a metal table beneath a shelter and ricocheted. The bullet struck the girl, who is the daughter of a militia group member, in the stomach and then exited her side.

31 comments:

Tom Stedham said...

Note: the group's Facebook page says he was "cleaRing" his weapon.... NOT "cleaNing" it.
I read the first article that had "cleaning" and I wrote a harsh rant, and then a friend sent me this link, which has "clearing".
This version says that he had an AD, which ricocheted off the clearing tent metal leg and struck her. That version, of course, is far less damning that a "cleaNing" incident, which would be inexcusable.

https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=162492487465639&id=100011146666159

Anonymous said...

Anti gun libtards "kill" their kids every day and virtually nobody says a damned word about it.

Want to bet how many SOCCER MOMS KILLED THEIR KIDS driving medicated or drunk or just murdered them for no apparent reason last year?

Far more than the number of militia men that had accidents on a gun range.

Anyway, clear in a safe direction folks or shoot the mags 'til empty.


Meister said...

I don't give a crap who or why. Gun safety is easy, a farm animal can do it. If you choose to ignore all the other rules and have the mental fortitude to remember ONE rule, remember to keep your boom stick pointed in a safe direction until ready to fire. A steel table isn't a safe direction. If you can't tell, this a a big pet peeve of mine. Poor range etiquette has ruined more range trips and training sessions than I can remember. I will leave if a person is an idiot. My life is worth more than that.

I now belong to a private club that revokes a membership if they are caught breaking the rules or reported to have done so.

Anonymous said...

I'm trying to figure out how you can have an AD while 'clearing' a weapon? What? Clearing with booger hook on bang switch? Slide slipped, re-chambered round and fired?
WTF happened?

Anonymous said...

Everyone who has a gun needs to learn and abide by Jeff Cooper's 4 rules of gun safety. You have to break two or more of these rules to accidentally shoot anyone or anything.
1. All guns are always loaded.
2. Never point the muzzle of a gun toward anything you don't want to destroy.
3. Properly identify your target. Don't point the muzzle towards anything you can't clearly see.
4. Do not touch the trigger until your muzzle is pointed towards a properly-identified target which you intend to shoot.

LEARN THOSE RULES. BELIEVE THEM. THEY SAVE LIVES. TEACH THOSE RULES TO YOUR
CHILDREN AND GRANDCHILDREN AND TO ANYONE YOU'RE TEACHING TO SHOOT.

- Ole Greybeard

JAG06 said...

As Uncle Ted says, there is no such thing as an "accidental discharge" - it is ALWAYS a negligent discharge.

Nemesis said...

Well at least he had his firearm pointed in the right direction. But really, this kind of thing just comes down to basic safety training.

Anonymous said...

Very sad.

Anonymous said...

There is no such thing as an AD, only an ND. If the damn thing went off under manipulation and no trigger was touched, it is broken. ADs are a myth, accidents are not preventable. A gun going off at the wrong time is entirely preventable, and thus negligent. A hard pill to swallow for anyone who has had a ND due to pride, but one all of the gun culture must face if we are to ever rise above such buffoonery. Muzzle in a safe direction, mags out first, and booger hooks off the go button.

And a terrible advertisement. Maroons making us all look like idiots.....again.

Guy

MamaLiberty said...

Still inexcusable. When was the last time you CLEARED your gun with your finger on the trigger? That's the only reason this gun fired...

Pat H. said...

"Clearing" his weapon? How did he do that, take the magazine out and pull the trigger? No matter whether it was cleaning or clearing, it was a negligent discharge.

Period.

Anonymous said...

Since when does clearing a weapon include doing so with a finger on the trigger?

You wont win anything but a youtube contest at the rate the militia / patriot movement is going... but ridicule me some more because i harp on true usable skills instead of politics and endless ceaseless whining that i see in the comments. Sun Tzu was always right in his wisdom, too bad people doesnt study that, much less basic gun handling skills and rules.

Sign Me, Neal Jensen, smh

Anonymous said...

Cleaning or clearing both are damning equally with a loaded gun and a finger on the trigger...just saying. Maybe the militia should sponsor a visit by NRA firearms instructors....

Anonymous said...

The reality is that if we are going to have unrestricted or near unrestricted private gun ownership with little or no real background checks then this kind of thing has to happen. We have cars, we let idiots drive them, they run over pedestrians. You really cannot have one without the other. Whether it's cleaning, clearing, dropped it, whatever, it's part of the deal. The real response should be, "welp, that's cost of freedom".

Anonymous said...

Anywhere that firearms are to be 'cleared' requires a sand box to point the muzzle into while carrying out the proceedure. Humans inevitably stuff up!

Ma Duce

Chiu ChunLing said...

This is why we have clearing barrels, folks. It is a barrel full of sand, which can double as a manly ash-tray. Then again, I know and love patriots who do not always exercise great care in clearing weapons (favorite "expedient clearing barrel" I can recall off the top of my head, microwave oven...and only because 'big screen TV' would be cliche).

Unknown said...

1. All guns are always loaded.

2. Never point the gun at anything you are not willing to destroy.

3. Keep your finger off the trigger until your sights are on target (and you have made the decision to shoot).

4. Be sure of your target and what is beyond it.

5. Keep your f**king booger hook away off the bang switch.

Jerry The Geek said...

Y'all might consider rethinking your protocol for 'clearing' a weapon.

Yes, I do understand the 'ricochet' phenomenon: "It's like a box of choc-o-lates" per Forrest Gump. "You never know what you're gonna get."

There's no such thing as an "AD". Whatever one says in excuse of the incident, it could have been prevented. Not an "Accidental Discharge"; it was a "Negligent Discharge".

If I sound too critical ... you are wrong. I'm not sufficiently critical. There is NO excuse. Somebody put his finger on the trigger, somewhere in the process. He might have touched it prior to "clearing" the gun, which pre-staged the trigger. (I know this, because I did the same thing 50 years ago, and narrowly avoided shooting my own father until I was warned by a 3rd hunter to point my rifle elsewhere.)

I (and my father!) were fortunate that a 3rd hunter was present, recognized the unsafe situation and caused me to point the rifle elsewhere ... when it "went off".

This is why I feel confident in asserting that this was an "accident" which could have been avoided if everyone present had been aware, aleart, and proactive in preventing the injury.

And it's also why I am not willing to give one inch in excusing the lapse in firearms safety protocols which would have prevent the tragedy.

And as far as the insinuation that this was merely an "incident"?

I don't care whether you call it an accident or an incident.

I call it inexcusable.

x

DTG said...

First of all, it is negligent to clear a weapon, or to allow someone to clear a weapon, in the direction that people may be congregating. The weapon should have been cleared on the firing line. After the magazine was removed. Last RSO command given should have been, "Clear, Safe, and Ground/Shoulder Your Weapons." Then, whoever is acting as RSO checks each chamber (at a minimum, everyone checks each other's chambers). SOP.

As to the discharge itself, I would argue it wasn't an 'accidental' it was a negligent. The trigger had to have been depressed by someone....

Command, training, and procedural EPIC failure.

DTG said...

For those that are interested, proper clearing procedures, here: https://defensivetraininggroup.wordpress.com/2016/02/24/essential-skills-clearing-a-weapon/

Anonymous said...

Clearing his weapon, and it fired? That's not an accidental discharge, that's a NEGLIGENT discharge. Didn't he follow the proper steps of 1-Remove magazine 2-Cycle slide or bolt multiple times to remove any rounds in receiver/chamber, 3-Point weapon in safe direction, making sure of anything beyond the end of the weapon,4-THEN pull the trigger into soft ground or a safety barrel.
And this is just from memory, not having done this for too many years.

B Woodman
III-per

CowboyDan said...

Sorry that happened, Mike. Nobody wins with this one, but she'll have an interesting tale to tell as she gets older.

"Oh, that's where the bullet went in when my dad's friend accidentally shot me. Over here's where it came out."

The guy whose rifle it was will never live it down, poor booger.

And you, Mike, got your name in the paper again, darnit. On the bright side, they spelled your name right.

Anonymous said...

Wonderful. More grist for the propaganda mill. Prayers for the little girl and her family...

Anonymous said...

The story that was reported to me was that they were clearing the weapon. Either way not a good thing at all plus another story that will be potentially twisted to help out the liberal gun haters.

Anonymous said...

First of all Prayers for the swift recovery of the lucky young lady as we all know it could have been much worse. As for the argument about AD or ND as mentioned above what if it is a malfunction? I know because it happened to me and me finger was NO WHERE NEAR the trigger. Second day of deer season 1979,end of day in the parking lot of a State Park. Rifle balanced in my right palm just ahead of the trap door which was open over the case with the four rounds dumped out, Left hand above the bolt NOT touching the rifle. When I pushed the safety off to allow the bolt to be opened to extract the round in the chamber, there was a very loud BANG followed by a very loud silence in the parking lot. The first person to speak was the guy to my immediate right,who if I had not had the muzzle pointed down would have had a 130 grain .270 round run through him sideways. His only word was Remington? I simply said yes. During the day I had never had my finger in the trigger guard so the only way it could have been pulled would have been by some of the brush I had gone through. Drove home took it to a local smith found that the previous owner had attempted to lighten the pull on an already suspect safety design. As this rifle was purchased from a reliable shop, one would have thought that they would have checked it prior to placing it for sale and that may have prevented that from happening. I now have ANY used firearm checked before use to prevent this from happening again. It also happened to a mentor of mine with a brand new SAKO pistol, 0n the 3rd magazine the sear broke and it went full auto. so Accidents can happen.

TRex said...

From what I read, the whole unit needs a safety day. Pointing a weapon at a steel table? Someone inside the arc where a ricochet would go (they aren't completely unpredictable, as anyone who plays pool will tell you).

I heard someone mention "expedient clearing barrel." My favorite? Two Sand Bags, stacked.
Place on top of _wooden_ table. Or cheap plastic table. place muzzle in groove
between bags while clearing.

Some here are assuming the girl will be fine. I pray that is so. An update on her would be nice, along with letting us know if they need more financial assistance.

As for those with the holier than thou attitude, never forget what happens to others can happen to you. Pride goeth before the fall.

Mestral.

Longbow said...

God bless you, Mike. You are in our prayers.

LB

Anonymous said...

There is nothing "holier than thou" to point out that adhering RELIGIOUSLY to SAFE GUN HANDLING RULES. Accidents DO NOT HAPPEN when those rules are OBEYED without lapse by everyone who is in possession of a firearm. Get a grip , whiner. The greatest friend and ally to ANTI-gunners are people who FAIL to adhere to those safe gun handling rules ALL THE TIME. Accidents are preventable 100% of the time. these events NEED NEVER HAPPEN. getting hit by a ricochet or having bad ammo blow your gun up in your face are ACCIDENTS. "accidental" shootings (aside from the deliberate use of a firearm in defense) are always NEGLIGENCE, no matter the age of the person who caused it.

Sign ME, Neal Jensen, spare me the hurt feelings.

Chiu ChunLing said...

Just to be clear, by "favorite expedient clearing barrel", I meant "most comical".

My actual favorite expedient clearing barrel is downrange, second favorite is dirt (actual purpose-made clearing barrel doesn't count).

TRex said...

"always NEGLIGENCE, no matter the age of the person who caused it.
Sign ME, Neal Jensen, spare me the hurt feelings."

I work on a US Army firing range, and suspect I have seen things you haven't.
(Like a weapon discharging with no one near it)
Just to be clear, I have no hurt feelings, what I said was a warning to the haughty.

Mestral

Chiu ChunLing said...

Accidents and malfunctions happen.

That's why we have clearing barrels and safety rules.

One of my personal habits is to never even chamber a round till I have a plan to discharge it. I don't follow it religiously because it doesn't work for every situation, but in those situations I like to have that extra discomfort nagging me to stay a little more aware of my weapon.

Then again, I don't like being entirely dependent on firearms for lethal force options, so I make sure I can kill with my hands and feet, and let me tell you, an injurious accident with those is just as embarrassing as negligently shooting someone...a little more so in some respects because not everyone is understanding. That doesn't mean I think there is anything wrong with trying to be extra careful with any lethal weapon, and encouraging others to do the same. It's always shameful when someone ends up in the hospital because you weren't being responsible enough with your defensive options, and it should be shameful.