Doofus Of The Day #976

Today's award goes to a careless firearm owner in Missouri.

Customers at a University City grocery stopped in their tracks Sunday when they heard gunfire among the food aisles.

It turns out, a man carrying a loaded gun in his waistband while in the Schnucks supermarket accidentally shot his own leg in the middle of the store.

. . .

The man told officers he was attempting to prevent the loaded firearm — which was not in a holster — from falling to the ground from his waistband, but in the process accidentally discharged a single round.

The bullet struck the floor, ricocheted and became lodged in the ceiling, according to University City police.

Police said a second person standing nearby was struck by unknown debris, but the bystander declined medical treatment.

There's more at the link.

He's extremely fortunate that the bullet didn't strike anyone else, or cause any serious injury.  He would have been civilly and criminally liable if it had.  It's the same principle that applies in many jurisdictions:  if anyone is killed in an armed robbery, even one of the perpetrators, the other perpetrators are charged with murder, because it was a death during a felony offense.  Since this discharge of a firearm resulted in a criminal charge against its owner, the same principle would have applied.

Let this be a reminder.  When we carry a firearm, it should be in a holster that will safeguard it from being dropped or mishandled.  The holster should fit the gun properly, so that the firearm can't easily be dislodged, and should also cover the trigger, to prevent discharges such as this one.

Peter