Bullet mistakenly fired through 3 Troutdale apts.

[CascadeSam]

TROUTDALE, Ore. -- A Troutdale man was reportedly cleaning his gun when it discharged, sending a bullet into the apartment next door, and then into an empty apartment next to that, police said.

A woman in the adjacent apartment was hurt when part of her wall broke free and hit her in the head, according to Sergeant Carey Kaer of the Troutdale Police Department.

It happened just after 11 a.m. Wednesday in the 3000 block of Corbeth Lane, Kaer said.

The bullet ended up in the unoccupied third apartment. Police did not say whether the 30-year-old gun owner would face any charges.

<broken link removed>

Read More

 

[civilian75]

Why is it that negligent discharges seem to always occur while "cleaning a gun"? He will be darn lucky if charges are not filed!

 

[Hrethgir]

In all the owners manuals that came with my guns, step one in the cleaning section is MAKE SURE THE GUN IS UNLOADED AND THE CHAMBER IS EMPTY! Idiot could have easily killed someone, I hope charges are filed.

 

[Scott]

In all the owners manuals that came with my guns, step one in the cleaning section is MAKE SURE THE GUN IS UNLOADED AND THE CHAMBER IS EMPTY! Idiot could have easily killed someone, I hope charges are filed.

Most people don't read the owners manual or the hunter safety manual.

Stupid people own guns and hunt too. All of these are completely avoidable if people would pay attention. But that will never happen.

 

[fstdraw]

Yep, file chargres if any can be made. Considering how quickly this

stupid act can effect a number of people, permanently, we don't need

this guy as a gun owner.

 

[Nick Burkhardt]

It must have been one of those ill-tempered Glocks.

 

[Otter]

Pretty sure the 2nd amendment extends the same rights to stupid people as well as intelligent people.

 

[SynapticSilence]

They charged him with reckless endangerment. Rightly so. One thing like this makes all of us look bad. Basic firearms safety ain't rocket science.

 

[bellarum]

He probably looked down the barrel, and when he didn't see any light, he realized that he had some sort of blockage that needed to somehow be removed. He put the barrel in his mouth and tried to suck it out. When that didn't work he checked it for live ammo and pulled the trigger. Lucky he didn't remove himself or others!

 

[Mac_Fan]

Idiot.

 

[2506]

Because 'cleaning my gun' sounds better than 'I was twirling it on my finger and practicing my quick-draw.' What a maroon.

 

[Morpheus]

In other news, someone was hit on the freeway for making a lane change without looking.
OR
In other news, someone used a propane stove indoors and almost killed family of 5.
OR
In other news, 6 year old drowns in pool while parents are watching Jerry Springer.

IE Stupid people do stupid things, and they should be punished accordingly!

 

[CLT65]

Here's an excerpt I found online from a book:

"John A. Rector
Date of Birth: August 23, 1898
Began at INS: March 13, 1928
TITLE: Patrol Inspector

Date Died: October 16, 1956

DETAILS: At approximately 11:30 a.m., October 16, 1956, Patrol Inspector John A. Rector was accidentally shot by the firing of a .357 Magnum revolver by a fellow officer. The mishap occurred at the Chula Vista Sector Headquarters where two officers were discussing various guns and their limitations and advantages. During the course of the conversation, the .357 Magnum was unloaded, examined, then reloaded, and placed in a desk drawer. The two officers then examined a .22 revolver and soon the discussion returned to the .357 Magnum. At this point one of the officers reached into the desk drawer, picked up the pistol, and without realizing that it had been reloaded, pulled the trigger.The bullet passed through a partition wall into Patrol Inspector Rector's office where it struck him in the left jaw and ranged up through his head. Upon arrival of an ambulance and a doctor, Patrol Inspector Rector was removed to the Paradise Valley Hospital in National City. Two neurosurgeons from San Diego were called; however, nothing could be done for Inspector Rector. He died at approximately 2:00 p.m. the same day."

The finger behind the trigger that day was none other than Bill Jordan, one of the most famous handgunners of all times, an experienced lawman and certainly no stranger to guns or gun safety.

Not everyone who has a negligent discharge is an idiot who should be drawn and quartered for their stupidity. No, they should never happen, and there is no good excuse for them, but they do happen. I read about accidents and am reminded that you just can't be too careful when it comes to things like this. One of the best things you can do is to establish some strong safety habits, or "learned instinct".

It may seem silly to some to visually check any gun you pick up, even if you checked it before handing it to your buddy, who also checked it. It may seem silly to always, always have it pointed in a safe direction when you pull the trigger, even if you just checked it three times and are absolutely positive it's empty.

Practicing these rules (and others) might seem silly when you absolutely know there's no danger, but if you do it every time you will ingrain these safety habits in your brain to where they are a form of instinct. When the day comes that you are under stress, tired, distracted, or just not thinking, these habits will protect you.

I don't know the particulars of this Troutdale guy's accident, but I wouldn't be so quick to crucify the guy. Whether he's charged and convicted or not, I'd say he got really lucky. Had his neighbor been directly in the way of that bullet, he would have to live with that the rest of his life, like Bill Jordan.

 

[CLT65]

Here's a good link, lots of stories to learn from the mistakes of others.

Have you ever had an accidental discharge with a firearm? If so, admitting to an honest mistake on this forum and giving particu | Field & Stream

 

[fstdraw]

I can't believe anyone would try in anyway, shape or form...to justify or make excuses for these morons. You just don't get a second chance when firing a bullet, you must be smarter than the gun. Living w/the consequence is not enough.

 

[OFADAN]

<broken link removed>

 

[Flopsweat]

Here's an excerpt I found online from a book:



The finger behind the trigger that day was none other than Bill Jordan, one of the most famous handgunners of all times, an experienced lawman and certainly no stranger to guns or gun safety.

Not everyone who has a negligent discharge is an idiot who should be drawn and quartered for their stupidity. No, they should never happen, and there is no good excuse for them, but they do happen. I read about accidents and am reminded that you just can't be too careful when it comes to things like this. One of the best things you can do is to establish some strong safety habits, or "learned instinct".

It may seem silly to some to visually check any gun you pick up, even if you checked it before handing it to your buddy, who also checked it. It may seem silly to always, always have it pointed in a safe direction when you pull the trigger, even if you just checked it three times and are absolutely positive it's empty.

Practicing these rules (and others) might seem silly when you absolutely know there's no danger, but if you do it every time you will ingrain these safety habits in your brain to where they are a form of instinct. When the day comes that you are under stress, tired, distracted, or just not thinking, these habits will protect you.

I don't know the particulars of this Troutdale guy's accident, but I wouldn't be so quick to crucify the guy. Whether he's charged and convicted or not, I'd say he got really lucky. Had his neighbor been directly in the way of that bullet, he would have to live with that the rest of his life, like Bill Jordan.

I hope you're not defending the guy in the original story or Mr. Jordan. In both cases they broke every basic safety rule - every one of them.

 

[SynapticSilence]

The fact the guy lives in a multi-occupancy dwelling with the associated thin walls and floors just makes his negligence in this instance even less excusable. Ad how many of us buy the "cleaning my gun" story? The last time I heard that one used was a guy who was practicing fast draws in his apartment and put a round through his apartment wall right into the middle of his neighbor's 52" HDTV. He lied to the police and said he was cleaning his gun but later confessed to the speed draw idiocy.

 

[CLT65]

I can't believe anyone would try in anyway, shape or form...to justify or make excuses for these morons.

I hope you're not defending the guy in the original story or Mr. Jordan.

Wow, you guys totally missed my point, completely.

I wasn't defending or making excuses for anyone. My point was that it's not just "stupid idiots" that make mistakes. Sometimes intelligent, educated, good people make really bad mistakes.

There is absolutely no excuse for making a mistake with a deadly weapon, which is why they need to be handled and used so carefully, and complacency can be just as dangerous as inexperience.

My other point is that saying that anyone who has a negligent discharge is an "idiot loser moron" is not helpful at all. Bill Jordan was not an idiot, but he sure made a horrible, deadly mistake.

It could easily happen to you, if you get complacent and aren't careful. Does that make you a loser moron? I've had an accidental discharge before. Am I a loser moron? Fortunately the gun was pointed in a safe direction and nobody was injured.

I have worked around some really scary stuff in my line of work, and take tons of required safety training annually. Inexperience can be a killer. Complacency is a big killer. Not being safety conscious and having good safety habits is a huge killer. In my training I've seen to many stories and gruesome photos of people seriously injured or killed on the job because they made a mistake. It doesn't just happen to idiots.

All I'm trying to get at is this: don't go thinking that stuff like that only happens to "loser idiots" therefore it couldn't happen to you because you're smart. It could happen to any one of us if we get careless or complacent, so keep your guard up and stay safe.

 

[Misterbill]

I understand that people make mistakes. We all do. Making a mistake that jeopardizes the lives of other people through carelessness is a crime in most places, no matter whether it's a gun or a car or a can of gasoline.

Having a ND while cleaning a gun that results in firing a bullet through the apartment wall is SO negligent that I have no trouble at all with the guy being charged with a crime. If he'd been following rule#1, even an ND would have had no possible dangerous results. It's the equivalent of driving 80 MPH in a crowded residential neighborhood. Sure, he didn't MEAN to hit the kid, but anyone with any sense and reasonable sense of caution wouldn't have been doing it.