Stop. Don't touch. Run away. Tell a grown-up.
That's the simple message of NRA's Eddie Eagle program for any kid who runs across a firearm. And while that program is geared towards young children, the NRA might want to think about tailoring that message for adults too. You'd think it would be unnecessary, but then again, we've got stories like this one out of the Cleveland, Ohio area.
Two landscapers with absolutely no regard for gun safety found a weapon in a yard and proceeded to point it at each other while pulling its trigger.The result, as one might expect, was not good, as one of them was shot and suffered a severe mouth injury.
As the Plain-Dealer reports, a 32-year-old man was the first to pick up the gun, point it at his 18-year-old co-worker, and pull the trigger multiple times. The gun didn't fire, but when the 18-year-old grabbed the pistol and pulled the trigger while pointing it at the 32-year-old, the firearm did discharge.
Police in Lyndhurst, Ohio are continuing to investigate, but the 18-year-old has been charged with a count of felonious assault based on his negligent actions. At this point, police haven't said much about the pistol, including its caliber or whether they've been able to determine how it ended up in a yard. There's also been no update on the condition of the 32-year-old who was shot, though it sounds like the injuries he suffered aren't life threatening.
An 18-year-old should know better than to point a gun at someone and pull the trigger for funsies, even if they believe the gun is unloaded. The fact that the 32-year-old was the first one to grab the gun and pull the trigger while pointing it at his buddy is even more mind-boggling to me. How stupid do you have to be to pick up a random gun you find in a yard and pretend to shoot someone with it? I honestly can't fathom what either of these morons were thinking, and they're lucky that neither one of them earned a Darwin Award for their unfathomable decisions.
The primary rule of gun safety is "treat every gun as if its loaded". The second rule of gun safety is "keep the muzzle pointed in a safe direction," or "don't point a gun at something you're not willing to destroy."
Either these two haven't spent much time around firearms or they're even bigger idiots than the report suggests. Regardless, the 32-year-old is lucky to be alive and the 18-year-old should be thankful he's not facing even more serious charges than the single count of felonious assault.
Stories like this are rare, but it does make me wonder if we don't need some sort of Eddie Eagle program for adults who've never been exposed to firearms. Where would that be taught, though? It's easy enough to bring Eddie Eagle to public schools, churches, or after-school programs for kids, but I'm not sure the best way to deliver this message to adults who need to be told not to grab a gun, point it at someone, and pull the trigger if they see one randomly lying around. Public service annoucements? Billboards? Maybe a social media campaign?
If nothing else, we can at least share this story as a cautionary tale with our friends, family, and co-workers who don't own firearms. Hopefully they're intelligent enough that they won't need this message, but there's no shortage of idiocy in this world and you never know who might actually benefit from learning a valuable lesson without having to be taught it through first-hand experience.
Editor’s Note: After more than 40 days of screwing Americans, a few Dems have finally caved. The Schumer Shutdown was never about principle—just inflicting pain for political points.
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