Virginia Gun Owners Forum - VGOF

[edit - I guess this happened back in November. Still unfortunate though]

An unfortunate incident. Prayers to those involved and their families.

http://www2.timesdispatch.com/rtd/news/ ... 01/307160/

A 42-year-old Glen Allen man died Saturday in a hunting-related shooting accident in Charles City County.

His identity was not released pending notification of family members.

The Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries is investigating the accident, which occurred about 1:30 p.m. in the Barretts Road area.

Julia Dixon, a spokeswoman for the game department, said the victim was hunting with another man and a 14-year-old boy on one of the hunter’s property when a shotgun fired.

The weapon discharged while the hunters were loading up their equipment after hunting, Dixon said.

The victim died at the scene, and the body has been transported to the state medical examiner’s office in Richmond.

Several years ago I remember a young man who I knew back in Tennessee was handling a shotgun while in the cab of a pickup truck. I don't remember the details of the incident, but the gun went off and if I recall correctly it hit the guy in the side or stomach area. He didn't die from it, but it sure didn't do him any good!
In talking to him afterward I remember him saying that he had gotten in the truck with the loaded shotgun, butt on the floor (the gun, not his) and the barrel against his stomach. I think he said the truck hit some ruts in the road and the gun went off. That's about all I remember after approximately 25 years....but I DO know that what he did was NOT what he should have done!

I hope it wasn't the kids gun, he will blame himself for the rest of his life if it was, when the adults should have checked things before loading up the gear.

flash2pablo wrote:I hope it wasn't the kids gun, he will blame himself for the rest of his life if it was, when the adults should have checked things before loading up the gear.

That's exactly what I was thinking.

I make it a habit to clear my weapon before I get to the truck. You cant shoot near the road anyway. AND I check it again before I get in...

Sadly this is what makes all the safety training we endure real. One instance of negligence and a man is dead,,. Hopefully all will learn from this and remember the basics of gun safety apply at ALL times,,,

It annoys and amazes me how careless some people are with guns. I work part-time a couple days a week in a sporting good store and we stock and sell a lot of handguns, shotguns and rifles. Whenever I am showing a firearm of ANY type, I always open the action, drop the cylinder or magazine to assure both myself and the customer that the gun is not loaded. Even if I KNOW it is empty because I just showed it to someone a few minutes before, I do it again. I will not allow a customer to carelessly point a gun at me or anyone else even though I know it is not loaded. I have had to actually reach out and move a barrel to the side to prevent it from pointing where it shouldn't be. A couple of customers have seemed offended when I correct their gun handling, but I will continue to correct unsafe handling in the shop when I am there. I feel I owe it to myself, the others in the shop and even the customer to stress gun safety.

zephyp wrote:I make it a habit to clear my weapon before I get to the truck. You cant shoot near the road anyway. AND I check it again before I get in...

DK you can shoot near the road here. As long as you are not in the right of way meaning ditch to ditch. But all counties are different.
I have never heard of a hunting mishap that was not avoidable. That's why I'm very particular about who I hunt with.
There was a mishap years ago during turky season. The newspaper headlines read... Two Men Shot While Turkey Hunting. The article then stated that one was shot in the face and head and the other was shot in the buttocks and lower back. Both survived.

Vahunter wrote:

zephyp wrote:I make it a habit to clear my weapon before I get to the truck. You cant shoot near the road anyway. AND I check it again before I get in...

DK you can shoot near the road here. As long as you are not in the right of way meaning ditch to ditch. But all counties are different.
I have never heard of a hunting mishap that was not avoidable. That's why I'm very particular about who I hunt with.
There was a mishap years ago during turky season. The newspaper headlines read... Two Men Shot While Turkey Hunting. The article then stated that one was shot in the face and head and the other was shot in the buttocks and lower back. Both survived.

Good to know Henry...sounds like those two turkey hunters were doing something weird. Were they found with their clothes on?

zephyp wrote:

Vahunter wrote:

zephyp wrote:I make it a habit to clear my weapon before I get to the truck. You cant shoot near the road anyway. AND I check it again before I get in...

DK you can shoot near the road here. As long as you are not in the right of way meaning ditch to ditch. But all counties are different.
I have never heard of a hunting mishap that was not avoidable. That's why I'm very particular about who I hunt with.
There was a mishap years ago during turky season. The newspaper headlines read... Two Men Shot While Turkey Hunting. The article then stated that one was shot in the face and head and the other was shot in the buttocks and lower back. Both survived.

Good to know Henry...sounds like those two turkey hunters were doing something weird. Were they found with their clothes on?

... whoa, thought someone had gone hunting with Dick Cheney again...??!!!!

Vahunter wrote:

zephyp wrote:I make it a habit to clear my weapon before I get to the truck. You cant shoot near the road anyway. AND I check it again before I get in...

DK you can shoot near the road here. As long as you are not in the right of way meaning ditch to ditch.

...AND as long as you don't shoot *across* the road.

allingeneral wrote: ...AND as long as you don't shoot *across* the road.

My bullet would only cross the road to meet the chicken...in the head...

WildBill44 wrote:Several years ago I remember a young man who I knew back in Tennessee was handling a shotgun while in the cab of a pickup truck. I don't remember the details of the incident, but the gun went off and if I recall correctly it hit the guy in the side or stomach area. He didn't die from it, but it sure didn't do him any good!
In talking to him afterward I remember him saying that he had gotten in the truck with the loaded shotgun, butt on the floor (the gun, not his) and the barrel against his stomach. I think he said the truck hit some ruts in the road and the gun went off. That's about all I remember after approximately 25 years....but I DO know that what he did was NOT what he should have done!

Important technical lesson. Not all safeties are created equal. Most shotgun safeties are useless as they can allow the gun to fire while engaged. Precisely by jolting them around as in your story. Safety != ability to ignore other gun safety rules.

allingeneral wrote:

Vahunter wrote:

zephyp wrote:I make it a habit to clear my weapon before I get to the truck. You cant shoot near the road anyway. AND I check it again before I get in...

DK you can shoot near the road here. As long as you are not in the right of way meaning ditch to ditch.

...AND as long as you don't shoot *across* the road.

The Swiss do. They also have a glass of wine before qualifying too, so...