I d i o t s !

[VTFatBa*d]

Police say a man and woman have been wounded while trying to figure out how to use their new handgun in their Washington County home.

Police in Cecil aren't identifying the couple wounded last night.

Police say the gun fired while the couple were handling it, wounding the man in the hand and the woman in her hand and biceps. Both were being treated at Allegheny General Hospital in Pittsburgh.

Police say the couple simply didn't know how to operate the gun properly.

Read more: Man, woman both wounded while trying out their new gun

[DefensiveCarry.com]

[pcon]

nice...remind me to not go to the range with them

[GunnyBunny]

Sounds like we have some future Darwin award winners on our hands!!

[David in FL]

"Hey Marge, whadaya thank happens when ya pull this here thang......"?

[TucAzRider]

That is what happens when people are not brought up with Gun's and learns safety,. We'll always have these kind in the world.. Sad for sure..

[archer51]

Sad fact in NY. Most counties make you buy a handgun before you send in your permit application. When you get the permit you pick up the gun and it ends there.

Goodbye pistol and right to carry, unless the two of them have permits and the gun is listed on both.

bosco

Since this happened in PA I don't think NYS laws will have any bearing on it.

That being said I think the gun shop where they bought the gun (if bought from a shop) has partial responsibility in this. They should make sure the buyer has at least a basic knowledge of what they are doing. JMO

[PastorPack]

Hey wait, I think I have been to the range with them.
Seriously, I'm glad folks are interested in their own defense, but i wish people would take the time to understand their weapon in a SAFE way.

[natticarry]

I think to blame this on the shop is not the right thing to do. The dealership isn't expected to tell drivers how to drive safely, or a store that sells kitchen knives aren't expected to tell you how to chop safely.

[boscobeans]

Archer,

Sorry about that I read Washington County and ASSumed it to be in NY..

bosco

[Oldskoolfan]

How can the seller ethically sell them a gun they are not sure how to use?

[archer51]

Archer,

Sorry about that I read Washington County and ASSumed it to be in NY..

bosco

No problem, I misread things all the time. Wish my eyes were as good as when I was young!

[Hopyard]

How can the seller ethically sell them a gun they are not sure how to use?

It isn't the seller's responsibility.

With so many different types of actions being sold these days, it is a wonder more such "accidents" don't happen. Someone used to a 1911 might not realize that a G has no external safety. Or, they may not immediately realize that the thing on the grip of an XD is a safety.

[natticarry]

How is a gun seller to know if someone knows how to safely handle a firearm. Some might say it would be obvious at the store but it may not always be. Some people are much more cautious about what they are doing when people are watching them like a salesman would be. I still believe in personal responsibility and I believe it is the buyers responsibility to make sure they know how to safely handle a firearm before ever loading it. Again there are plenty of things at a hardware store that can kill or seriously maim you or by-standards and the sales people are never expected to explain safety to you.

[Enginerd]

While on the subject, I'd say almost half of the folks in my CCW class were asking VERY basic handling questions...yet were going for a CCW. It was a bit unnerving to say the least...

On a related note, I won't mention the place since I'm sure many here know if it, but I was in one popular tourist gun rental location here in Vegas, sharing a stall w/my gf...a busy range.

Clearly the people in the stall to our right were gun-novices w/NO handling or safety experience, which is to be expected in a place like that...but there was a range master working with them, fortunately, which made me feel a bit better.

So a few minutes in I stepped back to load some mags while my gf shot...and I saw loaded rental guns waved/turned directly at our stall, and the other adjacent stall, at least 5 times in a 1 min period...all w/a range master supervising! It was then I noticed a bullet hole in our stall from a previous incident…

I promptly tapped on my g/f's shoulder and told her we were leaving...she asked why and I pointed to the hole, just about head level in our stall...and told her what I witnessed when I stepped back to reload, loud enough for the range master to hear while looking directly at him.

Suppose one can’t say it enough…guns don’t kill people, people kill people…

Maybe I’m a puss about it but I didn’t want to be there seeing what I saw, nor have I ever gone back to that place…scary stuff!

On a positive note, I’ve always felt at ease at American Shooter’s Supply here in Vegas…they even have a rifle range (although I think it’s under renovation right now)…

[natticarry]

A range and a store are two different things. I fully support and demand the staff at a range enforce good gun safety on their property. I just don't think its their job to ensure your competence at your home because you happen to buy a gun from them.