Negligent Discharge At Pittsburgh Gun Show

[QKShooter]

NEW MEMBER COMMENTS ALWAYS WELCOME.

Police Probe Shooting At Gun Show
By Jim Ritchie
TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Sunday, May 15, 2005
Monroeville police want to know who loaded a pistol that went off during a gun show at the Pittsburgh ExpoMart Saturday, hitting a bystander in the leg with a 9 mm round.
Walter Gladkowski, 65, of Monroeville, was taken to Mercy Hospital, Uptown, after he was hit in the shin about 11:30 a.m. while attending the Pennsylvania Gun Collectors Association show. A hospital spokesman said he was released after treatment.

"It appears as though one customer at a vendor's table was looking at a 9 mm pistol, and it fired," said Sgt. Larry Lyons, of the Monroeville Police Department. "It struck another customer that happened to be standing at another vendor's table."

Lyons said that while it appears to be an accident, police will continue investigating because they want to know who slipped the shell into the gun.


So does Richard Vensel, the gun club's president, who lives in Baldwin.

Vensel's upset that an innocent patron was hurt because somebody violated the most basic rule of a gun show: Don't load the guns.

Most firearms vendors are extremely careful about checking weapons before placing them on display, Vensel said.

Police want to know if the gun arrived at the show loaded or if someone -- either the vendor or a guest -- loaded it sometime during the show. The show opened at 8 a.m., more than three hours before the weapon fired.

The gun was displayed by Hannah's Gun Shop, of Tipton, Blair County, Lyons said. The shop owner could not be reached for comment Saturday.

The 64-year-old Monroeville man who was handling the gun when it fired has not been charged.

Vensel said the Hannah's Gun Shop representative was escorted from the ExpoMart following the incident, adding that the investigation will determine whether the vendor will be permitted to attend future shows.

Vendors sign forms pledging to abide by certain rules, which include not loading weapons, Vensel said.

Vensel presides over the 2,500-member association, which hosts six shows a year. About 3,000 people attended on Saturday, he said.

"It was an unfortunate incident," Vensel said. "We strive for safety education, to inform the public and those that are less familiar with the use of firearms the safe operation of firearms. We show some firearms used in the Civil War up until the present day, and you can purchase things there."

Vensel said he was told Gladkowski suffered a flesh wound to the lower leg.

The gun show continues today from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Others are scheduled for July, September and November at the ExpoMart.

The association hires a security firm and has medical personnel at the show.

"Our club has gone 57 years without an accidental discharge of a firearm," Vensel said. "We run a very tight and clean show."

[DefensiveCarry.com]

[Prospector]

Holy Cow...I can see it now! The anti-gunners will jump on this like stink on you know what....one freakin accident....I've never heard of any others....but boy they'll milk this for all it's worth.

[Wylycoyte]

The safety violations I saw at the last gun show I attended were appalling. People were thoughtlessly sweeping everyone in sight, fingers on the trigger more often than not, etc. Very few people check the chamber when they pick the guns up.

There've been 2 incidents of ND that I know of at the local Atlanta gunshows, both of which had to do with some vendor leaving a round in the chamber when he showed the gun to a prospective buyer.

[F350]

Do not discount the antis going to a gun show and placing live rounds in the guns on display. Many years ago when department stores (K-Mart, Wal-Mart etc) carried leg hold traps I was browsing the sporting goods and noticed about a dozen traps had been set and were hanging on the wall. I got the manager ant took him over to the display and asked if he noticed anything, he just shrugged his shoulders and shook his head. He nearly pooped himself when I took a peg board hanger and stuck it in one of the set traps Imagine the trouble if a kid had stuck his hand in one.

[QKShooter]

I noticed that PGH. Liberal Left media was not "All Over This One" PROBABLY because the Negligent Discharge happened at a Gun Show and the person that got shot was just another "Gun Lover" and so...if he got shot...then he deserved it just for being there.
Does that help you all to understand their Left Wing way of thinking?

[P95Carry]

Does that help you all to understand their Left Wing way of thinking?

Indeed QK - it is manner from heaven for them but here - yep - they can use the ''he's a nut - and deserved it'' approach!

I have to say - I wish I could do a sorta ''crusade'' - do a ''Billy Graham'' nationwide - all big cities and large towns - promoting the four rules - nothing else - just trying like heck to make the more fringe gun owning populace aware of it all - including some dealers - they are just as cuplpable sometimes.

If - ''Massive IF) all the gun owning community was versed and fully cognisant of the four rules - and obeyed them - we would be close to an accident free status - I am convinced of it.

Someone - set me up with a travel list and book the halls - and I'd darned well do it - in the interests of gun safety and RKBA - I am not kidding.

[sarhog]

Y'all have it all wrong.

:Sarcasm mode...activate:
The 4 rules wouldn't have prevented this.
There was no safety violation.

"It appears as though one customer at a vendor's table was looking at a 9 mm pistol, and it fired," said Sgt. Larry Lyons, of the Monroeville Police Department.

Obviously, according to Sgt Larry Lyons, of the Monroeville PD....it fired!

Not, "Walter accidentally squeezed the trigger", or "Walter caused the gun to fire". IT fired.
It's the gun's fault.

:Sarcasm mode...de-activate:

[QKShooter]

That would sure be a worthwhile crusade.

Meanwhile...at a time rate of about 3 seconds required per firearm there is absolutely no reason why every single doggone firearm cannot be "chamber checked" at every gun show...at the show...prior to the show opening to the general public.

Also: we should be the ones doing the video taping (not to record transactions) but to make sure that some nutcase is not walking around randomly slipping cartridges into firearm chambers.
At least they would have some tape to review.
I KNOW if I were that gun dealer/seller ~ I would want to know if I goofed...one of my employees goofed...OR some "walkin' around crackpot" secretly slipped a Micky Finn into one of my firearms.

Just my opinion.

[TheGreatGonzo]

Do not discount the antis going to a gun show and placing live rounds in the guns on display.

F350, methinks that is a bit of a long stretch. Most likely, just a case of extreme stupidity on the case of somebody who SHOULD know better. We are, in so many cases, our own worst enemy. Trying to blame it on anti-guns folks sounds defensive and desperate. I think instead we have to realize that we, as avid shooters and gunowners, have to recognize that we have more than our own share of morons amongst us, just like any segment of the population.
Gonzo

[Betty]

And why do we follow the four rules?

A couple years ago, I was at the local Bob Pope gun show when a man at the entrance proved his gun was "empty" by sending a .357 Sig into the floor. I wasn't standing that far away. Luckily, nobody was injured, and the man was promptly booted out and told to never show his face again.

[QKShooter]

An Incident That I'm Sure You'll Never Forget!

And why do we follow the four rules?

A couple years ago, I was at the local Bob Pope gun show when a man at the entrance proved his gun was "empty" by sending a .357 Sig into the floor. I wasn't standing that far away. Luckily, nobody was injured, and the man was promptly booted out and told to never show his face again.

[sm]

4 Rules - Always!

I had all but stopped attending local Gun Shows. At first it was the lack of guns and knives, then the blatent disregard for the 4 Rules.

Then the vanilla ice cream and Beef Jerky really sucked ...

I mean what if I really only attended to buy a Bird house and got shot ? <sarcasm>


I was hesitant to take up an invitation to attend the Tulsa show in April. Now that is a Gun Show folks. I will attend again, and the one in Oct I was assured was just as good as the one in April.

First off - 4 Rules were observed, vendors , patrons , Security and LEOs doing Security.

Guns were "cable tied" at the door if one brought one in to sell/ trade - color coded so the Folks putting on the show KNEW they had put the tie on.

Even tied, patrons obeyed the 4 rules.

Vendors also had guns tied. With permission and under watchful eye, one was allowed to handle the firearm. The vendor watched me - and I them - we knew the importance of 4 rules. Twice I had Security ask permission to handle the guns I was handling (he had noticed I was on a misson to find a particular firearm *grin* and wanted my input as to why's and why not's ) ...and we all made sure the correct color tie was put back on.

Yes the mention of anti's pulling a fast one did come up in converstion. Tulsa is gonna make that really hard to do.The Tulsa folks have truly a great system.

I ran into a buddy of mine, one of the security folks walked him/ escorted to his vehicle...he had a golf cart full of new toys to carry out...plus the backpack.

[CLASS3NH]

With the Shows in my area the people in charge of the Show make you check your weapons, and then they check them as well. After that, they place a ti-wrap either around the frame and to the rear of the hammer. Immobilizing the weapon, OR placing the ti-wrap IN the BBL and rendering the weapon so it will not accept a round in the chamber.

[QKShooter]

Obviously they did not do that in PGH.
I'll bet they will now though.

[CLASS3NH]

great system.........NO weapons allows without the tie wraps.either on the tables... or coming into the Show.........VERY safe and sane idea