Woman shoots self in leg after hot shell falls into shirt

[paramedic70002]

http://www.azcentral.com/offbeat/art...shap28-ON.html

Woman shoots self in leg after hot shell falls into shirt

Associated Press
Dec. 28, 2006 10:15 AM


OKLAHOMA CITY - A little target practice was too hot for an Oklahoma woman to handle.

Police in Oklahoma City say Anna Herrera-Gomez was practicing with a nine-millimeter gun at an indoor range when a hot shell casing fell down the front of her shirt.

She jumped as the hot metal touched her skin and reached for her chest. And that's when she accidentally shot herself in the leg.

Police say Herrera-Gomez suffered a minor leg wound. A paramedic who happened to be target shooting at the range at the same time came to her aid.

[DefensiveCarry.com]

[sisco]

"Minor leg wound". How much damage did the hot brass do??

[Tom G]

My wife says( OUCH. OR WAS THAT DOUBLE OUCH.)

[P95Carry]

One vital drill we all need to practice is that whatever occurs at the range or even elsewhere - we ALWAYS keep the gun pointed safe.

If gun is in hand - it must still remain safe. I used to talk sometimes to the guy RO'ing by simply keeping gun on mat and turning rest of me to face him - or better still lay gun down first.

Muzzle sweep can have such disasterous consequences - new shooters need to have rigid discipline with a gun in hand.

[retsupt99]

The FINGER...no other thing can cause the discharge...I can not pick up any weapon without my finger going WAY UP on the slide...
...a u t o m a t i c reaction...

She needs to learn that muscle training exercise!

ret

[ccw9mm]

Sort of like the folks who drive off the road to avoid a squirrel. Can't help but wonder how distracted this person would get in a real situation. Can't imagine she would fare well at all. A bit harsh perhaps, but she'd better fix that lest she get killed when the chips are down.

Hot brass doesn't burn; it merely stings, and not for very long. I'd like to think she wasn't trained well, but then it's likely just a lack of common sense and attentiveness. Live and learn. Fortunate for her, she has the opportunity to do so.

[symbiont7]

Hot brass isn't that hot. I've used cutting torches that spewed glowing steel on my arms and just kept cutting.

Did it hurt? Heck yeah, but I needed to make a clean straight line so I didn't move.

I know it's a reaction, but I also think it's an over-reaction if your mind is set with the proper objective of keeping that weapon pointed in a safe direction.

[frankmako]

one reason i don't shoot at indoor ranges. just don't know what is next to you. some nut with their fringer on the trigger.

[rocky]

hot brass burns, but is usually tolerable.

[ptmmatssc]

Reminds me of a day not long ago at the range. Was testing my Witness .45 (just got back from the smith) and the first round ejected back at me . Got stuck between the bill of my hat and my head . Was hot , but first thing I did was throw the gun on safe and put it down on the bench before trying to pick the brass out . Guess I could have just used the muzzle to flick it out

[symbiont7]

...Guess I could have just used the muzzle to flick it out

LOL

That's what they would have done in the movies!

[Scott]

What info is missing is how much practice Anna did and how much training she had taken before this incident. New shooters aren't used to hot brass sitting on their skin. Tell a woman that hot brass between her breasts doesn't burn and she may crack you one with a cast iron skillet and tell you that it didn't hurt.

So there was the surprise factor, there was a pain factor and a lack of experience/training factor. All these combined to a ND. Sorry to hear that Anna shot herself. I hope that she gets some training and practices more in the future.

[Double Naught Spy]

If it would have lodged behind her shooting glasses, would she have shot herself in the chest?

[Musketeer]

one reason i don't shoot at indoor ranges. just don't know what is next to you. some nut with their fringer on the trigger.

Happens just as much at outdoor ranges. Even more in my experience as I have more than once been changing targets when the line was "cold" only to hear the range master on the PA shout "DO NOT TOUCH THE WEAPONS WHEN THE LINE IS COLD!" You and everyone around you then immediately hunkers down out of instinct. Idiots are everywhere.

I actually can see very easily how this could happen. When the human body experiences pain or shock it is common for the muscles to reflexively contract. This is exactly why shooters should not be running with their fingers on the triggers in either LEO duties or Competition. Any sudden stumble or trip could reflexively cause a discharge.

If a hot piece of brass landed on this woman's breast while she was shooting (finger already JUSTIFIABLY on the trigger) I can see an unintentional shot being fired without any blame being laid. The problem is she FORGOT the weapon in her hand and reflexively reached for the brass. Training oneself to always control the direction the weapon faaces is one of the most fundamental, and for the new shooter, often one of the more difficult things to ingrain. While "thinking" everything is fine but introduce sudden pain or surprise and the new or casual shooter may not be able to stop the reflex.

It is a reflex that must be overcome just as learning to control a skidding car, and is often hard to overcome unless exposed to it. I always remember Bill Cosby talking about getting into a skid and remembering he was told to turn into it. "Instinctively" though he turned the other way and found himself going 40 mile per hour down the road sideways. Reflexes can be dangerous things if not understood and properly trained. Before frying this woman too badly we should wonder if this was one of her first outings to the range or not. For any shooter those are often the most dangerous times as so many new things are likely to happen unexpectedly and they have no experience in handling them.

Personally I like to wear a ball cap (even indoors) and will button up my shirt more fully to prevent a piece of hot brass falling into the shirt or between the glasses and my eye (happenned to a buddy and it sizzled his cheek a hair away from his eyeball). Her blouse being open might be an indicator of her inexperience, at least in shooting.

[cmidkiff]

She broke my cardinal rule... always return from the range with the same number of holes in you as you arrived with.

Sorry she's hurt, hope she uses the experience in a positive manner rather than becoming seriously anti-gun.

Guys, when you invite a woman to go shooting, recommend a high necked blouse, closed toe shoes, and jeans!