Soldier shoots himself at range

czman2006 · May 14th, 2006, 09:36 PM

Friday, 05-12-06, a soldier at the gun shop/indoor range I usually buy from and go to rented a pistol and shot himself in the head. Police haven't released what type of pistol but the soldier is in the hospital in bad shape. This range is only a handful of miles from Ft. Bragg, NC, and gets a lot of business from the military. No motive has been released, if it is in fact known. Same thing happened at the same range in 2003. Have any of you heard of this being a common occurance? Just curious. Keep the soldier in your prayers.

WJP9 · May 14th, 2006, 10:28 PM

Feel bad for the individual and whatever problems that he may have to make him think that life wasn't worth living. I hope he finds peace in either life or death (sad to believe he probably will never function on his own if he lives, though). I also don't like these stories as they feed the "Anti-fire".

P95Carry · May 15th, 2006, 12:13 AM

<shudder> - bad all round.

Bad for the dude, his family and yes, sad to say I have to always also be aware of what bad press accrues.

I think tho this is something will always from time to time occur - no way to stop it unless you closed all ranges and, even then - anyone with determination will find a way to do the deed. Very sad and tragic aspect to life today.

Rugerman · May 15th, 2006, 01:09 AM

As terrible as this is this is the exact reason our range put cameras in the lanes. Unfortunately it was an old friend of mine that did it.

NaturalSelection · May 15th, 2006, 01:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by czman2006

Friday, 05-12-06, a soldier at the gun shop/indoor range I usually buy from and go to rented a pistol and shot himself in the head.

are you talking about jims pawn shop by chance?

Scott · May 15th, 2006, 07:44 AM

Ranges that rent guns will have suicides and attempted suicides at a rate based on the size of the population area they serve. The one in NoVA probably averages 1 a year over time. Some years they don't have any, one year I recall they had at least two. It is something that is going to happen. Not a lot you can do about it as the range operator.

-Scott-

BushidoMarine · May 15th, 2006, 07:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by czman2006

Have any of you heard of this being a common occurance? Just curious. Keep the soldier in your prayers.

A "common" occurence...no. Does it happen..unfortunately, yes. While stationed at Parris Island, a young MP decided to shoot himself in the head with a Colt 10mm that was being passed around the room for everyone to admire. He was the father of a newborn baby girl...

No suicide note was found as I recall; it wasn't his weapon. It just seemed to be a spur-of-the moment thing. Some months before I arrived there (November 1991) a Marine Captain managed to get himself vaporized at the PI grenade range...not sure if that one was a suicide or accident.

Ditto with what WJP9 said... After being clinically dead for a (thankfully) brief time in a car accident in 1993, I fail to understand why anyone would want to end their life prematurely, especially since 99% of these peoples "problems" are no where even close to being worth killing themselves over...

One of my favorite quotes, even before almost losing *my* life, is the following famous quote that was found written by an unknown Marine* on a C-ration box at the battle of Khe Sahn :

"For those who have to fight for it, life has a flavor that the sheltered will never know."

Indeed... The truth of these words can 't truly be appreciated until one has experienced it for themselves. I could use a billion of the most eloquent and decriptive words in the world to describe what chocolate tastes like to someone who has never tried it...and they would still be clueless until they actually take a bite for themselves.

Why someone chooses to throw away all of their tomorrows over some petty Bull

is quite beyond me...

(*Could have been my Dad for all I know..he was there at the height of the mostly artillery vs. artillery battle, and had some literary/philosophical propensities)

erh · May 15th, 2006, 08:51 AM

"Life ain't like no bowl-a-cherries..."; wish his mind was a little tighter, but a man (or woman..) can see things/ do things, that are hard to bare! I'm sorry to hear this, I Love to hear that our Soldiers are all OK but they (We...) are not always able to overcome... Lets think well for his family and friends. Again Sorry to hear about it..!

erh · May 15th, 2006, 08:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rugerman

As terrible as this is this is the exact reason our range put cameras in the lanes. Unfortunately it was an old friend of mine that did it.

I'm sure a camera would have deturred the situation..!

Weeg · May 15th, 2006, 09:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by czman2006

Friday, 05-12-06, a soldier at the gun shop/indoor range I usually buy from and go to rented a pistol and shot himself in the head. Police haven't released what type of pistol but the soldier is in the hospital in bad shape. This range is only a handful of miles from Ft. Bragg, NC, and gets a lot of business from the military. No motive has been released, if it is in fact known. Same thing happened at the same range in 2003. Have any of you heard of this being a common occurance? Just curious. Keep the soldier in your prayers.

Jims?

Guns Plus?

.

May 14th, 2006, 09:36 PM	#1
czman2006 Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: NC Posts: 567	Soldier shoots himself at range Friday, 05-12-06, a soldier at the gun shop/indoor range I usually buy from and go to rented a pistol and shot himself in the head. Police haven't released what type of pistol but the soldier is in the hospital in bad shape. This range is only a handful of miles from Ft. Bragg, NC, and gets a lot of business from the military. No motive has been released, if it is in fact known. Same thing happened at the same range in 2003. Have any of you heard of this being a common occurance? Just curious. Keep the soldier in your prayers. __________________ "Let not your heart be troubled." John 14:1 USN Retired Vietnam/Desert Shield/Desert Storm

May 14th, 2006, 10:28 PM	#2
WJP9 Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Rhode Island Posts: 764	Feel bad for the individual and whatever problems that he may have to make him think that life wasn't worth living. I hope he finds peace in either life or death (sad to believe he probably will never function on his own if he lives, though). I also don't like these stories as they feed the "Anti-fire". __________________ -Bill "I don't step aside. I step up." -Vic Mackey, THE SHIELD.

May 15th, 2006, 12:13 AM	#3
P95Carry Assistant Administrator Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: South West PA Posts: 25,400	<shudder> - bad all round. Bad for the dude, his family and yes, sad to say I have to always also be aware of what bad press accrues. I think tho this is something will always from time to time occur - no way to stop it unless you closed all ranges and, even then - anyone with determination will find a way to do the deed. Very sad and tragic aspect to life today. __________________ Chris - P95 NRA Certified Instructor & NRA Life Member. "To own a gun and assume that you are armed is like owning a piano and assuming that you are a musician!." If a BG dies as the result of pointing a gun at me, then he has merely succumbed to an occupational hazard of being a thug

May 15th, 2006, 01:09 AM	#4
Rugerman Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Kalifornia Posts: 570	As terrible as this is this is the exact reason our range put cameras in the lanes. Unfortunately it was an old friend of mine that did it. __________________ George Washington: "A free people ought to be armed."

May 15th, 2006, 08:51 AM	#8
erh Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Savannah, GA. Posts: 419	"Life ain't like no bowl-a-cherries..."; wish his mind was a little tighter, but a man (or woman..) can see things/ do things, that are hard to bare! I'm sorry to hear this, I Love to hear that our Soldiers are all OK but they (We...) are not always able to overcome... Lets think well for his family and friends. Again Sorry to hear about it..! __________________ Eric Howland Savannah, GA.

May 15th, 2006, 07:44 AM	#6
Scott Senior Moderator Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: The Old Dominion Posts: 4,586	Ranges that rent guns will have suicides and attempted suicides at a rate based on the size of the population area they serve. The one in NoVA probably averages 1 a year over time. Some years they don't have any, one year I recall they had at least two. It is something that is going to happen. Not a lot you can do about it as the range operator. -Scott-

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