What's your opinion? Do you think that's the very first negligent discharge Officer Tennison has ever had? I doubt it.An off-duty employee of the Skamania County Sheriff's Office was sent to the hospital Saturday morning after he accidentally shot himself at a gun show in Carson.When the sheriff's deputies arrived they found a Pete Tennison, 53, of Stevenson with a .45-caliber gunshot wound to the upper thigh.Tennison, a sworn peace officer with a limited commission, supervises inmate work crews from the Skamania County Jail. He does not carry a firearm as part of his work.
One thing I feel strongly about is that it should be his last. What better proof do we need to determine a person is unfit to safely manage firearms? So many of the mentally unfit people are difficult to identify before they act badly, but this is proof positive. One strike you're out.
What do you think? Please leave a comment.
How about changing the rule against concealed carry at gun shows? It's not a law, but it's been the requirement at every one that I've attended. The less that we have to disarm and re-arm, the fewer chances there are for this to happen.
ReplyDeleteAnd yes, I'd suspect that this was the officer's first time. Look at how rare firearms accidents are--even if they're underreported. They're rare enough that for one person to have more than one would be extraordinarily unlucky. But especially since no one else was hurt, there should be no charges and no loss of rights here.
For once we're in agreement about something, Greg -- no loaded guns in gun shows.
DeleteArming and disarming should be a cinch for you guys if you're responsible and follow the 4 Rules. What's the problem here, Greg?
DeleteOregonian, we're not in agreement. I say that those of us with carry licenses should be allowed to carry in a gun show.
DeleteMikeb, you discount the human factor. No one is perfect, despite your demands of us. I don't deny that manipulating a firearm is dangerous. I accept that danger as a part of life, but we can do things--like carrying, instead of having to disarm--to mitigate the risk.
Sure Greg, it's the law's fault because you have to disarm so often.
DeleteYou're right about one thing. Handling a gun is dangerous business, even for the responsible guys. That's why it's just plain stupid for most of you to have decided to own and carry guns.
No, it's a managable risk. It's just plain stupid for you to try to control what citizens in a democracy do.
DeleteThey're not all as manageable as you claim to be, Greg. They need to be controlled.
DeleteWhy? As I've told you before, the number of events like this compared with the total number of people who carry or who own guns is tiny. Why do you insist on new laws for rare events?
DeleteHow about this really proves WHY we cannot allow loaded guns at gun shows? And it is why we shouldn't be allowing carry - open or concealed - anywhere else except for what is absolutely necessary.
ReplyDeleteThis is clear evidence that people who are just darned sure they are safe, that they don't pose a threat to themselves or others with firearms are not as safe or competent as they want us to believe.
I suppose we should be grateful that this idiot gun nut only shot himself in the thigh; if he'd been carrying his gun in his waistband, he'd have blown off his manly bits --- or were his manly bits his gun that he needs to compensate.
The fact that this happens is the problem, not that you fools have to arm or rearm. You DON'T HAVE TO ARM AT ALL. It is a preference, a choice, and one that you cannot exercise without risk to yourselves or others. I am not willing to take that risk and so long as these stupidities happen, you can't make the choice without putting others at risk either.
There should be charges because it was a dangerous thing to happen. There should be a loss of rights because it happened in a place where other people were present and because loaded guns aren't allowed in gun shows.
Here's an idea -- lets not allow loaded guns at all except for law enforcement, and those few professions that really require it.
Face it Camp - that is the trend world wide, and we in the states will catch up sooner or later with the rest of the world. The more you resist that trend the more foolish and backwards you are.
It's not the criminals that are the problem, it is the gun nuts and the fallacies and fantasies of the gun culture. YOU are the problem as much as the dim wit who blew a hole in his leg.
Want to bet he fits the profile, the classic old white flabby and crabby NRA member?
Checking out the story at the Columbian, scrolling down the comments made by locals:
DeleteLinda Smith Erickson
This was in Carson not Portland. Probably not as organized. In fact as I recall a few years ago someone sold stolen guns there.
All the more reason we need to regulate the sale of guns at gun shows, as well as swaps and trades. These are places where people who don't know each other do stupid things, and not especially legal ones.
You mean like the trend toward Communism that we resisted? How about the trend toward absolute monarchy that we resisted a while ago?
DeleteYou say that this man should lose his rights. Are you now acknowledging that gun ownership and carry is a right? That's progress, I suppose.
But you have yet to show us a picture of yourself for us to evaluate whether you're old, fat, and crabby. Based on the picture that you choose as a stand-in, I'd say yes.
"Here's an idea -- lets not allow loaded guns at all except for law enforcement"
DeleteUh, you might want to read the title of this post.
How about we disarm the folks who have gun "accidents?" A guy like this should be riding a desk from now on doing paperwork.
Delete"How about we disarm the folks who have gun "accidents?""
DeleteYou mean Laci the Dog? He's had a couple hasn't he?
Wow 1st and foremost I'm his daughter and I don't appriceate you talking about my father like this. Secondly not that it is anyone's business but it was a malfunction of his gun. And yes this was the 1st time anything like this has happened with him. My dad has been a cop for over 20years and yes in fact he knows and practices gun safety. This was a small gathering and the gun was his own concealed weapon. I don't know any man who practices their gun rights that doesn't have a loaded gun. Get your facts straight before you start talking like you know things. Good to see ignorance at its best.
ReplyDeleteAll due respect, but guns don't malfunction, people malfunction.
DeleteWith the exact same action, people shoot other people every single day. Some of them die. There's no such thing as an accident with a gun, it's always negligence. Ask you father, he might even agree.
And again you talk without knowing all the facts I don't owe an explanation to anyone but it was in fact a malfunction of the gun. My fathers job has nothing to do with this incident it just happens to be his job. He has handled guns his entire life and has never once had any issues. In this case it was a pure accident he was not touching the trigger. Nice to see that nobody even cares how he is doing this is a good man who had something horrible happen to him and everyone seems to blow it out of proportion. If you don't know all the facts don't speak your mind. Simple as that!
DeleteAnonymous, thanks for letting us know the facts. Gun control advocates often have no love for good citizens. Their only interest is in disarming us. I hope that your father is doing well. Wish him the best for me.
DeleteThanks and it's a little more serious than they made it out to be not like it was a flesh wound. Just makes me sick seeing what people have said because none of the news reports have said much so people just assume things. I'm trying to find out who released his name he's still in the hospital and my family doesn't appriceate the fact that his name was released. But like I said the fact that he is a cop has nothing to do with it and FYI cops are people too that's just his job and he's a regular gun loving person outside of it. What is funny to me is the people who keep saying that there's no such thing as a gun malfunction well then how do you explain how the gun went off when it wasn't in his hand and the trigger was not touched.... Like I said ignorance at its best. If you want to know something ask don't assume and don't trash talk that just shows how disrespectful and childish people can be. I sure hope that if and when something like this happens to any of you or your family members that you don't have to deal with the things my family and I have had to deal with.
DeleteGun malfunctions which result in a gun spontaneously firing are so extremely rare that it's safe to assume that it wasn't that.
DeleteGreg, would you agree with that? How about some of you other pro-gun commenters?
Since you and I weren't present for the shooting, we don't know what happened beyond the reports that we read. I don't make a big deal out of this. People have accidents. Machines malfunction. Those two are facts of life. You want to punish this man; I don't. That's what this all comes down to.
DeleteYou didn't answer the question, Greg.
DeleteAre gun malfunctions which result in a spontaneous firing rare enough to assume it wasn't that?
Anything that is possible will happen at some point. I don't know what the odds are, but yes, a malfunction is rare. But it can happen.
DeleteStill, what's your point? It doesn't matter whether this was an accident or a malfunction from the perspective of gun rights. You just want the chance to be vindictive, but I'm not aware of any jurisdiction that would go along with you currently and few that would even consider adopting your proposal.