Colorado Man Visiting Friend in Kansas Dead of Accidental Gunshot

The Wichita Eagle

A Colorado man accidentally shot by a friend with a .22 magnum Friday evening in Park City has died, police said.

Eloy Portillo-Meza was pronounced dead about 12:20 a.m. Saturday after he was rushed in critical condition to Wesley Medical Center with a single gunshot wound to his abdomen, Park City Police Chief Phil Bostian said. The 36-year-old Denver man was visiting the owner of the gun — a friend who lives at the home, in the 1600 block of East Gary, where the shooting occurred.

“The (gun) owner thought he had unloaded the gun and was in the process of putting it back together, and that’s when it went off,” Bostian said.

The Park City man was taken into custody after the shooting but was released following questioning by police, Bostian said. The department plans to present the case to Sedgwick County District Attorney Marc Bennett’s office next week, he said.

The gun owner suffered minor injuries to a hand when the weapon discharged and was treated at the scene, Bostian said; Portillo-Meza died at the hospital. Both men involved are around the same age, he said.

The pro-gun crowd love to tell us how percentage-wise, these incidents are not all that frequent.  But, so many of them are the "forgot the one in the chamber" kind.  It makes you wonder how often that really happens when, by sheer luck, no one is hurt seriously enough to make the news.

It's my contention that many of the ones that do make the news, in other words, the cases in which some gets hurt or killed, are due to repeat offenders.

The solution:  one strike you're out. 

This would make the world a safer place.

What's your opinion?  Please leave a  comment.

Read more here: http://www.kansas.com/2013/05/04/2789321/colorado-man-dies-after-accidental.html#storylink=cpy

Woman Mistaken for a Hog Shot by Boyfriend - Forgives Him

The Examiner

A year ago, Lisa and Steve went hog hunting in Flagler County. At one point, Egan saw a hog from his blind, took aim and fired a shot. While he pursued the injured animal, Simmons, dressed in camouflage pants, darted off to an area she'd seen earlier containing sour oranges. Her intentions were to collect a few for a homemade marinade recipe. 

Suddenly, as she stood on her toes to get the ripe oranges nearly out of reach, she felt a violent pain that knocked her off her feet. The nurse of 18 years looked down and saw blood pouring from a gaping wound. As a nurse, she knew a bullet ripped through her femoral artery. But who shot her? 

Moments later, Eagan found his girlfriend lying in the brush, bleeding heavily from her leg. Even before Lisa said, "Steve, you shot me," the man knew he shot his girlfriend and mistook it for a hog.
The woman instantly ripped off the man's belt and used tied it around the wound to stop the blood loss. Meanwhile, Steve darted off to camp and fetched their cell phone to call 911.

Throughout the stress of the shooting, Steve had a tough time directing first responders to their area. However, a hour after the man mistakenly shot his girlfriend while hog-hunting, a helicopter arrived and airlifted the woman to a nearby hospital. 

There, she went through emergency and required 14 pints of blood. Lisa nearly died on two occasions, but the strong "country girl" never lost her cool. 

The good news is that Lisa never blamed her boyfriend. Despite being on full disability from her nursing job and enduring a long and painful recovery, Simmons thinks life is too precious to place blame on others.

"Take responsibility for your part of what happened. Whatever it is, don't blame the other person because a lot of things go into an accident or problem. It's not just one factor," she says.

This is real gun fanaticism.  It's one thing to not blame the gun, but when you don't even blame the shooter, you're a true gun-nut.

What's your opinion?  Please leave a comment.

La Pierre: How Many Bostonians Wished They Had a Gun Two Weeks Ago?

NRA President James Porter: Obama Wants Revenge

There certainly was no shortage of Obama-hatred in his speech. And did you notice the gender balance in the audience? Yeah, I couldn't see it either.

Former Pelham Police Chief Edward Fleury Found Not Guilty For Gun Show Uzi Death Of 8 Year-Old Christopher Bizilj

Twenty years sounds like a bit much, but he was ultimately responsible for what went on there. To me, this is a travesty of justice. It sounds more like what a Louisiana jury would do than one in The Bay State.

Yet, he does seem to have the right attitude about it.

The 53-year-old Fleury cried and hugged his attorney and his family after the verdicts were read, while several of Christopher’s relatives walked quickly out of the courtroom without commenting.He has vowed never to hold a machine gun shoot ever again, and regrets having held them in the past, due to the death of the child.

What's your opinion? Please leave a comment.

Mississippi Student with Concealed Carry Permit Shoots Himself Accidentally on Campus

Local news reports

A University of Southern Mississippi student from Brandon remains in critical yet stable condition Friday after accidentally shooting himself in the thigh while sitting in his vehicle on campus.
Blake Ballard, 22, was found on the pavement outside his jeep Thursday afternoon on the service road adjacent to the Ogletree Alumni House. 

The junior was rushed to Forrest General Hospital for treatment.

Because of his condition, police have not been able to interview the victim to determine the circumstances surrounding the shooting. But from all indications, police say it appears to have been accidental.

University officials say Ballard apparently was not in violation of state law by having a gun in the vehicle on campus because he was over 21 and had obtained an enhancement to a concealed firearms permit, but he may face university discipline for having a gun on campus at a later date. 

This one's almost too funny to write about.  What do you think? 

North Dakota Teen Accidentally Shot on School Grounds

Local news reports

One Britton-Hecla student faces charges and another is recovering at a Fargo, N.D., hospital after an accidental shooting on school property Wednesday.

Dusty Groom, 18, of rural Lake City, faces misdemeanor charges of reckless discharge of a firearm, possession of a firearm on school property and false reporting to authorities, according to a news release from Elsen.

Groom was showing other boys what he thought was an unloaded .22 caliber handgun when it went off and hit another teenager in the head about 4 p.m. Wednesday, according to the release. The sheriff's office received a call from the Britton hospital emergency room about the shooting about 4:25 p.m., according to the release.

Young Mr. Groom surely came from one of those gun-nut families. Where else would he learn his responsible gun handling from.

Incidentally, this is a typical 18-year-old, not those squared-away military types who are truly qualified to own and use firearms at their young age.  Most are not.

What's your opinion?  Please leave a comment.