Gun accidentally fires at Salt Lake airport

[onehandle]

A passenger checking a gun accidentally discharged his weapon on the curbside of Terminal 1 of Salt Lake City International Airport.

The passenger was declaring his weapon to a Sky Cap when he either mishandled or dropped it, said David Korzep, airport operations superintendent. The semiautomatic pistol had one bullet left in the chamber, Korzep said, and when it struck the pavement, shrapnel hit the foot of the Sky Cap employee. He was treated on the scene and not transported to the hospital.

http://www.sltrib.com/news/ci_14470337

[TheWraith]

1. Careless. Didn't check the chamber.

They're supposed to be unloaded and locked before you get to the airport, numbnuts.

[Travis_0004]

2. There are no accidental discharges

There are only negligent discharges.

The fact is the owner was not responsible, and did not handle the gun properly or follow the rules of gun safety.

[TheWraith]

4. I think you meant to say the owner WAS responsible.

And you're right. Although I allow that there can be some cases of truly accidental discharges--for instance, if a gun is faulty, or poorly designed, and wear or shock causes it to go off. Stuck firing pins causing slam-fires could be a good example.

[Euromutt]

11. I think Travis meant the owner was *ir*responsible

And you're correct that accidental discharges can happen, but somebody's carry weapon (which was what I presume it was) really should be better maintained than that.

[SsevenN]

30. This...

That is blatent negligence if I've ever seen it.

[SteveM]

16. This happened to me just this last deer season...

We were sitting on the porch, celebrating my 10-pt, 17+" inside-spread buck, when one in our party allowed me to inspect his rifle, an AK knock-off. He first removed the magazine, then handed the carbine to me. I pulled back the action (it won't stay open) and out popped a live round.

Some folks really do eat the books.

[Hoopla Phil]

3. Somehow this seems appropriate

http://www.vimeo.com/3923535

[Euromutt]

13. That was really informative; thanks for posting that

Admittedly, not much use to me, since over 90% of the trips I take out of state are to California, and I don't have anything of value to put in my checked luggage, but it's good to bear in mind.

I must buy myself some Pelican cases when I need to replace my worn-out luggage.

[old mark]

5. The universal rule of auto pistols is to remove the magazine FIRST, then empty the chamber.

To do it the other way around leaves a round in the chamber of a cocked pistol, with the person handling the pistol thinking it is unloaded. Always check any gun to determine if it is loaded, even if you have just unloaded it a few moments previously.

This is just basic poor safety proceedure, not the gun "going off" - the guy pulled the trigger somewhere along the line, assuming the gun was unloaded. The gun did no "just go off"-it doesn't happen.

mark

[Tim01]

15. There are a LOT of people who don't know this, or don't follow it.

And that is how people keep putting holes in their hands with glocks when they go to break them down.

This the line where I break with some other pro-second amendment types. I do think people should be required to have some training to walk around with a gun.
Although that wouldn't fix all nuckle-head problems.It might fix a lot of them.

[old mark]

24. Part of the problem is lack of intelligence. Witness the idiots on any major highway

anywhere in the country.

As the man said, you can't fix stupid.


mark

[OneTenthofOnePercent]

17. You should remove the mag, empty the chamber, & show the recipient the empty chamber.

Upon the receiving the firearm, the recipient should then check THEMSELF the weapon to see if it is cleared.
Despite being shown a firearm is unloaded, always assume it is loaded until you can verify yourself.

When handing a firearm to somebody you should always state and show the condition.
When receiving a firearm you should verify its condition.
These two actions are independent of each other despite occurring in the same transaction.

[slackmaster]

20. When I check a firearm at an airport, I open the case and present it with action already open

So the person behind the counter can clearly see that it isn't loaded.

Not having to rack the action makes the presentation less threatening.

[OneTenthofOnePercent]

21. Oh, absolutely. It should be cleared locked and in a locked case BEFORE the airport.

I was edscribing handing a firearm to anybody anywhere (gun store, gun range, hunting, home, ...)
When dealing with the airports and police, extra steps to maintain non-treatening actions is needed.

[old mark]

25. I learned this at age 10 in Cub Scouts when I learned to shoot.

Sadly, the rabid fear of guns keeps many people from learning safe gun handling because it is seen as somehow "bad". Then of course there are the anti gun segment who cheer with glee when someone is injured in a firearms accident. Many of them love to post here.

There are many times more serious and fatal accidents involving drowning than firearms, but I see no posts about banning swimming pools.
Just prejudice, I guess.
mark

[krispos42]

26. I can't do that with my little .22

I have a Phoenix Arms .22 pistol and the safety is also the slide catch, AND the gun is designed to only drop the mag with the safety on, AND the safety won't come off unless there's a magazine in the well.

If I put on the safety and drop the magazine first, I can't rack the slide because the safety is locked on, in other words.

So I have to rack and lock the slide back first, THEN remove the magazine.


"Know your manual of arms".


If I want to have a loaded magazine and an empty chamber, I have to stick an empty magazine in the gun, click off the safety/slide catch (letting the slide snap forward), then put the safety back on, remove the mag, load it, and put it back in the gun.

[OneTenthofOnePercent]

27. Are those those little ~$150 "double deuce" pocket pistols?

I though about buying one because it just so cheap and shoot's .22lr
But then I figured that it was so cheap... how quality/reliable could it be?
Surely nothing to actually carry & rely on and obviously too small to suppress. So I passed.

[krispos42]

28. Yup. It actually was tested in "Gun Tests" a couple of years ago.

They gave it very good marks, with the caveat that it is more of a plinking gun than a concealed-carry gun. It had a good performance-to-price ratio, in other words.


It works pretty well. When I got it there was a feeding problem, but I figured out that the cover plate holding the firing pin in (at the rear of the slide) was a bit too long and dragging on the frame. It would eject but not load, you see. So I filed the plate down until it was flush with the surrounding bits of the slide, and the feeding problem goes away.

It works pretty well. Money well spent... I think it was about $115 when I bought it.

[jeepnstein]

29. Do whatever you want...

but I'd drop that thing like a box of hot rocks. No way.

[sharesunited]

6. Making him check his gun violates his right to bear arms. A slippery slope!

[ManiacJoe]

8. You forgot the sarcasm tag, right?

[PavePusher]

9. I agree.....

...if it is by government decree.

The airline, as a private enterprise, may make whatever rule they want.

[krispos42]

7. Safety begins between the ears n/t

[proteus_lives]

10. Parked car slips out of brake at Salt Lake airport.

Runs over foot of Sky Cap employee.

[GreenStormCloud]

12. In my life, I have seen exactly ONE accidental discharge.

Gun malfunctioned, but the owner had it pointed in a safe direction. There is a reason why we promote the safety rules that we do.

[Callisto32]

14. Not familiar with the manual of arms, or at least to careless to follow it.

Negligence, pure and simple.

[slackmaster]

18. Stuipd is a stupid does

You're supposed to unload a weapon before checking it.

[oneshooter]

19. Why was he declaring his weapon to a SKYCAP?

Unless it is a silly local rule the ONLY one you are required to show your cased weapon to is the TSA Agent.

Oneshooter
Armed and Livin in Texas

[OneTenthofOnePercent]

22. Doesn't luggage get checked by the airline employees at the ticket counter?

By the time you run into the TSA/seciruty... you only have your carry-on and boarding pass.
Your also half naked praying you dont get the puffer, interrogated, the cavity search, or the X-ray bodyscan.
God help the person declaring his firearm right there. :scared:

I must admit, I've never checked a firearm.

[oneshooter]

23. Airport and airline rules may vary.

Here are the TSA rules.

http://deviating.net/firearms/packing/legal_sheet.pdf

As I said before, showing your firearm to a skycap seems strange to me.

Oneshooter
Armed and Livin in Texas

[Euromutt]

31. Who says he was showing it to the skycap?

Sounds to me like the guy was attempting to clear and stow the piece at curbside, before he went to the check-in counter, and the skycap just happened to be almost in the line of fire when the weapon discharged.

[oneshooter]

32. This sentence by the OP.

"The passenger was declaring his weapon to a Sky Cap " My assumption was that the airport required the Sky Cap to check the firearm before it was taken to the counter for check in.

Oneshooter
Armed and Livin in Texas