Curtis C. Murray of Gretna, Louisiana has been arrested for negligent homicide after he shot and killed his girlfriend while showing her a gun. Averyell Davis, 23, died after receiving a shot to the abdomen.
The charge stands in stark contrast to a few recent cases involving police officers involved in such home accidental shootings, click here.
For the full story, click here.
In response Gyges post
An unloaded gun is nothing more than a rock in the event of a home invasion. In most cases you will not have time to realize what is going on retrieve the weapon and ammunition load it and respond to a threat in your home. As to penetration it is not the weapon it is the back ground IE back stop that you need to be aware of. You should have a plan of action in the event you need to defend your self with weapon. Plan on where and when you will shoot. Find ammunition that is frangible or use a shotgun with a light shot load its energy dissipated quickly but at close rang it will go through a wall. I personally I have an AR15, a pistol and a shot gun ready to go. My family knows what to do if the worst was to happen we all stay in our rooms and call police. If any one bust down the door with out announcing or knocking they’ll meet there maker.
He clearly violated at lest two or three of the standard safety rules.
1. A gun is always loaded (assumed)
2. Never point it at anything you are not willing to destroy
3. Keep your finger off the trigger
He also clearly did not clear and verify the weapon
This is a habit all gun owners need to have a habit of both in giving and receiving the weapon.
I teach that even if I check the weapon that they must also check the weapon when it is handed to them and check when ever the weapon has been out of there sight. It never has hurt to check twice to ten times if needed.
Even officers get complacent in there procedures if you make it a habit you reinforce safety. It is regrettable that some one died how ever it was not the gun that pulled its own trigger. It was a person acting irresponsibly and negligent.
Rafflaw,
Not being a lawyer, I don’t know but didn’t I just outline the case for the “negligent” part of “negligent Homicide?”
Well said Gyges. Even the Marines store their weapons when not in use in a separate building with significant security to help reduce accidents. I guess that logic doesn’t work for some folks. I wish I knew what it will take for people to not “play” with guns.
Dundar,
In case you were wondering:
They were in their apartment, with a loaded pistol.
Problems:
Pistol’s are terrible for “home defense” because the bullets can travel very far and through walls, meaning that if the person handling the gun misses the bullet will pass through into the next few apartments, and possibly the neighbors.
You should never keep a loaded gun in your residence. If you have a gun for self defense (which we’ve already covered as a bad policy in an apartment building). Keep the gun unloaded, with the bullets somewhere you could get to them quickly in an emergency. Otherwise, kids, company, thieves, etc. could find it and shoot someone (on purpose or on accident).
The SOP for showing someone a gun is as follows. You take out the gun, and making sure to point it away from the person demonstrate that it is unloaded, in the case of a semi-automatic pistol you would show them that there is no magazine, or if its a revolver (the story doesn’t specify) that the chambers are emptied. Then you hand them the gun.
If you are showing someone how to operate (load, aim, turn the safety, fire, etc.) a gun, take them to a shooting range. That way they can get used to shooting a gun, and work on their aim. Plus you won’t have a loaded gun in your apartment.
There’s a couple of other problems, like the safety had to have been off… but I think I’ve proven my point.
Dundar,
Every time you post on the subject of guns, it becomes more and more obvious that you have never actually handled a fire arm.
Sure never see anybody having an accident and injuring people when they are learning how to drive a care do we. Oh…wait…….