This place is unbelievable, a guy forgot he has a gun in his pocket (lemme figure this out, that gun

[akbacchus_BC]

must weight less than a cotton ball) and he forgot he had a gun in his pocket. Next thing he knows, his gun jumped out of his pocket and shoot a woman! Is he responsible? Hell yes!

[nadinbrzezinski]

1. It was a cute little one

a deringer, and they do jump off and go off on their own.

:sarcasm:

Yes the leaps of logic some people go to are amazing.

Fiore makes fun of them all the time

http://www.markfiore.com/political-cartoons/watch-gabrielle-giffords-shooting-who-is-to-blame-political-discourse-republicans-democrats-video-mark-fiore-

Gunny, on the Giffords shooting, but the same leaps of logic apply. From a cartoonist they are funny... otherwise, not so much.

[akbacchus_BC]

2. I would think that intelligent gun owners would tell this guy he is wrong!

[nadinbrzezinski]

3. I do not go to the gungeon no more

and on GD we did... I own them, I am responsible for my toys.

If you lose control of your toy, no concealed carry for you, and yes, you are liable.

UNLESS, you lost control in a fight, trying to stop a robbery. usual fantasy.

[AtheistCrusader]

16. Nobody 'in the gungeon' defended this tool. Negligent.

Possibly criminally negligent.

Nobody is saying this should have happened, or wasn't a big deal, or anything. It was a bullshit negligent discharge, and he deserves what the Justice system is going to do to him for it.

[friendly_iconoclast]

17. Do you want to link to someone that defended that idjit, or is this a baseless slander?

Inquiring minds want to know....

[krispos42]

4. Oh, he's responsible all right, but it can happen.

You get used to wearing it on your belt or whatever and you stop noticing the weight and bulk. We all do it with cell phones, some of which cost as much as a decent gun (your smartphone's replacement cost could buy a lightly used Glock, for example) and also go into a holster on a belt. Hell, I have to check a couple of times a day to make sure my wallet is in my back pocket simply because I'll realize that I can't feel it anymore.

[TheWraith]

5. Is this that accidental discharge in the restaurant story?

Yes, it's definitely possible to "forget" that you have something like that in your pocket if you get used to the weight.

Of course, it still shouldn't have happened for a couple reasons. For starters, anyone carrying a firearm should be using a relatively modern gun that is drop-safe, i.e. it has a firing pin block to insure that it is ONLY capable of going off if the trigger is pulled. These have been in use for decades, so they're not exactly new or uncommon equipment except on particularly cheap or antique weapons.

And in any case it should be either safetied, or if it has no safety, kept in a holster that would protect the trigger.

[PavePusher]

6. I suggest a link to the topic of discussion...

It helps with relevance....

[petronius]

13. A link would defeat the purpose. It's easier to pretend that pro-gun-rights people here

were denying the man's responsibility (as the OP and at least one person at thread-top appear to imply) when you don't bother to show the evidence to the contrary...

[enough]

7. In a recent case in my neighborhood, a staff member at a boarding school "forgot"

that he had his loaded handgun with him at school. The gun was stolen by one of the kids, who was making plans to escape from the school with it. The kid had the gun for almost two days before another staff member took it from him. (This is a school for kids with behavioral problems.)

The staff member lost his job.

[benEzra]

8. Yeah, I saw that story a while back.

Guy is carrying an antique-style derringer, strike one.

Guy is carrying said derringer in his pocket without a pocket holster. Strike two.

Guy does something stupid to fire it. Strike three.

Yeah, he'll lose his right to carry for life, assuming he was carrying lawfully in the first place. I'd like to know if he faced charges for criminal negligence, but it would probably be appropriate, if the news summaries are accurate.

As to forgetting it's there, a derringer or small revolver could be smaller than a pack of cigarettes and be commensurately light. I once had a NAA mini-revolver (5-shot .22LR, 1.125" barrel) that was the size and weight of a Swiss Army knife. A holster is mandatory not only for safety, but so you'll be able to draw it if you need it, since a gun that small can easily turn over in your pocket or get buried under your keys if you kept it loose.

[guitar man]

14. Indeed

This guy is a major idiot. He deserves anything he gets and hopefully he gets what he deserves.

Carrying that Derringer without a holster unsecured is the height of stupidity. The way the spur type hammer sticks up on them, all it has to do is land hard enough on the hammer and it can set off a round.

If it was an antique, it wouldn't have the push safety that the modern replicas have. Here's a modern Derringer, note the "push safe" button on the side.



Here's the genuine old article, note the absence of the safety



So he was either carrying the antique or didn't push the safety in is my guess.

I have a couple original SAA Colt single action revolvers from the 1870s and any time I carry them I always carry with 5 rounds loaded and the hammer sitting on an empty chamber so if it gets dropped it won't go off.

[one-eyed fat man]

20. Remington Derringers

The "original Derringers" were produced from 1866 until 1935 and chambered for a .41 caliber rimfire cartridge. The 130-grain lead bullet leaves the muzzle at a modest 425 fps, generating only about 50 ft-lbs of energy, low by today’s pocket gun standards but in the early post Civil War years the .41 rimfire was an impressive innovation. If you are willing to pay no less than $4.95 per cartridge (7/15/2009 price), CLICK HERE.

One of the most common misconceptions held by folks unfamiliar with guns is the belief that both barrels of the double derringer fire simultaneously. Nope, each barrel fires separately, the firing pin toggles between the upper and lower chambers each time you cock the hammer.

The safety, such as it is, is half-cock. That way the firing pin is not resting on either cartridge, giving some protection against firing if dropped. Also when at half-cock pulling the trigger will not allow the hammer to drop.

This was a common and routine safety mechanism for centuries. Even strident gun-hating individuals are like to use the phrase "don't go off half-cocked" perfectly oblivious to its etymology. It's biggest drawback is the need to manipulate the firing mechanism and the risk of letting the the hammer slip. The second drawback is the modern imperative that someone else be at fault if you do something stupid.

[NewMoonTherian]

9. Accidental or intentional...

he's liable for whatever damage he caused. It takes discipline and experience to properly carry a gun. I had some problems in my first few months(no discharges or course, just printing or flashing with a poorly contrived IWB holster. Also, I discovered a certain mall's dressing rooms have hidden cameras). Whether you're physically aware of it or not, you have to get yourself into a mental state of awareness that you're carrying that thing and tailor your behavior accordingly.

[jpak]

10. Guns kill people

yup

[ProgressiveProfessor]

11. Guns save lives, mine included

double yup

[WatsonT]

19. So does fertilizer

and aviation.

Yup.

[slackmaster]

12. Auto-Unrec for not providing some idea of what the OP is about

We're not all watching the same TV station as you.

:nuke:

[AtheistCrusader]

15. Surely you can point to someone in the Gungeon that defended him?

Just one person?

I'll wait.

[WatsonT]

18. I remember that story

I don't remember people supporting him and calling him a 'responsible gun owner' (except those opposed to guns, doing so sarcastically).

So this is a strawman argument.