Missouri dad charged with accidentally shooting 8-year-old

[left-of-center2012]

A Missouri man has been charged with accidentally shooting his 8-year-old child after giving a lesson on gun safety as he put a pistol away. Phillip Lumas Sr., 45, of Jefferson City, was charged Tuesday with felony second-degree domestic assault and misdemeanor second-degree endangering the welfare of a child, the Jefferson City News Tribune reported.

Police wrote in a probable cause statement that Lumas said he gave the brief gun safety lesson after the 8-year-old and a 6-year-old asked about his pistols. Lumas said he then had turned his attention to the TV and believed both children had left the room before he began his routine of removing the magazine from the pistol, racking the round from the chamber and dry firing the gun.

He said that the 8-year-old startled him as he turned and the pistol fired early Tuesday, striking the child in the chest. His wife said Lumas then ran into the living room with the child in his arm, saying he had accidentally shot their child.

The child was hospitalized in stable condition Wednesday.

https://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/missouri-dad-charged-accidentally-shooting-year-70063449

[Progressive Jones]

1. This is what happens when the wrong people have "gun rights".

The main problem with the 2nd Amendment is the fact that it's about 4 paragraphs too short.

[Drahthaardogs]

2. Routine of "dry firing" Sweet Jesus

I grew up on a ranch where guns were part of life. They were treated with the same respect ifca silo, tractor, or horse. A useful tool, but dangerous

[Blue_true]

3. I have not touched a gun since I was a teenager.

The older style guns allowed one to visually see each loaded round, so when unloading the gun, one put the safety on and removed each round by hand.

I know nothing about modern guns. Are there situations where a person can't see every loaded round? I know that the modern guns look more compact and viewing what the firing pin will strike seems to be more difficult than with old style guns.

[Wounded Bear]

5. It says it had a magazine, so presumably it's an automatic...

So removing the magazine and "racking" the chamber should remove all rounds from the weapon. Dry firing releases the tension on the spring that drives the firing pin. If he does those things, the gun is usable as a club perhaps, but is not an active firearm.

Note that it says he failed to do these things, which means he dropped his attention from an unsecured weapon in the presence of children, definitely a bozo nono. Not properly clearing the weapon is criminal neglect.

[Drahthaardogs]

8. Dry firing is HORRIBLE for the firing pin

As well as horribly unsafe. Bad gun handling. The guy is an idiot.

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

4. "Accidental"

Remind me again why guns are more important than lives?

[ck4829]

6. Was this one of those 8 trillion bullets?

Rep. Steve King posted a meme Saturday about a hypothetical civil war between “blue states” fighting over which bathroom to use and “red states” with trillions of bullets.

The post is an image of two figures composed of traditionally Democratic-leaning and Republican-leaning states in fighting postures with text superimposed over top. The caption reads: “Folks keep talking about another civil war. One side has about 8 trillion bullets, while the other side doesn’t know which bathroom to use.”

“Wonder who would win?” the Iowa Republican wrote on Facebook.

https://www.democraticunderground.com/10142287870

[Sneederbunk]

7. It just went off.

[madinmaryland]

9. A responsible gun owner until he wasn't. FUCK THE NRA!