Kansas hunter died after dog stepped on rifle

[KS Toronado]

The Sumner County Sheriff's Office says a man died over the weekend after his dog stepped on a rifle,
causing the firearm to discharge.

The incident happened at around 9:40 a.m. Saturday in the 1600 block of 80th Street, north-northeast of
Geuda Springs. The sheriff's office said the man was sitting in the front passenger seat of his pickup and
he had hunting gear and a rifle in the backseat.

"A canine belonging to the owner of the pickup stepped on the rifle causing the weapon to discharge," the
sheriff's office said. "The fired round struck the passenger who died of his injuries on scene."

Joseph Smith was 30 years old and was from Wichita.

https://www.kake.com/story/48213408/sheriff-hunter-dies-after-dog-steps-on-rifle-in-backseat-of-pickup-truck

Any hunter safety class will instruct hunters to always unload their rifles while driving between locations,
never ever trust the safety being accidentally switched to fire with a dog or children around.