Shooting demo uses real bullets, injures 16 (France)

[davepc]

http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/europe/06/29/france.shooting.demo.ap/index.html

A military shooting demonstration in southeast France on Sunday left 16 people wounded, including children, when real bullets were used instead of blank ones, officials said.

Four of the wounded were in serious condition, including a 3-year-old child, Bernard Lemaire, chief of the regional administration in Aude, said on France-3 television. Fifteen of the injured were civilians.

A Defense Ministry official said the incident occurred during a demonstration of hostage-freeing techniques at the Laperrine military barracks. The official said investigators will look into why real bullets were used.

No information was immediately available about what kind of weapon was used.

The soldier who fired the shots has been detained, Lemaire said. He said the injuries were likely an accident but that it could have been a "criminal act."

...

[krispos42]

1. Terrible

The soldier must have switched magazines accidently when he was equipping for the test. :scared:

[Historic NY]

2. where's the range safety officer everyrthing must be checked & double checked

[Recursion]

6. Yeah, RSO needs to go down for that one

And if there *isn't* an RSO, the XO does.

[gorfle]

3. Blanks or no blanks, why were they pointing real guns at real people?

I'm astonished. I don't care what they were trying to demonstrate, I would never by pointing real guns at real people, certainly not spectators.

They violated Rule #1: Always treat firearms as if they were loaded, and Rule #2: Never point a firearm at anything you don't want to destroy.

Reckless.

[SteveM]

4. I agree. WWII re-enactors at Nimitz Museum (TX) don't aim at spectators (nt)

[tburnsten]

5. It was ONE soldier whose weapon was loaded?

And he couldn't tell he wasn't firing blanks? Methinks the French Army needs some more range time in their curriculum, blanks are unmistakable. He should have known when his weapon didn't stop up after two or three rounds. But I have to wonder what the deal is with the reporter continously inserting "including children" as if that somehow affects the horrific incompetence involved in the incident. It's almost like it wouldn't have been that badif it were only adults involved