from richmondregister.com:

RICHMOND — Kentucky State Police said a Waco man was the victim of an apparent “accidental” shooting Saturday. Matthew C. Richie, 26, of Lexington, and an unidentified second male were twirling loaded guns at a residence in the 400 block of Waco Loop Road at 11:13 p.m. Saturday when one of the guns discharged unexpectedly, shooting Richie in the face. Richie was transported to the University of Kentucky Medical Center, where he was listed in critical condition.

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15 COMMENTS

  1. Wow. That is literally the first time I’ve even made the connection between owning a gun and twirling a gun. Which is kinda odd, since I watched a lot of Westerns as a kid. But the whole time I’m watching this, I’m thinking, “that thing’s not loaded…right?,” followed by “what kind of idiot would twirl a loaded gun?”

    This is NOT something I could see me doing. Ever.

    • Exactly my thought. Those scare quotes mean either a) they think maybe something else was going on there or b) even the author thought the moron had it coming when he decided to twirl a loaded gun.

  3. The twirling shown was done with a single action revolver. Even though it’s loaded, it’s quite safe until the hammer is manually cocked. I’m guessing the ND described was with a Glock or at least a double action revolver. Either that or the guy cocked the hammer, which was, um, well, lets just say not the recommended practice.

  4. Can this somehow be tied back into the “finger on the trigger” debate of the past few days?

    Honestly though; is anyone truly surprised here, after all it IS Kentucky we’re talking about.

    (note: The only reason I make the above comment is because I rode through the State last year on a motorcycle trip and passed not ONE road sign / marker / STOP sign that didn’t have bullet holes in it… just sayin’ …)

    Also, I firmly believe that there is some journalistic smirking going on here with the placement of quotes around the word “accidental.”

  7. Once again, the “accidental” discharge is a myth. Being negligent, whether intentionally or not, is what leads to your firearm discharging in an inappropriate manner.

    • Equipment failures, while not common, do occur and have led to ADs. For example, I personally witnessed a .44 mag revolver firing twice with one pull. It was recoil-induced and the shooter was not negligent in any way. Manufacturers are aware of this situation. Also, in fighting situations, ADs can happen. Holsters break, firearms are knocked out of hands, etc. Not all ADs are caused by negligence but, like you and like the courts, I tend to follow the rule of thumb that unintended discharges are negligent unless proven otherwise. In this case, the word “negligence” is an understatement. I would say the twirling shooter showed a reckless disregard for the welfare and safety of himself and the victim.

    • … not as fun as it sounds, Ralph. One must be cautious at all times of what they put in their pants and the proper handling of things in said pants. For example. I once put two squirrels and a badger in my pants. This was a no-no. My mistake was I put two male squirrels instead of a male and female. My second mistake was the badger. The badger incident requires no explanation. Check out my video on YouTube.

  9. Wasn’t there another guy twirling a cocked and unlocked 1911 a couple of months ago or so that negligently killed his friend?

    I’ve twirled my Single Six before, but only after a safety check. I can’t imagine any other guns other than single-actions spin all that well.

  10. Just so u guys know, this guy didnt shoot himself. One guy was drunk, aimed the gun and shot the other in the face. Both were army vets. Victim is my brother. Other guy was charged with first degree assault. So, it was not self inflicted, one was wreckless and my brothers life is altered

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