While most gun owners would agree safely storing your firearm when not in use is part of being a responsible gun owner, there are readiness diehards in homes, hopefully without children, who insist on keeping guns in a drawer by their nightstand, under the sofa or even simply sitting on a coffee table should the Crips, Bloods or that Venezuelan gang wreaking havoc in Aurora, Colorado, should attempt a dynamic entry in their home while they’re in the middle of watching Sunday Night Football.
But one Chesterfield, Virginia, resident decided to keep their ready-to-rock semi-auto handgun close to what was likely one of their favorite rooms—the kitchen—when they stored it in an oven…and then forgot it was there and turned the oven on.
Chesterfield County Fire and EMS posted the following on Facebook:
While this is an extreme example, these pictures show why you should never store anything in your oven.
Last night, our firefighters responded to a call for a fire at a home in Chesterfield. The homeowner reported the oven had exploded. When firefighters opened the oven to investigate, they found a handgun inside. It turns out, someone turned the oven on with the gun inside, the weapon heated up, and five rounds went off. Thankfully, no one was hurt, but the situation could have turned out much differently.
When you place any item in the oven it is easy to forget it is there, which can lead to a fire or something worse when you turn it on. You should also make sure to properly store your firearms. Keep them somewhere secure, like a gun safe.
Of course, the rounds likely exploded from overheating inside the gun, as the semi-auto wouldn’t have cycled and technically “fired” the rounds through the barrel, short of the one round potentially in the chamber. But the situation was still dangerous enough.
Vada Tuttle commented on the post that the homeowner must’ve been looking to make “bang bang shrimp.” Well played Vada.
“Thankfully no one was hurt,” WMBF noted in their coverage of the incident.
“Please do not store guns or anything else in your oven,” Chesterfield Fire and EMS said in a social media post.
Thankfully, no one was hurt.
“Keep them somewhere secure, like a gun safe,” officials told the news channel.
who else came straight to the comments section without even reading?
Disappointed to see no one pointed out that Tupperware is not oven safe.
Dammit Safe, I was gonna say that the disheasher is the proper appliance for Glocks, not the oven.
They don’t call it “cooking” off for nothing.
well, that was stupid.
It wasn’t popcorn popping.
This is why all guns need a trigger safety!!!
Corningware goes in the oven, tupperware goes in the fridge. Geez.
Disregard my comment above someone covered it 😊
Gun safes are needed for a reason
Yes. To make corporations wealthier.
*politically connected corporations but unfortunately close enough for some states.
Dumb. Everybody knows you should keep your kitchen piece in the freezer.
“Of course, the rounds likely exploded from overheating inside the gun, as the semi-auto wouldn’t have cycled and technically “fired” the rounds through the barrel.”
But they could have, depending on whether the round in the chamber went first. If a round in the chamber goes off, why wouldn’t the action cycle and load the next one?
T, because of physics. The pistol has to have something to push against. That’s why limp writing can induce malfunctions.
We had a guy who cleared off the Tupperware from his countertop , prior to painting , he stored it in the oven . Some days later he preheated the oven and got a nice oven fire . Pizza boxes are a nice way to fill your place with smoke too .
That must be the recipe for Bang – Bang Chile!