Navy man shoots self accidentally

[Blue_Tires]

This discussion thread was locked as off-topic by struggle4progress (a host of the Latest Breaking News forum).

PACIFIC BEACH — A Navy SEAL accidentally shot himself in the head early Thursday morning in Pacific Beach, and was on life support at a hospital, San Diego police said.

Someone at a residence on Grand Avenue near Lamont Street called 911 about 2 a.m. to report that a man had been playing with a gun and shot himself in the head by accident, police Officer Frank Cali said.

Cali said the victim had gone to a bar, met a woman and brought her back to his residence, where his roommate was sleeping. Cali said the man and woman had been drinking.

The man got out several guns to show the woman, but she asked him to put them away, Cali said. The man insisted that it was safe and put a pistol that he believed was unloaded to his head. He pulled the trigger and fired a round into his head.

http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2012/jan/05/navy-seal-shoots-kills-self-accidentally/

No matter how many stories end with "Don't worry, it's not loaded!" someone always wants to roll the dice

[slackmaster]

1. Basic gun safety should be taught in public schools.

Although the Navy does a decent job of teaching them, this incident demonstrates that it's impossible to over-learn the fundamental rules of safe firearm handling.

[Skittles]

4. alcohol can override training and even basic sense

very sad story

[TheWraith]

6. I have a hard time with that excuse.

At no point while drunk have I ever had the impulse to put a gun to my head and pull the trigger. Or to drive somewhere, or play with matches, or anything similarly stupid. The most stupid things I've probably ever done while drunk are send fond and/or flirtatious emails and text messages. Not quite the same thing as shooting oneself in the head.

[CTyankee]

14. god, I would hope not!

[Adsos Letter]

15. Yup. I grew up in an extended family where guns were a commonplace, as was alcohol consumption.

Along with personal firearms collections there were several common shotguns, pistols, etc. that made the rounds of the youngsters when we became old enough (usually about 14). NRA safety training was mandatory before you could "inherit" the gun.

Two of the most heavily emphasized rules in our family were:

1. Always handle every gun as if it were loaded.

2. Alcohol and guns don't mix.

[WHEN CRABS ROAR]

17. Yes, alcohol is a dangerous drug.

[Sirveri]

18. I've had that training. This guy was an idiot and forgot all of it.

He probably went into the 'well I handle these every day' mode of stupid behavior.

[Cooley Hurd]

2. All that training and the stupid still seeps through

[Blue_Tires]

5. If he made it through SEAL training, he probably already felt invincible

that plus alcohol plus the urge to impress a lady equals disaster...

[TheWraith]

3. On one hand, I feel badly for the guy.

On the other... given all the training he has to have gone through, to still be able to do something so stupid... he probably really shouldn't breed.

[Blue_Tires]

8. If he was that wasted at least he didn't shoot the girl first

or kill others driving home from the bar....

[Fourier]

7. What the hell is wrong with a country that allows military men to have guns???????/

It's just insane!

[markpkessinger]

9. Darwin Award nominee n/t

[Aristus]

10. Either

Navy SEAL training leaves a lot to be desired, or

This is something Navy SEALS do all the time to impress women, or

This guy was not really a Navy Seal.


I was a tank crewman in the Army. Not a celebrated 'elite' like a SEAL, maybe. But I never, ever lay down in front of one of the tanks while it was moving and told my friends: "Don't worry, it won't run over me. Really, it's cool." Never treated the Ma Deuce, (M2 .50 caliber machine gun) as anything but a loaded weapon, even when it was freakin' disassembled! I never grabbed hold of the radio antenna when the communications system was on, thereby sustaining a fatal electrocution. I KNEW that tank was a deadly weapon, so I didn't fuck around with it!

I won't ask if this clown blew his brains out; he must not have had any...

[tclambert]

11. Not the dumbest thing I've ever heard of.

Actor Jon-Erik Hexum did something even dumber with a firearm. From Wikipedia:

On October 12, 1984, the cast and crew of Cover Up were filming the seventh episode of the series, "Golden Opportunity," on Stage 17 of the 20th Century Fox lot. One of the scenes filmed that day called for Hexum's character to load blanks into a .44 Magnum handgun. When the scene did not play as the director wanted it to play in the master shot, there was a delay in filming. Hexum became restless and impatient during the delay and began playing around to lighten the mood. Apparently, he had unloaded all but one (blank) round, spun it, and in what would appear to be a game of Russian roulette, at 5:15 p.m., he put the revolver to his right temple and pulled the trigger.

Hexum was apparently unaware that his actions were dangerous. Blanks use paper or plastic wadding to seal gun powder into the cartridge, and this wadding is propelled from the barrel of the gun with enough force to cause severe injury or death if the weapon is fired within a few inches of the body, especially if pointed at a particularly vulnerable spot, such as the temple or the eye. Although the paper wadding in the blank that Hexum discharged did not penetrate his skull, the wad struck him in the temple with enough blunt force trauma to shatter a quarter-sized piece of his skull and propel the pieces into his brain, causing massive hemorrhaging.

He knew the gun was loaded, but thought blanks were harmless.

[MADem]

12. Good gravy. That guy knew better too. Tsk, tsk.

I'd say that injury was due to misconduct, myself. I'm betting a med board will say the same if he survives.

Pity.

[Edweird]

13. Maybe he did it because he was blue.

Seriously, respect your date's position on firearms. He ignored her request to 'put them away'. That makes him an ass.

[BOHICA12]

16. Not an accident .... He broke all THE RULES

1. All Guns are loaded all the time!
2. Keep your finger off the trigger!
3. Don't let the muzzle cover anything you are not willing to destroy/kill!

Three willful acts does not make an accident.

[IamK]

19. I bet the women he met had big boobs and a really nice butt....

not really critical information, but I'm sure it played a part.....

[left on green only]

20. Does this qualify as Darwin's Law?

Now is the time for a smiley face, but for the life of me I cannot figure out what became of the smiley face option on the new DU. Can anyone instruct me how to use smiley faces in the new format?

[struggle4progress]

21. Not LBN. It's tragic, of course, but it's common

so belongs in another forum or group -- say California or Guns