Mon Mar 3, 2014, 06:37 AM

No felony charges against township trustee in concealed-carry class shooting

LANCASTER, Ohio — A special prosecutor recommended yesterday that no felony charges be filed against a firearms instructor who accidentally shot a student who was taking his concealed-carry class last year.

Jeff Hunter, a former assistant prosecutor in Greene County who was appointed special prosecutor to look into the shooting, said he concluded the shooting was, indeed, accidental.

He also concluded that Terry J. Dunlap Sr. was not acting recklessly at the time of the shooting. That is, he was not playing with the gun or “goofing around,” Hunter said.

Dunlap, 74, is a Violet Township trustee who was re-elected last year.

http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/local/2014/02/24/special-prosecutor-report-concealed-carry-class-shooting.html

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7 replies	Author	Time	Post
No felony charges against township trustee in concealed-carry class shooting (Original post)	SecularMotion	Mar 2014	OP
Incomprehensible. In that context, a gun-safety class, how can it not be reckless	enough	Mar 2014	#1
This and similar stories only prove to me that even in the hands	Arkansas Granny	Mar 2014	#2
not an excuse	gejohnston	Mar 2014	#3
He did fail to do something that could have prevented it. He failed to keep a	enough	Mar 2014	#4
or,	gejohnston	Mar 2014	#5
I don't think it was from a student dropping it. The article states the instructor	enough	Mar 2014	#6
A little good news...thanks for sharing.	ileus	Mar 2014	#7

Response to SecularMotion (Original post)

Mon Mar 3, 2014, 07:04 AM

enough (12,873 posts)

1. Incomprehensible. In that context, a gun-safety class, how can it not be reckless

for him to have a loaded gun in a position to shoot someone?

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Response to SecularMotion (Original post)

Mon Mar 3, 2014, 07:29 AM

Arkansas Granny (30,950 posts)

2. This and similar stories only prove to me that even in the hands

of a "trained professional", guns can be dangerous. Something has gone awry when an instructor in a gun safety class cannot adequately control his own weapon without shooting a student and then gets to use "accident" as an excuse to avoid being prosecuted.

Explain that personal responsibility thing to me again.

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Response to Arkansas Granny (Reply #2)

Mon Mar 3, 2014, 09:40 AM

gejohnston (17,502 posts)

3. not an excuse

and either of us know the details of the case, what the lawyer actually looks at. Everything that matters are in those minute details that the media doesn't mention, or does so incompetently when they do, are what actually matters. Almost everything is potentially dangerous even in the hands of a trained professional. In the case of guns, such accidents are almost non existent.
In order for there to be a crime, the instructor had to do something that either caused it or failed to do something that could have prevented it.

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Response to gejohnston (Reply #3)

Mon Mar 3, 2014, 12:36 PM

enough (12,873 posts)

4. He did fail to do something that could have prevented it. He failed to keep a

loaded gun secured and not pointing at somebody. That either means he failed to adequately confirm that the gun was not loaded, or he failed to keep control of the gun so that it would not be pointed at somebody. Or perhaps he failed to do both.

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Response to enough (Reply #4)

Mon Mar 3, 2014, 12:44 PM

gejohnston (17,502 posts)

5. or,

there was a malfunction and the bullet ricocheted off the floor. Or, it was a cheap revolver without a transfer bar and the student dropped it. Neither of us actually knows, but the DA does and said he or she doesn't have the evidence to convince a jury of anything.

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Response to gejohnston (Reply #5)

Mon Mar 3, 2014, 02:29 PM

enough (12,873 posts)

6. I don't think it was from a student dropping it. The article states the instructor

"shot" the student.

Of course you are right that we don't know.

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Response to SecularMotion (Original post)

Mon Mar 3, 2014, 02:33 PM

ileus (15,396 posts)

7. A little good news...thanks for sharing.

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