Man Cleaning Gun Accidentally Kills Amish Girl

[fourstringdrums]

Sheriff: Ohio man cleaning gun accidentally killed Amish girl | The Newark Advocate | NewarkAdvocate.com

I'm not into guns at all, but I found the debate regarding safe and responsible gun use to be interesting in this regard. I definitely see it as an accident, but should it be considered reckless manslaughter?

Thoughts?

[Chebass88]

One of the rules of gun safety is to be fully aware of what is BEHIND your targets.

[MatticusMania]

Who cleans a gun while its still loaded?

Id say a reckless manslaughter charge sounds apt, given what I read in the article.

[fourstringdrums]

Originally Posted by MatticusMania

Who cleans a gun while its still loaded?

Id say a reckless manslaughter charge sounds apt, given what I read in the article.

From my understanding he was firing it as part of the cleaning process? Again I'm clueless about guns, especially a muzzle loader.

[aborgman]

Originally Posted by fourstringdrums

From my understanding he was firing it as part of the cleaning process? Again I'm clueless about guns, especially a muzzle loader.

There is really only one way to unload a muzzle loader - by firing it.

It sounds like this guy was shooting the gun to unload it PRIOR to cleaning it.

A perfectly normal thing to do with a muzzleloader, except safe shooters discharge into the ground or a known safe backstop - not randomly into the air.

[Jeff K]

Originally Posted by MatticusMania

Who cleans a gun while its still loaded?

Happens more often than you'd think. I realize that this incident involved a long gun, but there are a lot of accidental discharges with pistols.

Take Glocks, for instance. (DISCLAIMER: I love Glocks, and have owned one for at least 25 years.) The only thing I do NOT like about Glocks is that you have to pull the trigger before you can field strip them for cleaning. You cannot field strip it until you "take the pressure off the trigger" (ie., pull the trigger).

Now IF you utilize the proper safety procedures, you would drop the magazine and then rack the slide (to remove the round in the chamber) before pulling the trigger. But even well-trained law enforcement officers occasionally get careless. And if you squeeze the trigger before you've exercised the proper clearing procedures, you WILL have an accidental discharge if there was a round in the chamber.

[MatticusMania]

Originally Posted by aborgman

There is really only one way to unload a muzzle loader - by firing it.

It sounds like this guy was shooting the gun to unload it PRIOR to cleaning it.

A perfectly normal thing to do with a muzzleloader,

Ah, that does make a bit more sense.

except safe shooters discharge into the ground or a known safe backstop - not randomly into the air.

Along with this.

[skychief]

Originally Posted by MatticusMania

Who cleans a gun while its still loaded?

Id say a reckless manslaughter charge sounds apt, given what I read in the article.

the article states: “In all probability, it looks like an accidental shooting,” Zimmerly said.

No charges have been filed.

How do you get from NO CHARGES HAVE BEEN FILED to reckless manslaughter?

Kind of a stretch IMO

[Staredge]

Originally Posted by aborgman

There is really only one way to unload a muzzle loader - by firing it.

You can get a CO2 discharger from Dixie to do it without firing.

Originally Posted by Chebass88

One of the rules of gun safety is to be fully aware of what is BEHIND your targets.

As Aborgman said (and I ended up deleting)......you actually have to be firing AT a target. First thing they teach you in any kind of gun course is not to fire the (#$^@ thing UP into the air. What goes up, must come down. The odds of it actually hitting someone are fairly high, but obviously not impossibly so.

Originally Posted by fourstringdrums

'm not into guns at all, but I found the debate regarding safe and responsible gun use to be interesting in this regard. I definitely see it as an accident, but should it be considered reckless manslaughter?

Thoughts?

Negligent or Unintentional.....yes.

[Jinro]

There is no such thing as an "accidental discharge". It's a negligent discharge.

But in this case it was just stupidity. I'm surprised more people don't get killed in Arab countries where they spray their AKs up into the air in "celebration".

[MatticusMania]

Originally Posted by skychief

the article states: “In all probability, it looks like an accidental shooting,” Zimmerly said.

No charges have been filed.

How do you get from NO CHARGES HAVE BEEN FILED to reckless manslaughter?

Kind of a stretch IMO

Ah, I see what youre saying, but thats not what I was saying.
My post was a reply tot he OP, though I did omit the quote in my post. It might make more sense if you read it as such:

Originally Posted by fourstringdrums

I definitely see it as an accident, but should it be considered reckless manslaughter?

Thoughts?

Followed by:

Originally Posted by MatticusMania

Who cleans a gun while its still loaded?

Id say a reckless manslaughter charge sounds apt, given what I read in the article.

I realize that no charges have been brought against the offender, though I am saying that I think a reckless manslaughter charge would be fitting in this situation, as it isnt wise (read: reckless) to shoot a gun into the air.

[Johnny Crab]

Originally Posted by MatticusMania

Who cleans a gun while its still loaded?

Id say a reckless manslaughter charge sounds apt, given what I read in the article.

+1
The "cleaner" violated a known rule of operation.
Firing into the air is foolhardy and dangerous.

[Gopherbassist]

Cleaning a muzzle loaded gun... that's loaded? How dooes one even do this? Sounds like the guy shot one off for fun and didn't consider that bullets fired up also come down. Reckless manslaughter indeed.

[kserg]

Never cleaned a muzzle loader, I've seen my grandfather do it, so i don't know how exactly you can clean a loaded gun. I make sure my gun is not loaded when i clean it, i image it's possible with a muzzle loaders too, if anything by firing it first into a safe direction. That just sucks...

Of topic, i just don't understand Amish. Having a cellphone might have saved her life but cellphones are the devil!!

[kserg]

Originally Posted by Johnny Crab

+1
The "cleaner" violated a known rule of operation.
Firing into the air is foolhardy and dangerous.

Unless it's a shotgun, then it's just FUN!

[dmusic148]

Originally Posted by kserg

..
Having a cellphone might have saved her life but cellphones are the devil!!

Not likely. She was hit in the head. Horrible tragedy, the shooter should go to prison.

[Bob Lee (QSC)]

Originally Posted by Johnny Crab

+1
The "cleaner" violated a known rule of operation.
Firing into the air is foolhardy and dangerous.

+1

[Groove Doctor]

Should careless people still be allowed to have guns?

[notverygood]

Originally Posted by dmusic148

Not likely. She was hit in the head. Horrible tragedy, the shooter should go to prison.

Why prison? The guy was an idiot who did something stupid. There's probably 100,000 people in the USA right at this moment doing something stupid with dangerous equipment, having only lady luck to thank that no one gets hurt. Hours and hours of community service and a lifetime ban on owning a gun would be more in line I think.

[dmusic148]

Originally Posted by notverygood

Why prison? The guy was an idiot who did something stupid..

You are entitled to your opinion. His negligence killed someone. No better than a drunk driver, IMO.