Texas range negligent discharge kills customer

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I pretty much agree with the article. The employee was handling a loaded gun and he didn't keep it pointed in a safe direction.
 
I pretty much agree with the article. The employee was handling a loaded gun and he didn't keep it pointed in a safe direction.
Yep. The unfortunate consequence of breaking (at least) two of the rules at the same time.
 
My buddy just outside of Houston told me about this last night.
 
Whenever I clean them, I unload them in a different room, check it twice then and twice more before working on it. This goes double for any of them that pulling the trigger is part of the disassembly process and it is damn sure pointed in a safe direction when that happens.
 
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FYI, there is really not a "safe direction" for gunsmiths or holster makers. I deal with guns every day in ways you guys don't have too. Let me tell you, it's not possible to keep the muzzle pointed in a safe direction all the time. The main thing I do is not point it at anyone else that is in the area.

Which is why it is vital to ensure any guns are unloaded first. You cannot miss that step if you work with guns. Keeping your finger off the trigger is also a very good idea. But in a gunsmith's case I could see the gun firing because of the problem it has or the work being done on it.
 
That's a terrible situation all around. So simple to make a weapon safe and realize that walls aren't a safe direction. I feel sorry for both parties.
 
FYI, there is really not a "safe direction" for gunsmiths or holster makers. I deal with guns every day in ways you guys don't have too. Let me tell you, it's not possible to keep the muzzle pointed in a safe direction all the time. The main thing I do is not point it at anyone else that is in the area.

Which is why it is vital to ensure any guns are unloaded first. You cannot miss that step if you work with guns. Keeping your finger off the trigger is also a very good idea. But in a gunsmith's case I could see the gun firing because of the problem it has or the work being done on it.
You are absolutely correct. The first day at the new Dallas, TX sheriff's range an FBI agent put a hole in the gun cleaning room. Again a NELIGENT discharge.
 
I would think a gunsmith would have one of those containers, a mini backstop, that could be used to pull the trigger in a potentially unknown situation.
 
I'm beginning to see why S&W makes such a big deal about M&P's not needing a trigger pull to disassemble. As a first-time semi-auto handgun owner, I used to think "that's just dumb that there is apparently a gun out there that needs to be pulled to take it apart."
 
I can't imagine a gunsmith or even range employee not knowing better. I'm guessing there was a stuck live round and he lost focus working on it and just didn't maintain muzzle discipline.

A gun in the hand is like driving, requires constant conscious diligence. 'Course that's not saying much considering some of the drivers around here. :)
 
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Should the shooter face man slaughter charges?
Sounds like possibly a Negligent Homicide.

Negligent homicide is a much lower intent crime and is used as a charge when one person causes the death of another through criminal negligence. The charge does not involve premeditation, but focuses on what the defendant should have known and the risks associated with what he did know.

https://criminal-law.freeadvice.com/criminal-law/violent_crimes/negligent-homicide.htm

I'm not a lawyer, but there is a charge other than manslaughter that sounds like it may apply in this case. I have no clue if Texas has such a law though.
 
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Someone is dead. He had a family. He should be charged with something and serve time although I think less than five years. He should pay all burial cost and compensation to loss of income as well.
 
I don't see this one any different than the CMPD officer who killed the pedestrian at 100 mph in CLT. Both of them made stupid decisions that cost another person their life.
 
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