[squire]

TAMPA - All Nicholas Larosa wanted to do was give his dad a welcome-home hug.
But as the 4-year-old jumped into his father's arms, a gun fell to the floor and fired, striking Nicholas in the abdomen.
Mark Larosa, 42, had returned from a hunting trip about 9:45 p.m. Monday. Before he went into the house, he wrapped his jacket around his .45-caliber handgun to hide it from his children, said Hillsborough County sheriff's spokesman Lt. Rod Reder.
But when Nicholas hugged his father, the gun fell from the jacket, which the father was carrying. The weapon discharged and the bullet hit Nicholas and then lodged in the ceiling.
The boy's parents called 911, and Nicholas was flown to St. Joseph's Hospital from his home at 4918 Oakshire Dr. He was in stable condition Tuesday after undergoing surgery. His wound was not considered life-threatening, Reder said.
Detectives have said the shooting was an accident and do not plan to file charges.

By BRENNA R. KELLY bkelly@tampatrib.com<
Published: Dec 31, 2002

[TheOtherOne]

That sucks. You would think he would be a little more responsible before hugging his kid with a loaded firearm on him. Hmmm... it went off from falling on the ground.... I wonder what kind of gun it was? I know it wasn't a Glock! :D

[Atticus]

That's one lucky kid and dad...considering. Thank God he lived!

[PATH]

He is quite lucky indeed!

[Redlg155]

Good that the child is ok.

Sometimes I don't understand folks. Wrapping a loaded weapon in a jacket?

My children know I'm almost always carrying. Either I have the weapon on my person in a holster, in a gun case, or secured in the safe. Definitely loaded on my person, unloaded in a case and it may or may not be loaded in my safe, depending on which weapon has "duty" that week.

Sounds like dad needs a good lesson on gun safety.

Good Shooting
RED

[Jim March]

I'm trying to figure out what happened here.

One possibility is that this was a Series 70 (or earlier) Colt 1911 with a free-floating steel firing pin. Some say those CAN slam-fire just from the mass of the firing pin. (By the same reasoning, supposedly a TI firing pin reduces it's momentum on a drop.)

Another possible: it was an SAA or Italian clone or 3-screw Ruger carried six-up?

Or, the jacket material interfered with one or more of the controls, such as the trigger, and it actually went off while falling, before it hit the floor?

Or the parents aren't telling the truth...

[Redlg155]

Or the parents aren't telling the truth...

You can bet the truth will come out as soon as the child is well enough to answer questions. The child welfare/social services folks will be all over this one.

Good Shooting
RED