Gun briefing on anti-gun campaign backfires in China

[everallm]

Seems incompetence straddles all cultures.....


http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7514322.stm

Three Chinese reporters attending a police briefing on the success of an anti-gun campaign were accidentally shot, media reports say.

An officer picked up one of the weapons on show - a confiscated home-made gun - but it went off in his hand.

A reporter needed surgery for injuries to his ankle, crotch and chest, after being hit by what appeared to be pebbles fired by the gun.

Two others were slightly injured in the incident in Nanchong, southern China.


White smoke was rising in the room and crushed stone-like things were scattered all around
Lin
Witness

According to the Chongqing Times, the home-made gun had been designed for shooting birds.

It was demonstrated 10 minutes after a news conference giving details of a special campaign against illegal explosives and weapons.

"Journalists from 13 media outlets were led to a hall on the second floor after attending the meeting on the 12th floor,'' one woman called Lin told the newspaper.

"One officer picked up a confiscated pistol and demonstrated it to the journalists.''

Lin said she heard a bang and saw West China City Daily reporter Su Dingwei collapse.

"White smoke was rising in the room and crushed stone-like things were scattered all around,'' she was quoted as saying.

 

[CBS220]

Mao Zedong was the only one professional enough to handle that gun

 

[Drgong]

I guess no need to find the infamous youtube clip of the DEA agent who does a ND into his foot...

 

[Cosmoline]

Guns really do fight tyranny--on their own even!

 

[The Crazy Gobbo]

You beat me to it! And I had such a clever title worked out.

How do you say "I'm the only one professional enough" in Mandarin?

Hmm, do they even speak Mandarin in the South? Only in the Southwest?

I was also going to point out information that may not have been reported in the original, more notorious incident that could have gone far in explaining the events that day.

White smoke was rising in the room

I imagine the officer took it for granted that the firearm was checked/unloaded by someone else. In addition he may not even have known how it fired. Not knowing what the gun looked like it seems it could have been closer in action to a flare gun, claymore even slingshot than a revolver or pistol.