Rules 1, 2, & 3 FAIL: PA Gun Store Shooting

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ExTank

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Craig Allen Loughrey, 7, Shot To Death At Gun Store

A man's handgun went off while he was holding it as he got into his truck in the parking lot of a western Pennsylvania gun store Saturday and the shot killed his 7-year-old son, authorities said.

Joseph V. Loughrey, 44, was getting into the truck when the 9 mm handgun discharged,....
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It's disturbing enough that a 7 y/o boy has died due to his father's negligence, but the tone of the article suggests something else.

It may just be me, but the "slant" of the article is that the gun just went off for no apparent reason; I can think of at least two very valid reasons for it to go off unintentionally: Mr. Loughrey assumed it wasn't loaded, and failed to keep it pointed in a safe direction. Finger-on-trigger may also be involved.

ETA: I meant to say the two reasons were loaded gun and finger on trigger; someone else getting shot was muzzle direction.

While I don't want to heap insult on top of injury (the article said Mr. Loughrey was "distruaght;" well DUH! He just shot and killed his son!), like most accidents and unintentional discharges, a failure of basic firearm safety was key.

So let's all stay safe out there, and have a much happier holiday season than the Loughrey's, and for those inclined, maybe say a prayer for the soul of little Craig Loughrey, and for his family as well.
 
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I can't begin to imagine how "distraught" the father must be feeling. This unfortunate incident brings to mind another horrible tragedy that happened decades ago in Michigan. As I recall, a father took his young son deer hunting for the first time on opening day. They were later both found shot to death at their vehicle; the son shot through the heart from his deer rifle and the father dead from a gun shot to the head. It didn't take much investigation to determine that the boy was killed by his rifle, which was apparently loaded when he was extracting it from the case, and the father committed suicide, unable to cope with the unimaginable grief and, doubtlessly, unable to overcome his sense of guilt over his culpability in the accident.

We need to continually remind ourselves to be safe with a firearm.
 
Utterly tragic, sometimes in life we just become too complacent. If this does not remind people to follow the safety rules 100% of the time then nothing will. I just really hope that it was quick and that child did not have to suffer for his fathers negligence.
 
I've seen just enough bad crap in the world to be almost paranoid when it comes to safety and my kids. This is just terrible all over. I feel bad for the kid, dying because his father was complacent. I feel bad for the father having to live with the fact that he killed his own son due to negligence. Just sucks all the way around. Then there's the rest of the family. Brother and sisters, mother, grandparents, etc. Just sucks.

Like everything else in life, guns have a certain element of risk. You make an effort to be safe driving to work every day, so make an effort to be safe when usinf anything else that can harm you or others. Including guns.
 
The article I read (see below) suggested two safety issues. First, the father said he had removed the magazine, but there was still a round in the chamber. This is either a training or negligence issue. Second, the father was holding the gun, and it "went off" as he was getting into his vehicle. Was his finger on the trigger? Did the gross muscle movements associated with getting into the truck cause a contraction of his trigger finger? And then, there's always NRA rule #1.

Guys, always keep in mind your obligation to BE SAFE, regardless of how experienced you think you are. And if you aren't experienced, get training before you make a fatal mistake out of ignorance.

Here's the link:
http://news.bostonherald.com/news/n...nsylvania_gun_store/srvc=home&position=recent

- - - Yoda
 
Gun Store Shooting ? What does this have to do with a gun store other than it happened in their parking lot ?

I can't imagine the grief and guilt being felt by the father in this tragic accident. I agree with the previous posters to alway follow the safety rules when handling a firearm. You must stay aware .
 
My nephew made a statement to me that fits very well into the shooter fraternity.

He said..."Don't get so busy knowing what you do that you forget to do what you know".

I thought...I know to keep my finger off the trigger...point in a safe direction...treat the gun as LOADED, always. I try to remind myself of these things every time I'm with my guns.

I cannot imagine what is going through that whole family right now. It is just so sad.

Mark
 
Almost mulched my daughters one day as they were bidding in a leaf pile. I still get sick thinking about it. I doubt I would have survived it.

The Dad will never be the same. His private hell is all the punishment he'll need.
 
Note that dad took the rifle and handgun to the store to sell them. I'd bet the handgun was loaded when he took it into the shop.

THIS IS EXACTLY WHY MOST GUN DEALERS HAVE SIGNS STATING THAT FIREARMS COMING IN FOR SALES/SERICE NEED TO BE UNLOADED.
 
mnrivrat said:
Gun Store Shooting ? What does this have to do with a gun store other than it happened in their parking lot ?
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Have you read some of the comments in the article I linked to? Granted, it's the HuffPo (first article to come up in my Google search aftrer hearing about it on the radio this afternoon), but people are saying things like:

"What business does a child have even being near a gun store?"

"The NRA is the font of all evil; we should ALL just stand up to them and put them out of business and get some common sense gun control in this country!"

And on in a similar vein.
 
This poor man will suffer forever for his epically poor judgment. His guilt should be his punishment. Hopefully he is also eighty-sixed from the range. Poor kid.
 
May God help that poor guy and the kid's mother.

Even if the gun bug had bitten me many years ago, I never would have wanted a handgun at home, because of any young boy's curiosity and ability to figure things out.
The risk to my son would have been a thousand times greater than the extremely tiny risk of needing a handgun.
 
Uhh, the risk didn't come from that poor little kid.
The risk came from his extremely stupid father...
 
Another totally preventable tragedy. Guns aren't inherently dangerous, but people who handle them without the proper respect for their power certainly are.

We once had an officer in my department shoot himself by accident. He was at our range, in the parking lot, and was attempting to disassemble his Glock for cleaning (I presume because our work range has a "clean weapon" policy, and the officers' guns are checked prior to quarterly qualifications). Anyway, the officer pulled the slide to the rear, ejecting the round in the chamber. He THEN removed his magazine (I'm sure you guys see the problem with this order of operation), placed the barrel of the gun on his thigh, and pulled the trigger. He very likely would have died from the wound, had another officer not heard the shot and immediately rendered aid. The officer is still working for my agency these days, and admits that this incident was a big screwup on his part, and has cost him a lot of lingering pain and disability in that leg.

To me, hearing about an incident like that reminds me that some people (no matter how much training they've had) simply won't take their training seriously enough. In that particular instance we can find a number of violations of simple firearms rules/procedures:

1) Never let the muzzle of the weapon point at anything you aren't willing to destroy.
2) Treat all weapons as if they are always loaded.
3) Understand the procedures for loading/unloading your firearm.
4) Use the clearing barrels to load unload (that's a department rule, but still).
 
Very sad and disturbing event. I cannot fathom why the father had his weapon in hand while entering his vehicle.
 
I cannot fathom why the father had his weapon in hand while entering his vehicle.
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There's nothing wrong with holding the weapon while he got in. It was the condition zero firearm, finger on the trigger and negligence of muzzle direction that resulted in tragedy.
 
What does this have to do with a gun store other than it happened in their parking lot ?
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Wouldn't make near as good a headline if it was only "Dad accidentally shoots son". Sad, and stupid tragedy.
 
The issue I have with this story, and many more "almost" stories is that there is a huge attitude problem with something so simple as checking to make sure a firearm is unloaded. I have seen a few folks at a gun show pull a "unloaded" handgun out that turned out not to be "unloaded"....Of course they always say its "unloaded, I know it is"...(they dont care if others know it is or not)

Ive also hung out at a couple of local gun stores over the years, that have signs stating something around "all firearms must be unloaded" or there abouts. I couldnt tell ya'll how many "unloaded" firearms I saw that turned out to be actually loaded.

The main issue that I find that links these issues together is attitude. These folks always think the rules are for others... These same folks always seem to feel they are better, more proficient, more trained, etc so that they rules dont apply to them. I find this attitude disgusting at best, at worst, well, the mods prob wouldnt let me post that....
 
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mister_murphy said:
The issue I have with this story, and many more "almost" stories is that there is a huge attitude problem with something so simple as checking to make sure a firearm is unloaded. I have seen a few folks at a gun show pull a "unloaded" handgun out that turned out not to be "unloaded"....Of course they always say its "unloaded, I know it is"...(they dont care if others know it is or not)

Ive also hung out at a couple of local gun stores over the years, that have signs stating something around "all firearms must be unloaded" or there abouts. I couldnt tell ya'll how many "unloaded" firearms I saw that turned out to be actually loaded.

The main issue that I find that links these issues together is attitude. These folks always think the rules are for others... These same folks always seem to feel they are better, more proficient, more trained, etc so that they rules dont apply to them. I find this attitude disgusting at best, at worst, well, the mods prob wouldnt let me post that....
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I am teaching my nephew to shoot and I regularly, even with surprise phone calls, drill him about the four golden rules. I am making sure that they are so ingrained that he doesn't even have to think about them. I have told him that many, many people have died from "unloaded" firearms.
 
drill him about the four golden rules. I am making sure that they are so ingrained that he doesn't even have to think about them.
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I agree with everything you said and applaud what you're doing. My only caveat is that, no matter how well "ingrained" we are with the rules of gun safety, we still have to "think about them" and think about them always. The old adage "familiarity breeds contempt" is an unfortunate consequence of not thinking.
 
SwampWolf said:
I agree with everything you said and applaud what you're doing. My only caveat is that, no matter how well "ingrained" we are with the rules of gun safety, we still have to "think about them" and think about them always. The old adage "familiarity breeds contempt" is an unfortunate consequence of not thinking.
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Good catch. After re-reading what I wrote I completely worded it wrong. I meant to say that he would not have to think to remember what the rules are, not that he didn't have to think to apply them safely.
 
So at one point he pointed the gun towards his son. I get in the truck all the time with passengers, my gun always goes in with the barrel pointed towards the engine and I keep by my fingers away from the trigger. RIP and best wishes and prayers.
 
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