This is wierd - NIB rifle was loaded, fires...

[enfield]

how Austin Woosley's prized 17th birthday gift -- a newly purchased and presumably unloaded rifle -- fired

Because Bucky pulled the trigger, that's how! :banghead:

 

[Atticus]

What a cluster. I wonder if the store was a Galyans in the process of converting to Dick's. The Galyans stores in Columbus were nearly frantic to liquidate all merchandise not on Dick's marketing scheme/planogram by Dec. 31st. I saw a fair amount of returned (opened) merchandise that had been repackaged and put in the clearance bins. I'll bet this rifle had been returned once. Regardless....lot's of blame to go around on this one. I wonder what momma thinks about the kid having a gun now....ouch!

 

[El Deguello]

Somehow, I really doubt that the rifle was loaded when it came from the factory.

 

[possenti]

Hey guys (and gals),

Read Matt Payne's update post -number 44. This story happened a year and 2 months ago. It's been determined that the father and son staged the whole thing to sue the store and gun maker for this.

I hope they nail the scumbags' butts to the wall over this.

I live in the area where this happened, and I heard about it "through the grapevine" as well as local news. I'll keep my ears open for more details...

 

[yesterdaysyouth]

daryl, i'm thinking we're surrounded by idiots, but then i already knew that...

(BTW - stop snickering about the name of the road mentioned above - It's not what you think.)

while we're at it let's not forget old beaver road....

 

[Greg L]

Yep, lots of fun roads around here .

"P.S., I heard a rumour that firing a weapon in an air-tight vehicle would burst the windows, (maybe youre ears) - is this true?"

No, had a friend hit the decocker on a HK before they had the safety recall, boom new hole in floor of Toyota. Brother let a 30-30 rip through the cieling of dad's old wood truck when we were kids, other than a new round sun roof, a real sore butt and a bit of hearing loss in his left ear, nothing.

Not real recomended, but wont blow out the windows.

Aw, why did you have to spoil it ID? I was hoping for a new segment on Mythbusters .

 

[Cyanide_357]

The news said the two planned this, (gun didn't come loaded), to sue the store and get money.

Cyanide

 

[LiquidTension]

While the possibility of fraud had not occurred to me, it was evident that there were some very sketchy things involved. IF they had been telling the truth, which they weren't, several odd things would had to have happened:

1- The gun had to be loaded either at the factory, by a Dick's employee, or by a previous customer.
2- The bolt would have to have been installed in the rifle before purchase, which is very odd (I used to work in the hunting dept. at Dick's...they all come unassembled).
3- The gun would have to have left the store unseen by an employee, who is supposed to check the serial number on the gun, and by the purchaser, who should look at it if for no other reason than to make sure it's even the right gun.
4- All safeties would have to have failed, releasing the hammer, striking the firing pin, and setting off the cartridge...all without touching the trigger.
5- During the swerving and lake jumping, the rifle would have to have been rattled enough to somehow work the bolt and eject the spent case out the window.

Now, I like a good conspiracy theory as much as the next guy, and some truly odd coincidences do happen in life, but the chances of things happening the way these turds describe them are about as likely as all of the electrons in all of the atoms in my monitor spontaneously jumping levels and turning it into a Bacon Cheddar Ranch burger. These guys should have learned a little more about firearms before trying this scam. They also should have learned more about biology...I'm sure they thought that being shot in the leg wasn't that big of a deal What? There's a major artery in there? Oops

Hopefully they get put away for a long time. Hopefully that guy limps forever. (Stupid + ignorant) x criminal = deserves LONG sentence.

 

[MarkDido]

My bet is that it was loaded at the factory for the sake of ballistic fingerprinting, never got fired, and got shipped that way.

So can the family sue the PRK for assault with a deady weapon?

 

[AF_INT1N0]

Imagine if some anti gunners went to the guns and tried to sneak rounds in the chambers.

Actually had something similar happen in CO, in the mid Nineties, of course I was still 12 or 13 but there were stories on the news about the Brady types placing rounds in chambers, at gun shows. Think they even caught someone. but I'm not sure

 

[SlowStar]

My first thoughts are that both are lying in their teeth. Bet they already had a lawyer on call.
SlowStar

 

[Gabby Hayes]

Self deleted. Old news.

 

[Sisco]

Somehow, I really doubt that the rifle was loaded when it came from the factory.

Sometime back my favorite dealer showed me a letter, can't remember now if it came from a distributor or the BATF, anyway it warned that all new weapons should be inspected as there had been incidents reported where a new gun arrived at the dealer with a round in the chamber or in the magazine.
Most all guns are test fired at the factory, possibility for human error exists!

 

[Waitone]

Whole story smells.

How long before a suit is filed? 30 days IMNSHO.

 

[RooK]

You guys are missing something else...

Now that it has been ruled as the staged event: Remember them saying the van was a loss? Did they collect on insurance? Perhaps insurance fraud charges are forth coming as well.

 

[GaryP]

This is the kind of "stuff" the Fuzzy thinking LIBS feed on. Most who hear this story will not hear Page 2! :banghead:

 

[BluesBear]

That's true GaryP but it's much easier to discredit someone who's forte is spouting half-truths.