Saturday, January 19, 2013

On Gun Appreciation Day: Three Separate Gun shows, five people shot (so far)

Article Mirror

January 19, 2013
By 

Today is Gun Appreciation Day and in an ironic turn of events, Law enforcement officials have confirmed a shooting at the Dixie Gun and Knife Show at the North Carolina State Fairgrounds Saturday afternoon. The accident left three people injured. While taking their guns out on a date to show it ‘appreciation’ at a gun show, someone’s 12-gauge shotgun discharged after the gun’s owner, 36-year-old Gary Lynn Wilson, of Wilmington, unzipped its case for a law enforcement officer to check it at a security entrance. But there were other incidents at three separate gun shows. 


I’m curious: Is it legal to travel about with an armed weapon? To my knowledge, it’s not. I suppose the retired Wake County Sherriff’s deputy working the show who was one of the injured parties can answer that.

Also injured: Fifty-year-old Linwood Hester, of Durham, and 54-year-old Janet Hoover, of Benson, both of which were subsequently transported to the hospital for non-life threatening injuries. Deputy Jake Alderman, 54, of Wake Forest, was treated and has since been released.

And there was damage of course. The gunshot shattered the window.

The incident forced the Dixie Gun and Knife Show to shut down for the day after the incident.

Political carnival reports:

A person who was loading a gun outside of the Indy 1500 Gun and Knife Show at the State Fairgrounds was accidentally shot when his gun discharged Saturday afternoon.

The incident was reported shortly after 4:15 p.m. Saturday.

Indy 1500 Gun and Knife Show PIO Ashley Varner says the man had been inside at the gun show before the incident.

He was walking back to his car, was loading his semi-automatic pistol and accidentally shot himself in the hand, Varner says.

State Police responded to the scene. The man was taken to the hospital.

Think Progress reports:

Two similar incidents occurred at entirely separate gun shows in the Midwest, one in the Cleveland suburb of Medina, Ohio and the other at the state fairgrounds in Indianapolis, Indiana. In Ohio, the local ABC affiliate reports that one individual was brought to a hospital by EMS, and in Indiana Channel 8 WISH says that an individual shot himself in the hand while trying to reload his gun in the show parking lot. That brings the tally to 4 victims of gun violence so far at three different gun shows during the country’s first Gun Appreciation Day.

Four people were shot today on Gun Appreciation Day. Four people were shot today on Gun Appreciation Day. Sorry, I had to type that twice. I can’t get over it. Don’t judge me.

We did try to offer some advice before Gun Appreciation Day (the one where four people were shot).