Police Chief Shoots Wife

[howdy]

http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/crime/pol ... ar-BBhqjJC" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Peachtree City is a town south of Atlanta and is a lot like The Woodlands North of Houston. Affluent, educated and conservative.

[jmra]

He is guilty of attempted murder or guilty of being an idiot.

[baldeagle]

If he can't properly handle a firearm, he shouldn't be a chief. In fact, he shouldn't be a police officer.

[Jumping Frog]

If he can't properly handle a firearm, he shouldn't be a chief. In fact, he shouldn't be a police officer.

Sure, but he is well qualified to teach firearm safety to school children for the DEA.

[youtube][/youtube]

[philip964]

Initial reports said he accidentally shot her twice. Those apparently were incorrect.

[bigity]

I was wondering about that when this broke.

"How do you accidentally shoot someone twice?"

[Oldgringo]

I was wondering about that when this broke.

"How do you accidentally shoot someone twice?"

...4:30 in the morning?

[Keith B]

I was wondering about that when this broke.

"How do you accidentally shoot someone twice?"

...4:30 in the morning?

Not unreasonable. Lots of people get up at 4:30 to start preparing for the day.

I read that the gun was in the bed and he went to retrieve it and it went off. Sounds like someone who may have not had the best gun handling skills and failed to follow basic gun safety rules. If he slept with the gun under a pillow or just paying loose int eh bed, then it was just a matter for time before something like this would happen. And as for it not happening, I personally know two different people who slept with a gun under their pillow. One I was able to convince to stop; the other I am not sure if they still do or don't.

[treadlightly]

Greetings from a new member! This is my first post, so feel free to let me know if I'm off my meds.

I'd say a gun in bed is a gun in the hands of an impaired shooter. Sleep really impairs my judgement. Sometimes I even hallucinate, although if I call them dreams it alarms people less.

I'm sure that police chief isn't the only person out there who sleeps with a blued steel teddy bear, and it's not even the only situation where a lot of people leave their triggers to fate.

Just yesterday I saw a youtube video of a gun instruction session in which the trainer told the student not to look at her holster as she returned her pistol to the leather.

I'm returning to shooting after a number of years away from it, and re-holstering is one of my hopefully unfounded paranoias. I do that slowly, with care, and with positive tactile feedback the gun's trigger isn't being forced by anything blocking the holster.

If I felt I just had to sleep with a pistol, I guess chamber empty doesn't sound as bad as some alternatives. If I can have a thumb break holster or a pistol case, I think I'd be happier.

And happier yet if I could set it on the floor under the edge of the bed, or in a night-table drawer. Anything but cocked-and-locked and pointed who knows where, please!

[Oldgringo]

{snip}

And happier yet if I could set it on the floor under the edge of the bed, or in a night-table drawer. Anything but cocked-and-locked and pointed who knows where, please!

I think the last thing I'd want to be doing, upon being awakened from a deep slumber by an intruder, would be to wonder where my unloaded gun was. As it is, I know exactly where they are and yes, they are 'cocked and locked'. BTW, there are never children in our house; ergo, YMMV.

[thatguy]

I keep my loaded self defense pistol loaded, chambered and holstered at all times. If it is not on or about my person I put it in one of my Simplex lock boxes.

As we've said here many times, these "accidents" didn't have to happen.

[JSThane]

Ain't nothing wrong with sleeping with a loaded firearm -near- the bed. My wife and I keep a shotgun and an AR close at hand that way (next to the bed). But under the pillow? Probably not a good idea. And as for the chamber, ours are Condition 3 (loaded magazine, empty chamber). I want that extra step, just in case, ya know?

Also can NOT recommend enough, keep a light either on your bedside gun, or close by! Both our long arms have lights mounted, as it can be difficult to manipulate a rifle or shotgun AND a handheld flashlight, but if you choose a pistol, your options open up a bit. Just make sure you practice shooting with the light, too!

With reference to Jumping Frog's video, no, law enforcement are NOT the only ones professional enough to shoot themselves in the leg! I could tell stories... but I won't.

As for the OP's link, if it was an accident, then Mr. Chief probably ought to have signed up for remedial classes a LONG time ago. If it wasn't... well, that's for the grand jury to decide.

[MechAg94]

Just trying to imagine a scenario: Could you grab for a pistol, get your finger in the trigger guard and bump the trigger enough for the gun to discharge, then have the gun recoil against your finger or hand and bounce back causing your finger to hit the trigger again sort of like a bump fire on a rifle? It dosen't sound very likely.

[Keith B]

Just trying to imagine a scenario: Could you grab for a pistol, get your finger in the trigger guard and bump the trigger enough for the gun to discharge, then have the gun recoil against your finger or hand and bounce back causing your finger to hit the trigger again sort of like a bump fire on a rifle? It doesn't sound very likely.

It was only one shot. The Chief indicated he thought he had shot her twice, but that was incorrect. I would guess it was probably two holes; and entrance and an exit wound http://www.ajc.com/news/news/investigat ... uld/njfML/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[MotherBear]

{snip}

And happier yet if I could set it on the floor under the edge of the bed, or in a night-table drawer. Anything but cocked-and-locked and pointed who knows where, please!

I think the last thing I'd want to be doing, upon being awakened from a deep slumber by an intruder, would be to wonder where my unloaded gun was. As it is, I know exactly where they are and yes, they are 'cocked and locked'. BTW, there are never children in our house; ergo, YMMV.

The best system I've heard of for keeping your gun accessible at night with small kids in the house has been from Kathy Jackson, at her Cornered Cat website. The article is here: http://www.corneredcat.com/article/soci ... n-at-home/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; The relevant paragraph: "At night, I lock my bedroom door. I leave the gun inside a fanny pack lying in an open lockbox near the bed. If the kids need me in the middle of the night, I either lock the lockbox before I open the door, or pick the fanny pack up and put it on with my robe. Undoubtedly others could find other solutions to this problem, but this solution has worked pretty well for our family."