83-year-old man's gun goes off at the Sunvalley Mall in Concord

[n2doc]

An 83-year-old man has been arrested after his gun went off inside the 24-Hour Fitness Center at the Sunvalley Mall on Sunday night, according to the Concord Police Department.

It appears the shooting happened by accident, said Lt. Steve Dyer.

At approximately 6:00PM, CPD officers were dispatched to the 24 Hour Fitness Center located at Sun Valley Mall regarding an elderly male suspect who fired a handgun inside the business.

The suspect was located sitting in his vehicle parked in the west parking lot of the mall near the front of the gym. He was detained without incident and a loaded handgun was located inside his vehicle.

The subsequent investigation revealed the suspect, who is a member of the gym, carried the loaded handgun in his gym bag and entered the locker room. At one point the gym bag was either dropped or bumped and the handgun discharged, firing one round into a wall.



Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/incontracosta/detail?entry_id=61074&tsp=1

[Euromutt]

1. Had to be a pretty old gun, then

Because modern handguns do not discharge if merely dropped or bumped into a wall; firing pin safeties have been standard for nigh on 30 years by now. What is perhaps a possibility is that something in the bag got inside the trigger guard and snagged the trigger, which is why it's a bad idea to transport a firearm loose, rather than in a holster or case that covers the trigger guard.

Pretty frakkin' negligent of him, one way or another.

[Aviation Pro]

2. Agree....

...carrying a firearm in a gym bag is the opposite of good and safe weapon storage and transport.

[MattBaggins]

3. What if the NRA would focus more attention on education for issues

like this instead of trying to be the National Republican Association?

[OneTenthofOnePercent]

4. They do. The NRA is the number one firearm safety education organization in America.

The NRA alone does more to educate people and prevent accidents than all of the antigun groups combined.
However, people still need to take the initaiative to sign up for the courses.
I've attended two safety/instructional classes. Both were taught by NRA Instructors.

They certainly teach that when transporting a firearm always keep it action-open with a gun lock or in a holster. Never store a firearm, especially loaded, "loose". The only time you should transport a loaded firearm is if that firearm is intended for defense... and that firearm should be reliably secured somehow.

[SteveM]

6. It is distracted by gun-control Dems who play into its hands. nt

[Euromutt]

24. You mean like...

...have a web page (http://www.nrahq.org/education/guide.asp) and brochure (http://materials.nrahq.org/go/product.aspx?productid=ES%2014080) with firearms safety rules? Or running a firearm safety program for children up to 3rd grade (http://www.nrahq.org/safety/eddie/)? Or operating a network of certified instructors who provide--among other things--courses in home firearm safety (http://www.nrainstructors.org/CourseCatalog.aspx)?

Yeah, that might be a good idea.

[jazzhound]

25. Can't open the mouth without inserting the foot, eh? n/t

[Vinnie From Indy]

5. People that do dumbass shit like this deserve harsh prison sentences

AND, a lifetime ban from owning any weapons. To think that some innocent person could be shot dead while in a fitness center because some old bastard feels compelled to walk around with a loaded, unsecured gun in gym bag to me is no different than a drunk driver that plows into a school bus.

This should be the law of the land. Also, Dick Cheney should have been prosecuted and given a lifetime ban from owning weapons as well.

[SteveM]

7. I note that he was arrested for his stupid actions...

Had the shot struck and killed someone (your hypothetical equivalent to a DWI "plowing into a school bus"), more charges would be filed. But no one was killed, in gyms or on buses, so he will get his just desserts for his actions.

[Name removed]

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[tburnsten]

8. No it didn't

He must have not stored it in a safe manner, such as unloaded or in a secure holster or case that protects the trigger, either of which is absolutely basic safe handling and transport procedure, and a pen or something found its way into the trigger guard.

This would not have happened with any pistol commercially available in the United States, or even most of the "junk guns" that the 1968 GCA banned.

The only pistol I can think of that would fire if "bumped" would be the Nambu Type 94, an absolute waste of perfectly good steel designed by a Japanese officer during WWII which was usually more dangerous to the user than to the intended target.

[oneshooter]

13. The Colt SAA and remington SAA could fire if dropped on the hammer

That is why it was commen to only load 5 and keep the hammer on the empty chamber. Modern SAA revolvers such as the Ruger Blackhaek have a hammer block safety, so 6 rounds can be loaded safely.

Oneshooter
Armed and Livin in Texas

[Callisto32]

9. No such thing as a gun going off.

Well, maybe, under JUST the right circumstances, you could get some old designs to go off if bumped/dropped, et cetera.

Sounds like someone had an ND, to me.

[pipoman]

10. He had it in his waist band,

took it out of his waist band with his finger on the bang button, and it fired. I wonder if anyone looked at his belly to see if he had a print from the pistol. On a similar note I have been told by numerous LEOs over the years that there seems to be bullet holes in many police locker room walls.

[jeepnstein]

11. Paddle holsters are our friend.

[pipoman]

12. Isn't this your take on this..

or some such reality, then the guy made up the drop story to hide that he was carrying the gun concealed?

Of coarse we will never know for sure, his story just has some inherent flaws IMHO.


Of coarse there is Thunderwear if he was wearing athletic/elastic waist pants. :)

[oneshooter]

14. I wonder if he had a CHL?

If not then he was carrying illegally. California law only allows concealed carry with a permit.

Oneshooter
Armed and Livin in Texas

[pipoman]

15. That is why he is saying it was in the bag

IMO. While it may not be excusable, it is explainable and understandable that he forgot it was there. If it was in his waist band, forgot is a tougher sell. In the process of trying to deflect some culpability in a brief, panicked moment, he made an admission to a nearly impossible scenario. I just spent too many years wading through and trying to fortify/justify such panicked excuses...can't put the gene back in the bottle and all that..

[Euromutt]

27. He was charged with "Carrying a Loaded Firearm in Public," so presumably not

Concealed carry permits aren't exactly rare in Contra Costa county, but you have to be either retired law enforcement, or politically connected. The most readily available method of becoming connected is to contribute generously to the sheriff's re-election fund, either directly or by joining the Sheriff's Posse (http://www.cocoposse.org/). It's a racket, basically. Read here for more info: http://www.ninehundred.net/~equalccw/expose.html#rupf

[jeepnstein]

28. Either he was packing...

or he had it bouncing around loose in his gym bag. Either way he needs to just fess up and deal with it. People get killed from negligence.

Nobody's perfect and it only takes a split second to really do some harm. That's why I'm so hard on bad safety practices.

[Name removed]

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[cowman]

18. How can he be

a law abiding criminal?
Inquiring minds want to know

[Name removed]

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[cowman]

20. Ha Ha Ha

you really out do yourself everytime. Let's see here, I've been carrying for several years now and I don't remember committing a crime nor have I had the urge to.
Your visceral hatred of gun owners and guns is really going to burn you out someday.
I actually feel pity for you

[Name removed]

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[cowman]

22. Well I guess

I don't have to worry about that as my weapons won't be taken away. BTW nice try a goading me but fail

[ManiacJoe]

23. Do you not read the posts in this forum?

If you did, you would see the most of us go well out of our way to make sure we do not need to shoot anyone.

[Euromutt]

26. Yep, he should have contributed generously to Sheriff Rupf's re-election fund

Ten years ago, a contribution of $700 in an election year to Rupf's campaign fund would get you a CCW permit in Contra Costa county, even if Rupf had to violate his own policies (such as not issuing permits to residents of incorporated cities) to do it. Assuming, that is, you were a golfing buddy of the DA, or either were or could afford a high-powered lawyer to threaten to sue the CCSD if Rupf didn't give you your permit.

In one particularly egregious case, a guy whom Rupf approved for a permit gave as his "extraordinary good cause" that he had to go into Richmond now and again. No way in hell could you get a permit if you actually lived in Richmond, but if you had to visit Richmond, well, you obviously need to be able to carry a gun!

For some interesting background reading on Rupf's cronyism, see here: http://www.ninehundred.net/~equalccw/expose.html#rupf