Gun show leaves two injured, lands a third in jail

[nogods]

Link Removed - -

On Saturday afternoon, two people were injured when a gun went off during the gun show. It happened around 3 p.m. at the National Guard Armory.

Rules were posted outside of the armory. Those rules included unloading guns of all ammunition and to put a zip tie around the trigger of a gun so it can't be fired.

Police say the suspect did follow those rules, up until he was about to leave. The suspect, 30-year-old Joshua Wilkinson, had purchased a new holster around a half hour before the show was set to end.

Police say that's when he removed the zip tie that was holding the trigger, causing the slide of the gun to come forward and putting a round in the chamber. When he tried to slip the gun in his holster, the gun fired.

The round hit a plastic bucket on the concrete floor and the fragmentation injured two people, a 72-year-old man and a 16-year-old boy. Both of their injuries were only minor and they were not taken to the hospital.

Wilkinson will spend the weekend in the Vanderburgh County Jail on charges of criminal recklessness.

The Evansville Police Department says Wilkinson had been drinking, but say if that hadn't been the case, he might not have been charged because the incident was an accident.

 

[GunManDan1]

"Might not have been charged because the incident was an accident?" Is someone joking? 1. The idiot was drinking. 2. The idiot ignored the posted rules, i.e., NO LOADED FIREARMS. 3. Let us count the other way - including putting gun shows at risk from the anti-2nd Amendment Fascists. I hope that the idiot is in the slammer for an extended stay.

 

[murph50]

Yea--I bet that dude feels like a real moron right now--which should be expected--he is a moron

 

[S&W645]

Dumb!

 

[dixie.38]

Accident my a$$. He's one of the many morons that should not touch a firearm.

 

[routereyes]

"Might not have been charged because the incident was an accident?" Is someone joking? 1. The idiot was drinking. 2. The idiot ignored the posted rules, i.e., NO LOADED FIREARMS. 3. Let us count the other way - including putting gun shows at risk from the anti-2nd Amendment Fascists. I hope that the idiot is in the slammer for an extended stay.

Amen to that Dan. 'nuff said.atsak:

 

[walt629]

Not that I don't think the guy is a moron and should spend more than a weekend in jail just for making gun owners look bad, but I have to question the enforcement of the regulations at the show. Who in their right mind, with todays anti-gun environment would think it's Okay to carry unsecured ammunition into the show? Unsecured in the effect that this twit had a loaded magazine that could have been slapped into a display gun and used in a bad way!

I put some of the blame for this on the proprietors of the show for not taking assured actions to prevent this type of action from happening. And why the hell are they serving alcohol at a gun show? :angry: WTF?! Or did this guy show up after downing a couple of beers and he was granted admission anyway? Again WTF?! :angry:

Stupid people will always be stupid but the proprieters need to be smarter than the stupid people and enact regulations that will prevent stupid people for doing stupid thing in their show. IMHO of course.

 

[NavyLCDR]

There are a couple of things that I find to be complete and utter B.S. in this:

Rules were posted outside of the armory. Those rules included unloading guns of all ammunition and to put a zip tie around the trigger of a gun so it can't be fired.

A zip tie around the trigger?!?! Really? Big FAIL! If they are going to zip tie guns, then zip tie goes up through the EMPTY magazine well and then out the ejection port. Obviously, Mr. Moron kept a loaded magazine in the gun. A blatant violation of the four safety rules - keep your finger (and zip ties) off the trigger until the gun is on target and you are ready to fire.

Police say that's when he removed the zip tie that was holding the trigger, causing the slide of the gun to come forward and putting a round in the chamber.

Am I missing something here? Is there any handgun that the trigger locks the slide back on?!?

The Evansville Police Department says Wilkinson had been drinking, but say if that hadn't been the case, he might not have been charged because the incident was an accident.

And this is the biggest B.S. statement of all that I see. WTH does him being under the influence have anything at all to do with it?!?! It was NOT an accident! It was a reckless and negligent discharge of a firearm that injured people, period, end of story. If you "play" with your loaded gun, in public, and it goes off - you need to be held responsible for where that bullet goes. The guy should have been charged and prosecuted REGARDLESS of if he was drinking or not!

 

[Big Bubba]

Sounds like Josh could be getting some well deserved time in the hotel do right.

 

[FloridaBlue]

The Florida gun shows that I have been to here all do the zip tie around the trigger as well but there are sheriff's at the front clearing the weapon, unloading the mags and then they zip tie the triggers. Whether this guy had been drinking or not is pointless as it was still a discharge in a public area that caused injury to two innocent people and thankfully it was only minor injuries at that.

 

[NavyLCDR]

The Florida gun shows that I have been to here all do the zip tie around the trigger as well but there are sheriff's at the front clearing the weapon, unloading the mags and then they zip tie the triggers. Whether this guy had been drinking or not is pointless as it was still a discharge in a public area that caused injury to two innocent people and thankfully it was only minor injuries at that.

That just sounds like one of the dumbest practices I have ever heard of, zip tying the trigger...

 

[Oldgrunt]

Down here, our weapons are secured at gun shows in the same manner described by NavyLT and you are not allowed to bring ammunition into the building. The zip tie remains in place until you have exited the building.

 

[snatale42]

So they allow you to zip tie your own gun???? Here in VA you hand your gun to the cop at the door and HE checks to make sure the gun is clear and put the zip tie thru your barrel so your slide can't ride home. I'm pretty sure it's MAJOR crap if you cut it while in the show.

 

[FN1910]

Not that I don't think the guy is a moron and should spend more than a weekend in jail just for making gun owners look bad, but I have to question the enforcement of the regulations at the show. Who in their right mind, with todays anti-gun environment would think it's Okay to carry unsecured ammunition into the show? Unsecured in the effect that this twit had a loaded magazine that could have been slapped into a display gun and used in a bad way!

I put some of the blame for this on the proprietors of the show for not taking assured actions to prevent this type of action from happening. And why the hell are they serving alcohol at a gun show? :angry: WTF?! Or did this guy show up after downing a couple of beers and he was granted admission anyway? Again WTF?! :angry:

Stupid people will always be stupid but the proprieters need to be smarter than the stupid people and enact regulations that will prevent stupid people for doing stupid thing in their show. IMHO of course.

For every post that I see complaining about the proprietors of a gun show not being strict enough I can also find one that swears that they will never go to a gun show where they can't walk around wearing their gun just as they always do. Then there are the ones that say there is nothing wrong with having a few beers while carrying especially if they have to be disarmed at a gun show.

You are correct about stupid people do stupid things but to blame the operators of the gun show for not enforcing the rules sounds exactly like what the Brady Bunch says about all guns and gun laws. What I find in this thread is a lot of nit-picking posts about terminology and trying to blame someone for not protecting people from an average gun show attendee when we at the same time complain about them trying to enforce those same rules upon us.

 

[pinklady]

It was a very dumb decision on his part.. Some people just don't have the common sense to carry a gun.

 

[NavyLCDR]

For every post that I see complaining about the proprietors of a gun show not being strict enough I can also find one that swears that they will never go to a gun show where they can't walk around wearing their gun just as they always do. Then there are the ones that say there is nothing wrong with having a few beers while carrying especially if they have to be disarmed at a gun show.

You are correct about stupid people do stupid things but to blame the operators of the gun show for not enforcing the rules sounds exactly like what the Brady Bunch says about all guns and gun laws. What I find in this thread is a lot of nit-picking posts about terminology and trying to blame someone for not protecting people from an average gun show attendee when we at the same time complain about them trying to enforce those same rules upon us.

There is ONE person who is 100% responsible for that negligent discharge. That's the guy who pulled the trigger or whose playing with his gun caused it to discharge. It doesn't matter what the gun show required/didn't require/enforced/didn't enforce and it doesn't matter if the guy was falling down drunk or had never consumed alcohol in his life. It was 100% NEGLIGENCE on his part.

I still stand by what I have said: people need to be held accountable for their actions, not what they carry or where they are carrying it.

 

[FloridaBlue]

NavyLT, I was kind of surprised myself the way they were securing them but I don't bring any guns with me so I didn't give it much of a thought until this thread popped up.

 

[NavyLCDR]

NavyLT, I was kind of surprised myself the way they were securing them but I don't bring any guns with me so I didn't give it much of a thought until this thread popped up.

It seems just plain dumb to tie wrap the trigger when there is a much more effective and safe way to do it. Of course they would have to pay 10 cents extra each for the larger tie wrap required to go through the magazine well or barrel.

 

[S&W645]

It seems just plain dumb to tie wrap the trigger when there is a much more effective and safe way to do it. Of course they would have to pay 10 cents extra each for the larger tie wrap required to go through the magazine well or barrel.

$12/1000 in 8" is cheap insurance.

 

[BruceGAtl]

It seems just plain dumb to tie wrap the trigger when there is a much more effective and safe way to do it. Of course they would have to pay 10 cents extra each for the larger tie wrap required to go through the magazine well or barrel.

NOT THAT I DON'T TRUST THE MEDIA.... but I have yet to see anyone tie the trigger and unless the guy writing the article was there and SAW that the trigger was tied... I will assume that they did it the same as they do here in GA.
That aside, this is NOT the fault of the organizer, officers providing security or the vendor that sold him a holster. If I had to guess I would say he cut the tie, seated the magazine, released the slide and then attempted to jam the gun into a brand new holster that he had never used before. First time I use a new holster, I do it after having removed my mag and cleared my gun, 'cause the slide could potentially get caught in a very tight new hoslter or the trigger could get snagged, etc... As for having the magazine in hand, no organizer that I know of does a full pat down or cavity search or even uses metal detectors. They depend on attendees paying attention to and abiding my the rules.
Soooo.... the point of my little tirade.... the fool that was handling the gun, is the one that deserves to take 100% of the responsibility for his irresponsible actions.

but that's just me.... YMMV (as it usually does...)