As sorry as I feel for the survivors, I cannot help but be sorry that he did not do this BEFORE he produced any survivors. In any case, making a point like this is stupid. He could have accomplished the same thing by pointing the weapon in a safe direction. I was giving a group of Scouts a lesson in handgun safety. There had been several instances in kids "finding" a handgun and then taking it to school. While the schools teach "leave it alone and call an adult", I happen to be more realistic and understand that will NOT happen. So, to impress upon a group of Scouts that a gun is always loaded, I loaded a 1911 with a magazine of dummy rounds; only the first round was a blank and not a dummy. After charging the pistol I asked how many of them thought the pistol was loaded. All raised their hands. I then removed the magazine and asked how many thought the pistol was NOT loaded. All but one boy raised his hand. I then pointed the pistol in a SAFE direction and pulled the trigger. You should have seen the looks on their faces when the thing went off! I then told them that a pistol is NEVER unloaded, so it should NEVER be pointed at anything that they did not intend to shoot. The lesson of not pointing a weapon at something that you don't want to kill was so ingrained into me that I cannot even play paintball. My father invited me to a paintball game one time and I told him that I could not participate. When he asked me why, I told him "you were the one that drilled into my head never to point a gun at something that I did not want to kill. So, there is no way that I am going to play a game that involves shooting at one or more of my family members." My father looked at me for a few moments, and then said "I taught you well." He did not play paintball after that, either.
