Lack of training invited personal injury

“Man shoots himself in testicles” [NWMonday, June 3] could be funny if it weren’t so real. This story was particularly poignant since it had a lot of detail usually missing from this type of report and was written mostly from the perspective of the paramedic who was there in person and helping.

It seems to me this 41-year-old man made a lot of red-flag mistakes.

• More than likely he had no formal training —or certainly inadequate firearm training, since he apparently put his trigger finger into the trigger guard while grabbing the gun. That’s no-no number one for any gun, especially handguns.
• He bought a Glock, which has no safety, and was carrying it with a round in the chamber. Pull a Glock trigger with a finger, a wad of clothing, or some other obstruction such as keys or a pencil and it fires. There are many reported instances of police officers accidentally firing their Glock duty pistol when reholstering. They have often cited the cause as clothing or some other item getting caught between the gun and the holster. Pistols without safeties are inappropriate for civilians to carry. He either had no holster or a holster that had no trigger coverage.
• He tucked it into the front of his pants. This is not a recommended carry position since the barrel inevitably points slightly inward, toward the body.
• He wore sweatpants with no belt. The Glock 30 weighs nearly three pounds loaded. No wonder it slipped. A proper gun belt is reinforced with a nylon core so it is very stable.
• He decided to carry to go to Lowe’s hardware store. I’ve been to this one; it seems a very safe place and area; no weapon required, in my opinion.

I hope this letter is a wake-up call for a lot of citizens who carry concealed weapons. To do so without adequate training and proper equipment is inviting your own injury.

I highly recommend anyone who carries a weapon to take a defensive handgun class.

— Joe Anderson, Bellevue

Glad man didn’t shoot innocent bystander

After reading about the man who shot himself in the testicles at Lowe’s, I had to check to affirm that I was still living in the United States. This sounds more like a Third World country where gunfire and bombs are a way of life.

I am not opposed to the use of firearms for legitimate purposes. My husband, children and grandchildren are hunters. All have taken hunter-safety courses and know how and when to use a hunting weapon. My son is a police officer who knows the danger of weapons in the hands of untrained persons.

So I had to ask myself: “Is it really necessary to carry a loaded hand gun to the hardware store?” While I wish harm to no one I can only be thankful that the man shot himself and not some innocent bystander.

— Beverlie Duff, Kent