On Monday, January 16, 2023, a firearm-holstering mishap at a Lake County gun club resulted in an accidental discharge. The bullet struck the shooter’s upper thigh requiring hospitalization though the wounds would prove non-life threatening.
Lauren Berlinn, the Public Information Officer for the Lake County Sheriff’s Office, told us a member of the Konocti Rod and Gun Club was target shooting with a guest at Lakeport’s Highland Springs Range.
The guest attempted to holster their firearm when loose clothing caught the gun, leading to the accidental discharge. LCSO Deputies arrived on the scene and interviewed the gun club member and injured guest and determined the discharge was unintentional.
The injured party, shot in the upper thigh, was flown to Santa Rosa’s Memorial Hospital. After receiving treatment, they were released.’
A review of relevant literature offers a handful of maxims to abide by when reholstering a firearm: 1) keep your finger off the trigger when holstering 2) eyeball the gun into the holster to ensure nothing catches the firearm or its components and cause an accidental discharge.
Oops. That hurts. RULE #1 KEEP YOUR FINGER OFF THE TRIGGER TILL READY TO FIRE. Clothing or not. I doubt the clothing pulled the trigger. As a longtime URPC member I know that a gun club member is responsible for the actions of their guests. Man this really sucks for all involved parties. Be thankful that nobody got SHOT IN THE HEAD!!!!!!!!!!!
What a dumb ass, just goes to show just because someone can buy a firearm doesn’t mean they should handle one!
Hand a person an unloaded gun and see where they point it. If they wave it around unaware of what it is pointed at, take it away. This is rule number one. The same applies to car driving. A car is also a deadly weapon. There is only one kind of dead.