Milwaukee man dies after accidentally shooting himself in leg
You already know how this story is going to go…
A 22-year-old Milwaukee man died early Friday after it appeared he accidentally shot himself in the leg as he was putting his gun back in its holster, according the Milwaukee County medical examiner’s office.
Spent some time looking to see if I’d already told the story this article brought to mind, and it seems I only alluded to it once. I do have my own “I just f***ing shot myself” story. I was, um, very young. And didn’t really shoot myself. But for a horrid few moments I truly thought I had…
When I first moved west, of course I went through a single-action revolver phase. And I had a .22 DA revolver that was styled like a single-action. And of course one day I just had to play quick-draw.
I was playing, too. With a gun, with live rounds, and you can only get stupider than that by degree. There is no stupider kind of stupid.
So I was all Wyatt Earp:
draw BANG! holster
draw BANG! holster
draw BANG! holstBANG!
And I felt a sudden sharp pain. In my right foot. Which then, as now, was the only foot I had.
I was afraid to look down. It wasn’t the pain, which wasn’t really very much, and it wasn’t the fear of injury, because nobody could know better than me that a through-and-through .22 hit on your foot may be painful and temporarily disabling but it’s certainly survivable. No, it was the fact that I had just sustained the most clichéd bullet wound imaginable and there was no way I was going to keep it secret. I was going to have to drive myself to a hospital and publicly admit I’d just shot myself in the foot. My only foot.
Finally I convinced my neck to move my head, so that my eyes might gaze upon the extent of the damage. To my only foot.
I was wearing soft shoes – moccasins, actually – and I saw with uncomprehending shock that there was no blood. No hole. No apparent damage. I had not, in fact, shot my foot. I shot a rock next to my foot, which splintered and hit my foot hard enough to hurt. The pistol gods had had their laugh at me, and then threw me back in to grow larger and wiser.
I don’t play that game any more. I do holster drills, of course, but I’m much older and at least marginally wiser and my trigger finger reflexively stays the hell away from the trigger guard until I’m ready to fire.
Oh dear… I’m sorry, but that was funny. Of course it would not have been quite as funny if you’d really hurt yourself, and the “only foot” thing just makes it more poignant. I am glad it was a .22 and not a 45, since the rock might have done seriously more damage then…
But, large or small, stupid does manage to overcome all of us at one time or another. Sometimes more than once. 🙂 Over the years I’ve seen people at the range and in my classes do all manner of stupid things, so I’m glad to say that – so far – none has produced either blood or wounds. Well, except for the guy who forgot where his thumb belonged and got it ripped by a semi-auto slide… after being warned about a dozen times.
Honest, I didn’t laugh. 🙂
Stupidity is a symptom of young males.
In my late teens, a friend & I were shooting at a dumpster with a .22 (yes, were were drinking, naturally; male. late teens, rural TN). We stopped when a round came back & hit just under the toe of my boot. My foot stung, but it didn’t penetrate the sole.
I got smarter. As to how much, well…
I am much smarter about weapons, at least, & not combining alcohol with same. About target selection as well.
Incidentally, I did laugh.
Reminded me of the day i shot myself in the head. .22 rifle, mostly rocky shale backstop. Ricochet of rock or bullet fragment hit me in the right temple. Just broke the skin. Remembering an important appointment, I unloaded the rifle and went home.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ABGIJwiGBc
Looks like it was a “learning experience” for that guy…
}:-]