Back when I was writing my blog on Blogger before it was hacked (who would do something like that?) , I wrote a bunch of posts that I called Stupid and Dangerous and started numbering them. The thing is, I just couldn’t keep numbering because there are so many stupid and dangerous incidents with guns. I had trouble keeping up.

In the last few weeks there have been enough of them that I decided that I must write again about how irresponsible and stupid so many gun owners are with their dangerous weapons. The risks are many when one brings a gun into one’s home or carries in public. Enough so, that reconsideration may be necessary in order to stay safe.

So let me begin my list of stupid, dangerous and sometimes deadly incidents with guns:

• A man in Washington state hid drugs in his butt and pocket and then his not too well hidden gun fired, shooting him in the testicles. (How often do gun rights extremists claim this cannot happen?) Yes, one wants to feel for the guy, but really? Come on. He was a convicted felon with drugs and a gun: “Wilson, who is a 13-time convicted felon, told his girlfriend to dispose of the weapon before heading to the hospital, the paper said…..When the ex-con finally went to the hospital, a balloon of marijuana slipped out of his anus while a doctor was operating on the gunshot wound, court records show….Cops also arrived at the hospital when alerted of the gunshot wound and searched Wilson’s car where they discovered a bag of meth in the blood-stained jeans he was wearing when he shot himself. ” No more words necessary

• A Minnesota man “forgot” that his gun was on the roof of the car and when he drove off in his car, it fell off somewhere– he doesn’t have any idea where. At least he reported it to law enforcement who have been searching for the gun. Who knows who will find it? A young child? A teen? A felon? A domestic abuser? How can one forget a gun on the roof of the car. When you have a gun, it should not be placed anywhere but in a safe place- like a holster? Where was the guy going to put that gun once he got inside of his car? That’s a question worth asking. Seems to me he should lose his license to carry around a gun given the carelessness.
• A man shot and killed his own daughter through his door thinking she was an intruder. Pretty quick on the draw don’t you think? Do you fire first and ask questions later? At least he can’t claim “Stand Your Ground”. In any event this is a terrible tragedy and this man will never be the same. This story is the example of how guns bought for self defense more often are used against the gun owner or someone they love or know.
• A man cleaned his gun and put it inexplicably on his bed to “dry”. He forgot it was there, loaded, and laid down on top of it. When he moved it, the gun “accidentally” fired, injuring him. You can’t make this stuff up.
• A Miami cop and firearms instructor “accidentally” fired his gun when he reached his hand into his pocket and shot a woman in line at a Publix store. What about this makes any common sense? I thought firearms instructors trained gun carriers not to carry their guns around in their pockets? If not, shouldn’t they? And what’s worse: “Other training officers in Florida have committed even worse acts by accident. In 2017, a cop and the chief of police in Punta Gorda were criminally charged after Officer Lee Coel unintentionally shot a librarian dead during a “Shoot/Don’t Shoot” training exercise. Coel had unwittingly used live rounds instead of blanks. The chief was fired from his job but was later acquitted in court. Coel’s case remains open.” The officer from the Publix incident won’t be charged because it was and accident? What happened to reckless endangerment?

And of course, none of these involve the many many other shooting incidents happening every day that are intentional. Common sense tells us that this is not normal. But in America, of course, it is. Sadly it is because our leaders have decided they would rather be lapdogs to the corporate gun lobby than to protect us from gun violence.

Guns are dangerous. Many gun owners understand that and take care not to let stupid and dangerous things happen with their guns. But there are so many guns out there owned by people who shouldn’t have them in the first place thanks to our loose gun laws and elected leaders with no backbone, that incidents like the ones I described above seem to be on the increase.

It goes without saying that something needs to be done. Keep the pressure on your elected leaders to do whatever needs to be done to stop the above mentioned incidents and keep us all safe from this lunacy. Join a gun violence prevention organization. Talk to your legislators and Congress members. Talk to your friends. Safely store your guns and ask others to do the same. Make sure people are trained properly before going anywhere or doing anything with a loaded weapon.

The gun lobby would love to normalize the carrying of guns in public so we just get used to having people with guns everywhere. Should we just get used to these “normal” people shooting the rest of us?