Opinion
Virginia – -(AmmoLand.com)- From Patch.com “DALE CITY, VA — A Springfield woman is facing charges after she shot herself with her own gun while attending a sporting event at a local high school. Violet C. Ross, 37, is charged with reckless handling of a firearm after her gun fired while she was attempting to remove it and its holster from her belt, according to reports.”
Here’s what I think happened from reading the article:
- A VA CHP holder discovers that she has a gun on her as she’s approaching a high school football field.
- Upon realizing her major mistake, she headed back to her car to lock up the gun.
- She was probably unloading the gun to comply with yet another stupid law that applies when on school property, and discharged the gun while doing so. I’m sure she was incredibly nervous and broke a few safety rules. The bullet struck her and she had to go to the hospital.
- She is charged with reckless handling of a firearm and I hope that is the only charge she gets.
My thoughts: If such a thing were to ever happen to me:
- I would Immediately get to my car and drive off school grounds
- Once safely off of school grounds, I would relax and carefully remove my handgun and unload it. At this point there is no hurry, so I would take my time
- I would then place the unloaded handgun in a closed compartment or container, such as the glovebox, console, trunk, etc.
- Finally, I would then drive back onto school property and go about my original business
I would NOT approach an officer and tell him of my mistake. I would just get off the school property ASAP and then unload and store the gun to comply with Virginia law (18.2-308.1)
About Virginia Citizens Defense League, Inc. (VCDL):
Virginia Citizens Defense League, Inc. (VCDL). VCDL is an all-volunteer, non-partisan grassroots organization dedicated to defending the human rights of all Virginians. The Right to Keep and Bear Arms is a fundamental human right.
For more information, visit: www.vcdl.org.