What is Rule No. 1 Again?

DEA agent shoots self in leg during gun-safety class for kids
Southeast Medical
By Pamela J. Johnson
Orlando Sentinel

April 30, 2004, 10:27 AM EDT

ORLANDO -- The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration is investigating an incident in which one of its agents giving a presentation to Orlando-area children on gun safety shot himself in the thigh.

Orlando police investigators have ruled the April 9 shooting at The Callahan Center, 101 N. Parramore Ave., accidental, police Lt. Curley Bowman said Thursday night.

But DEA special agent Joe Kilmer said Thursday night that an internal investigation led by officials at the agency's headquarters in Washington was still ongoing. Kilmer would not release the name of the agent involved. After the agent was treated at Orlando Regional Medical Center for a gunshot wound to his left thigh, he returned to work, Kilmer said.

Vivian Farmer, 52, was in a classroom at The Callahan Center with her 13-year-old nephew when the agent began his presentation about 7 p.m. Roughly 50 adults and children were present, and it was "standing room only," Farmer said Thursday night.

The presentation was part of a class called "The Game of Life, The Game of Golf," according to a police report. It was held by the Orlando Minority Youth Golf Association, which aims to introduce minority children to the sport. The agent was speaking to the youths about making good life choices and included a presentation on gun safety, according to the report.

During the speech, the agent drew his .40-caliber duty weapon and removed the magazine, the report said. He then pulled back the slide and asked a man in the audience to look inside the weapon to make sure it was not loaded, the report said.

"The person nodded that it didn't have ammunition," Farmer recounted. "The gun was never pointed at anyone."

Witnesses told police that the agent kept his gun pointed toward the floor and when he released the slide, the weapon fired one shot into the top of his thigh.

"The kids screamed and started to cry," Farmer recounted. "My first thought was that it was part of his presentation. I thought it was a blank and he was trying to make a point about how easy it is to fire, to get the kids' attention. But then I looked at the agent's face and he looked surprised. Then there was a quick grimace on his face of sudden pain.

"I thought, 'This isn't a joke. This is real.' "

Farmer said most people rushed out while an ambulance and police were arriving.

"Everyone was pretty shaken up," Farmer said. "But the point of gun safety hit home. Unfortunately, the agent had to get shot. But after seeing that, my nephew doesn't want to have anything to do with guns."

[theletch1]

Umm, that's agent Doo-mahs, sir. It's french.

[Touch Of Death]

If it weren't so tragic it would be funny. Perhaps the students were given a better gun safty course than anyone had intended.
Sean

[Kembudo-Kai Kempoka]

Gun safety in Florida. Hm. Is that like Intelligent dinner conversation in Appalachia?

[KenpoTex]

Originally Posted by Spud

"Everyone was pretty shaken up," Farmer said. "But the point of gun safety hit home. Unfortunately, the agent had to get shot. But after seeing that, my nephew doesn't want to have anything to do with guns."

Yes children, guns are bad, the only way to be safe around guns is not to have them...period. Way to go stupid, you just made gun owners look like a bunch of idiots again. I can practically hear Sarah Brady now: "If a highly trained federal agent could have a mishap what about a private citizen...we must think of the children."

[Nightingale]

My dad's idea of teaching gun safety:

take kids out to the outdoor shooting range. set up a watermelon as a target. shoot watermelon. watermelon blows to bits in a shower of red goo.

"kids, that's what could happen to your head or your friend's head if you play with daddy's guns. you have to always think a gun is loaded, and a loaded gun can hurt you if you don't know the right way to touch it, so don't do it until your mom and I decide you're old enough to know how." kids: "ok, dad!"

funny... we never had a problem with me or my brother playing with dad's guns, even though they were readily accessible (mounted on the wall as showpieces, unloaded, of course...bullets were in the lockbox)

[Touch Of Death]

Originally Posted by kenpotex

Yes children, guns are bad, the only way to be safe around guns is not to have them...period. Way to go stupid, you just made gun owners look like a bunch of idiots again. I can practically hear Sarah Brady now: "If a highly trained federal agent could have a mishap what about a private citizen...we must think of the children."

Truth be told, children are obstacles to our god given second amendment rights. Ashcroft aint got nothin' on childrens advocates when it comes to suppressing our rights. I don't own a gun (at present) and I don't trouble myself with this issue, but objectively all the child safty implements such as trigger locks and keeping them in a safe to avoid accidents, really makes owning a gun more and more unusefull. But isn't that the goal of legislation all along?
Sean (www.iemat.com)

Originally Posted by Nightingale

.....snip......

funny... we never had a problem with me or my brother playing with dad's guns, even though they were readily accessible (mounted on the wall as showpieces, unloaded, of course...bullets were in the lockbox)

Heh. Wasn't the Agent's gun unloaded as welll

[Nightingale]

But my bro and I had enough sense not to check!

Originally Posted by Nightingale

But my bro and I had enough sense not to check!

True That! :thumb:

[Chronuss]

Originally Posted by Kembudo-Kai Kempoka

Gun safety in Florida. Hm. Is that like Intelligent dinner conversation in Appalachia?

...I resemble that remark.

[KenpoTex]

Originally Posted by Nightingale

My dad's idea of teaching gun safety:

take kids out to the outdoor shooting range. set up a watermelon as a target. shoot watermelon. watermelon blows to bits in a shower of red goo.

"kids, that's what could happen to your head or your friend's head if you play with daddy's guns. you have to always think a gun is loaded, and a loaded gun can hurt you if you don't know the right way to touch it, so don't do it until your mom and I decide you're old enough to know how." kids: "ok, dad!"

funny... we never had a problem with me or my brother playing with dad's guns, even though they were readily accessible (mounted on the wall as showpieces, unloaded, of course...bullets were in the lockbox)

This sounds remarkably similar to my dad's method of teaching gun safety. I started shooting when I was about 5 and never once tried to mess with one without my dad around. This is the only effective way to ensure safety, all the trigger locks in the world ain't going to make a difference. And, with your gun locked, if you need it you're not going to be able to get to it in time.