MO man accidentally kills himself while teaching gun safety

This happened in Imperial, Mo., over on the east side of the state. James Looney, 40, was trying to educate his girlfriend on how to handle guns. Snip from the AP:

Looney was demonstrating how to use the different safety mechanisms on several guns. Witnesses told authorities that Looney would put the guns to his head, ask his girlfriend if she thought the gun would go off, then pull the trigger.

The third time he did that, he shot himself in the head and later died, authorities say.

Comments

[Searching]

Well, I'll bet she never does that.

[Sasquach]

Sounds like he skipped Rule #1: Treat every gun like it's loaded.

[spicolli]

LOL, Searching, I guess his gun safety course kinda worked.

Here's to you, Mr. puts the gun to his and pulls the trigger while the safety is off guy. Real men of guinuss.

[The Golfer]

Oops?

[Elrond of Rivendell]

Bet he won't do it ever again either!

And this is NOT an accident. This is a case of irresponsible, nay, STUPID firearms handling.

What this guy was teaching is HOW NOT TO BE SAFE WITH A GUN.

This breaks RULE NUMBER 1 of safe handling practices.

Don't point your gun at anything you don't want to shoot!!!!

[abbyful]

Basic gun safety:
- treat all guns as if they are loaded
- NEVER POINT THE GUN AT ANYTHING YOU AREN'T WILLING TO DESTROY
- keep your finger off the trigger until read to fire
- be sure of your target and what's behind it

[Elrond of Rivendell]

I think this guy qualifies for a Darwin Award.

Here's hoping he didn't procreate before this incident.

[The G]

His last name is the best part of the read.

[mutt]

I handled firearms as a professional and privately for many years. Never once have I thought of putting a gun to my head and pulling the trigger. And stories like this one are the reasons why.

[anarchanon]

Kind of tragic, but mostly sardonic.

[Saucyjack]

See this is where I disagree, the best way to test the saftey of a gun is to point it at something you care about, that way you will be extra sure it is set. I usually point mine at my kids then squeeze, so far they are still alive, my theory works.

[Cleophus Lovejoy]

That's a trick you can only do once...

[REALLY!?!]

Sounds like he was trying to commit suicide. No one in their right minds pull tricks like this...

[Dan]

Ha Ha!

[kctruth]

Natural selection is still solidly in play.

[tonyspdx]

Darwin at its best

[ghost]

This guy was truly a idiot. The actual gun rules, which have been quoted by several here, were ignored.

I guess it was his time to leave the gene pool.

[AG]

How NOT to impress a woman.

[AG]

And lets be clear. He wasn't really "teaching gun safety". He was trying to show his girlfriend how much more he knew about guns than she did.

Why is it men who do stupid stuff like this, about 99% of the time? I'm seriously asking...

[sly]

I had no idea Dick Cheney had fathered a son, much less that he lived in MO.

[River Rat]

The last name seems kind of fitting.

[marky]

A loaded gun is a deadly weapon. Don't ever forget that. Many lives are lost yearly due to accidental discharge. Let this be a reminder to all gun handlers everywhere. Don't ever take anything for granted.

My question is, why on earth did this gun need to be loaded to teach the proper use of the safety mechanisms?

[Brandon]

Why name the article teaching gun safety when he clearly had no clue what he was doing. Shame on whoever wrote that.

[Karla Sanders]

I don't know anyting about guns, but I know enough not to put a gun to my head and pull the trigger for any reason. I fill sorry for the girlfriend, who had to witness this very stupid act.

[Drasil]

I rate this as more "russian roulette" than teaching gun safety.

[www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=623036818]

Agree with kctruth this shud b given a Darwin award!

[Elrond of Rivendell]

"A loaded gun is a deadly weapon."

Of course.

But what some people don't realize is that an unloaded gun is an equally deadly weapon.

Unloaded guns kill lots of people, including this imbecile.

The pun here is, many people will do foolish and irresponsible things with guns they "believe" to be unloaded. Things they would NEVER do with a loaded gun.

Hence, one of those rules we responsible gun owners follow is, "treat every gun AS IF IT WERE LOADED."

Wouldn't put a loaded gun to your head, right (at least if you have half a brain?)

Well, then don't put an unloaded gun to your head either.

[Ben Meover]

I bet he was a police officer, they're about that smart.

[deathweezel]

"Mrs Looney, we regret to inform you that your son is dead because he was stupid."

[Tim P]

How many times can you stop a speeding bullet?

... once.

[JT]

Where's the news article saying this is 'proof' that Americans are not fit to bear arms and we all should be stripped of the 2nd Amendment?

I'm sure there will be an editorial in the KC Star/ST. Louis PD tomorrow...

[Phil]

Wow. Well, hopefully people will take this as a lesson not to be so careless with firearms. This gentleman is not the first, nor the last to do this, but hopefully people reading this will gain a little more respect for firearms and the incredible responsibility involved in the handling of them. They are inanimate objects that have the potential to cause catastrophic, indiscriminate damage to whatever is in the path of the projectile. They must be handled with care and with respect for the immense responsibility that comes with handling a firarm.

[duke]

"Listen, up! I'm only going to show you this once..."

[Snatch Dispatch]

Maybe he wasn't really trying to teach gun safety at all, perhaps he was trying to teach her a little biology by showing her his brain? in tiny pieces of course.

[Rwise]

That's no way to get "ahead" in life.