The Taurus Judge has its share of fans as Taurus’s sales figures surely demonstrate. It also has a group of very dedicated detractors. But say what you will about the shot shell shooting revolver, it also seems to be fairly good at identifying people who probably shouldn’t handle any type of gun. Outside Nashville on Wednesday, The Judge reviewed all the evidence, considered the arguments presented and rendered its painful verdict…
Justin Newberry was tooling down I-24 when he hit the brakes, causing his Judge to slide out from under the driver’s seat. Casually tossing your gun under the seat of your car doesn’t really maximize accessibility when you really need it. But in this case, the gun was a little too accessible, rattling around Justin’s feet. And other than composing an email, what’s more fun than handling a gun at 70 mph when you’re behind the wheel? You probably know where this is going.
When Newberry reached down to pick it up he grabbed it by the trigger at which time “The Judge” went off. The round, which was a 410 slug, went into right thigh, exited, and continued on until it hit him in the left leg just above the ankle. He was able to safely pull the car into the median area about mile marker 6 and call 911 for help.
It’s kinda hard to figure how he got the gun off the floor, all the way up to lap height and then managed to squeeze the heavy trigger enough to blow holes through a thigh and an ankle. But let’s not quibble with details.
Luckily for Justin, the slug didn’t hit an artery and he was helicoptered to a local hospital where he’ll be taking advantage of a bed pan for the foreseeable future. He’ll also have some questions to answer while he’s convalescing.
Police who answered the call also discovered marijuana and drug paraphernalia, as well as a variety of identification documents from different locations in the country, Knoll said.
There are plenty of ways to safely secure a gun in a car. And if quick access isn’t a concern – as it apparently wasn’t for Newberry – there’s always the glove box. But Justin will probably have some time, courtesy of the state of Tennessee, to ponder all that along with how he’ll celebrate his hard-won status as TTAG’s irresponsible gun owner of the day.
[h/t Patrick Brown for the link]