If you asked a gun guy or gal to name a group of people who are proficient weapons-handlers, Navy SEALs would be at or near the top of the list. Their training regimen is legendary. If there’s a more disciplined, effective group, I’m not sure who they’d be. Which makes what happened in San Diego all the more tragic. And instructive…
From utsandiego.com:
A Navy SEAL accidentally shot himself in the head early Thursday morning in Pacific Beach, and was on life support at a hospital, San Diego police said.
(Officer Frank) Cali said the victim had gone to a bar, met a woman and brought her back to his residence, where his roommate was sleeping. Cali said the man and woman had been drinking.
The man got out several guns to show the woman, but she asked him to put them away, Cali said. The man insisted that it was safe and put a pistol that he believed was unloaded to his head. He pulled the trigger and fired a round into his head.
If this tells you anything, it should be that a negligent discharge can happen to anyone. Anyone who lets the guard of his (or her) better judgement down long enough to forget those four little rules.
The un-named SEAL (not pictured above) is reportedly on life support. Here’s hoping he makes a Giffords-like recovery.