Irresponsible Gun Owner of the Day: Unidentified Man Who “Played Russian Roulette with his Dog”

“As Russian roulette opponents go, the dog should have been an easy target,” dailymail.co.uk reports. Whoa. Hang on there. I realize that Britain’s handgun ban has left the country’s media ignorant about what a firearm can and cannot do. But everyone knows that Russian roulette does not involve “targets.” One bullet, one revolver, multiple players. Each player spins the cylinder, places the gun against his head and then pulls the trigger. So, unless you rig up something like that device that turns rats into coke fiends, a dog can’t “play” Russian roulette. OK, go . . .

His wife told police Mr Little had been sitting outside their home for several hours drinking moonshine on Tuesday evening.

Then at around 9pm, he picked up his handgun and announced he was going to play Russian roulette.

He then aimed one or two empty clicks at the dog’s head – before turning the gun on himself.

Captain Jim Andrews, of the South Bend Police Department, told the local newspaper his wife ‘said he got tired of that, then put the gun to his own head and pulled the trigger’.

Literary and pistol pedant that I am, I’d like to point out that you can’t aim a click. And again, proper Russian roulette involves a fresh spin cycle every time.

Also note: for many revolvers, YOU CAN SEE THE BULLET IN THE CHAMBER. If you know which way the cylinder revolves (there’s a little arrow-like marking on the side), you’ll know when a cartridge is next in the queue.

There’s only two ways NOT to know you’re about to blow your head off. Don’t look (drinking huge amounts of alcohol helps there) or use a revolver that visually shields the cylinder at the rear (e.g. the Chiappa Rhino).

This is hard to write, but if you’re hell-bent on doing something stupid with a gun, a responsible gun owner doesn’t involve anyone—or any animal—in their plans. Safety first. Safety last.