Reader Paul M. writes:
I thought it would never happen to me, but last night it did. I accidentally discharged my Mossberg 930 loaded with buckshot in my one-bedroom apartment. Fortunately, there were no injuries and the damage was contained. The accident was a combination of thinking it was unloaded thinking the safety was on and not being familiar with the sensitivity of this particular trigger. That’s the only way I can rationalize it . . .
I’m not new to guns; it just happened. The shot went through my bedroom wall straight into the back of my refrigerator where all the pellets stayed. I was not in shooting position and I believe that might have resulted in cracking the gun’s stock. I had never fired this gun before.
After the accident, I was panicked, anxious and mad at myself — I felt an awful feeling. I guess my neighbors didn’t hear it or they just dismissed what they heard because police never showed up. I spoke with my apartment manager and maintenance man this morning. They came out and were actually as cool as you can be in this sort of situation. I’ll have to pay to fix the wall and replace the fridge, but hopefully that’ll be the end of it.
Suffice it to say I learned a harsh lesson last night that I vow never to repeat.