Man shoots himself in leg at gun club

| 04/05/2015 | 17 Comments

(CNS): A member of the local gun club shot himself in the leg at the weekend as a result of equipment failure, according to the shooting association. Police said the emergency services were called to the shooting range near the airport at around 2:30pm on Saturday. The man was treated for a minor wound at the George Town hospital, and while police are investigating, an RCIPS spokesperson said they did not suspect foul play.

Cayman News Service

Cayman Islands Sport Shooting Association

In a statement, the Cayman Islands Sport Shooting Association pointed out its safety record, as the accident is believed to be the first for more than three decades.

“We still retain one of the safest sporting records and regret any anxiety this may have caused the public,” the club said. “It is believed that the injury was due to an equipment failure. The injury was minor and not life-threatening. The injured member received medical attention and is doing fine.”

The individual has not been named and it is not known if it is a police officer or not. Although the range is for sport shooting, it is also used by police as a practice range

“As with any sport, there are inherent risks of injury and that proved to be the case today. However, it is the first in the 35 year history of our club and the safety and first aid training of our members and range officers proved the high standard of our safety training. As with other sporting organizations, we are not immune to accidents but this proved to be an exception in our circumstance. We still retain one of the safest sporting records and regret any anxiety this may have caused the public,” the association said, offering its thanks to the emergency personnel that responded.

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Comments (17)

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  1. Anonymous says:

    Equipment failure… And all this time we have been told that guns don’t shoot people, people shoot people. This gun needs to be locked up for a good ten years!

  2. Just Sayin' says:

    The technical term for this, I believe, is “Dr Franking” oneself.

  3. Anonymous says:

    Now I am all for the gun club.However, I do avoid days where people are walking around like roosters with a firearm.

    OK, so hear the logic here: ”It is believed that the injury was due to an equipment failure”.

    Now while I do believe that there are indeed equipment failures with all things. The training that is suppose to be given, is that; at all times, the gun should not be pointed towards anyone..period. When at rest the gun should be range safe with the exit chamber being exposed to show that the weapon is cleared and unloaded.

    Since, we have cleared the safety procedures…. Then can someone please explain to me. Are they saying that the weapon was loaded and discharged because of an actual weapon failure? If it was loaded,(known because a bullet was expelled from it) why was it pointed at anyone? I mean, if the gun used properly and discharged because of a fault, it should not have lodged a bullet in someone due to being used properly. I was trained that a gun, should never sweep anyone, not even for a split second, whether loaded or not, especially on a range.

    So, if it is not the an equipment failure, due to poor training and or gun handle procedures, then the question is. What happens next? A fine? A revisit to how these people are trained?

    Just some questions for an unrealistic response to report as ”equipment failure”.

    • Anonymous says:

      Let’s hear a technical explanation on what the “equipment failure” actually involved. Was it an Elmer Fudd back-firing gun with a rubber barrel? A thorough investigation should be mandatory as well as imposition of a strict penalty for neligence.

      • Anonymous says:

        What? I don’t mean to minimize the issue but it sounds like there was a minor injury due to an accident at a local sporting event.

        That requires a thorough police investigation and legal strict penalty? Are you in support of this for all minor injuries at all sporting events?

        • Anonymous says:

          Er, yes. ‘Certainly ones that involve the discharge of lethal weapons, or are you OK with that?

          • Anonymous says:

            Like a golf club?

          • Anonymous says:

            Hmmm “Lethal weapon”… That is subjective in the context of a sport that is accepted worldwide and was one of the first nine Olympic sports. “Weapons” are things used to gain an advantage or defend oneself. A “lethal weapon” is something capable of causing death. In that case I suppose a thorough investigation should be done every time someone accidentally cuts themselves with a kitchen knife or a pair scissors. Or perhaps one should have to have a license to own baseball bats, hockey sticks and golf clubs. A boxer’s hands have to be registered with the state because they are considered lethal weapons but millions of people around the globe paid good money to watch two men in the fight of the century on Saturday night hoping they would knock each other’s lights out. Personally, I would feel safer alone in a room with a loaded gun than alone in a room with the likes of Floyd Mayweather.

      • Anonymous says:

        You would think a hole in the leg would be penalty enough. How many snorkeling/diving/waverunner deaths have happened, this year alone (not 35+ years), in Cayman? How about you start your investigations where if can make a real difference.

  4. Anonymous says:

    Equiptment failure. I’ve heard it all now. Obviously it was an accident but I highly doubt it was the fault of the equiptment.

  5. Anonymous says:

    It was NOT a police officer

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