Posted on 01/14/2009 1:35:33 PM PST by skyman
The public toilet at Centerville's Carl's Jr. restaurant never knew what hit it. But police say it was a .40-caliber slug fired from a patron's handgun, which went off as he was hitching up his pants.
Centerville police confiscated the 26-year-old Salt Lake City man's firearm, for which he has a concealed weapons permit, after the incident Tuesday.
Police Lt. Paul Child said the bullet shattered the toilet and sent sharp shards into the man's arm. The minor injuries were treated at the scene.
The toilet? A total loss.
Police said the man told them his pistol fell out of the holster and fired into the toilet as he was pulling up his pants.
"The gun fell out of the holster, striking the tile
floor," Child said. "When the gun hit the floor, it went off. ... The man was hit by some of the porcelain in the arm, causing some small lacerations."
No one else was injured in the accident, but a woman in an adjacent restroom reported chest pain after being frightened by the shot. She did not go to a hospital.
Police said the accident would have been prevented if the man had used a more secure holster.
"A good-quality firearm also should not fire if it is dropped," Child said.
No charges are being filed against the man, but Centerville police did take his firearm "for safe-keeping" while they review the incident.
"He was a little shook up, so we just wanted to take it right then and allow him time to gather himself before releasing it to him," Child said.
Utah Highway Patrol Trooper Cameron Roden said police commonly pull weapons permits after crimes of violence, felonies or convictions of weapons violations. But he said agencies also sometimes confiscate weapons for a short time as part of their investigation.
This is why I never carry one in the pipe and keep the hammer down. I figure racking the slide is the last sanity check I have before I possibly make a life or death changing event.
I agree. I'd love to know the make and model of this toilet tamer.
Before or after he flushed?
This can get serious if the safeties were defective there could be a very large suit over this. A cop in a small town north of here had a brand new SW 9mm that wsuppoa
sedly had a slide safty that was faulty he was demonstating it at a gun class depressed the slide and it still went off right into his hand. He got a cool #500 grand over it.
I’d like to know what kind of .40 cal he had that goes off that easy. Neither of mine have that issue. I whack them pretty good at the range to test them. I’m kind of surprised we don’t hear about things like this more often.
I predict this will get wide coverage, including TV, when prevented murders, prevented robberies, saved lives, by CCW never do
60 years ago I used to drop cherry bombs in gas station restrooms and flush, blowing up the toilet with not much noise.
I only did it in restrooms that were filthy!
Quality doesn’t have much to do with it if it lands on the hammer.
I’ll bet the weapon fired as he tried to grab it in mid drop and he caught the trigger.
Not many modern weapons in good repair will fire if dropped.
Any time a knife or firearm is dropped it should be allowed to hit the ground.
More likely the guy stopped up the john and was too embarassed to ask for a plunger. Something sure smells.
I’ve got a 1911 that’ll do that. Never keep one in the chamber.
tried to Shoot the $h!T of the pot.
“Any time a knife or firearm is dropped it should be allowed to hit the ground.”
That bears repeating.
Make that a good quality firearm without a hammer. I have a Beretta .32 cal and the instruction book definitely says not to drop it on the hammer ...
JOHN HAYNE SAID YOU ALWAYS KEEP ONE CYLINDER EMPTY UNDER THE HAMMER
IF IT WAS AN AUTOPMATICE THEN HE WAS PLAYING WITH IT (THEY DON’T GO OFF UNLESS COCKED AND READY)
with apologies to Dave Barry
I’ve seen Hi-Point semiautos go off like that. Friend of mine had one that if you swapped out the mag with one in the pipe and slammed the new mag home with your palm like you’re supposed to, it would discharge. Not the only one I’ve seen with “impact sensitivity” either.
Your 1911 is broken. If it drops the hammer when its dropped (and not onto the hammer) then you need to have it fixed.
Absolutely. Same here, for the same reasons. If it’s come time to load the barrel, decision’s been made that bullets will be leaving the said barrel shortly.
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