Posted on 12/06/2005 8:48:15 AM PST by raccoonradio
ST. PARIS, Ohio -- Steven Zorn had put the pen gun to his head and clicked before, apparently thinking it was jammed and would not work.
But on the third try, the tiny silver pistol went off as the 22-year-old budding rap artist was drinking to celebrate an impending record deal. He died at a hospital.
The Nov. 18 shooting at Zorn's home in this rural village of 2,000, about 50 miles northeast of Dayton, is believed to have been accidental, according to family, friends and law enforcement officials.
"Steven had a career and his dreams all ahead of him," said Zorn's mother, Lisa McCoy-Horn. She said she wants lawmakers to outlaw pen guns, which are small-caliber, single-shot weapons that resemble pens.
Zorn had taught himself to play the keyboard and record tracts using inexpensive software on his home computer. He tracked down rap artist Miracle in Georgia and urged the crunk artist to listen to a CD of his original recordings.
"The lyrical content was awesome," Miracle said. "He had a lot of skill. I took a liking to him, took him under my wing.
Oh, demon alcohol (the Kinks)...
>>she wants lawmakers to outlaw pen guns
Death by Paper-Mate
Darwin Awards ping
I was just thinking the same thing! This is definitely Darwin Material.
"But on the third try, the tiny silver pistol went off as the 22-year-old budding rap artist was drinking to celebrate an impending record deal."
Whatzuh pen gun?
He busted a pen cap? Sounds like a rap cap mishap.
And the gene pool was made brighter thereby...
Darwin Awards material to be sure. Reminds me of the one about the Toronto lawyer (IIRC) who wanted to show off just how
sturdy the windows in his building's hallway were, so he
ran up against one...which smashed, and he fell ten
stories to his death. Oops.
"Playing Russian Roulette with a single shot (pen) gun is a really bad idea."
Bump.
found online:
"Manufactured by Stinger Manufacturing Corporation in Sault Sainte Marie, Michigan, the Stinger Pengun is a single-shot pistol disguised as a pen. It is 5.6 inches long, weighs only five ounces when empty, and retails for $250. It is currently available in 17 and 22 caliber, and the company's web site (www.stingerpengun.com) promises that more calibers are "Coming Soon!" A past advertisement on the web site states that the gun "Transforms From A 'Pen' To A Legal Pistol In 2 Seconds."
http://www.pengun.com
(an info site about the guns; not a manufacturer or seller).
Apparently they are legal, but...:
"The Stinger is the only "legal" pengun -- legal in that it considered an ordinary pistol by the ATF. This is because it cannot fire till it is folded into the recognizable shape of a pistol"
Makes it sound like it happened in some 3rd world country.
oops, my memory was a bit off. Found online:
"(1996, Toronto) Police said a lawyer demonstrating the safety of windows in a downtown Toronto skyscraper crashed through a pane of glass with his shoulder and plunged twenty-four floors to his death. A police spokesman said Garry, thirty-nine, fell into the courtyard of the Toronto Dominion Bank Tower as he was explaining the strength of the building's windows to visiting law students. Garry had previously conducted the demonstration of window strength without mishap, according to police reports. The managing partner of the law firm that employed the deceased told the Toronto Sun newspaper that Garry was "one of the best and brightest" members of the two-hundred-man association."
Finally! Empiric proof that [in this case] the pen is mightier than the sword!
>>Finally! Empiric proof that [in this case] the pen is mightier than the sword!
He wrote his own obituary...
>>I submitted this to the Darwin Awards, may Mr. Zorn be immortalized in the DAs.
Thanks! It deserves to be there.
Oh, well.....
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.