Teen accidentally shoots self in face

WSTP, Channel 10, Tampa Bay ^ | 12/28/2006 | staff

[Excuse_My_Bellicosity]

New Port Richey, Florida — A teenager has been hospitalized with facial injuries caused when a bullet he found fired while held in a vice, the Pasco County Sheriff's Office reported Wednesday.

The victim, Alex Carman, 15, was taken to Bayfront Medical Center with injuries to right upper cheek.

Investigators say the Riverridge H.S. student found a 380-caliber bullet on the side of a road, brought it home and put it into a vice. He apparently struck the the primer end of the bullet with a metal screw, causing it to fire.

A 22-caliber bullet pierced with a screw was also found near the vice. On the ground was a hammer and a small pool of blood.

Investigators say it "appears Alex placed the bullet in the vice, hammered a screw into the primer causing the bullet to explode."

They say it appears to be an accidental injury. There were no charges.

[Excuse_My_Bellicosity]

Think once, think twice. Don't mess around with ammo that you found on the side of the road. And I'm one to talk because I've done this sort of thing as a kid and was dang lucky I never got hurt.

[Jet Jaguar]

I am thankful I was taught all about ammo and gun safety when I was a child.

[beltfed308]

A 22-caliber bullet pierced with a screw was also found near the vice.

This potential darwin award should have stopped with the .22. Oh well. Some just need to test the big bang theory themselves.

[RightWhale]

hammered a screw into the primer causing the bullet to explode." They say it appears to be an accidental injury

Right

[PBRSTREETGANG]

Miami Vice?

[Lx]

I would say don't mess around with ammo period. Unless of course it's in a gun. Hitting the primer with a screw while the round is in a vice might not be the best idea.

[NittanyLion]

Investigators say the Riverridge H.S. student found a 380-caliber bullet on the side of a road

One wonders how we managed to pick up something so large...

[Pontiac]

Investigators say the Riverridge H.S. student found a 380-caliber bullet on the side of a road,

A 22-caliber bullet pierced with a screw was also found near the vice.

How did a 380 morph in to a 22?

[driftdiver]

Good thing that uncontrolled and un registered bullet didnt do more damage. Coulda been mass carnage.

[Billthedrill]

It was more likely a "vise" into which the young feller placed the thing. Then he hit the primer with a hammer and screw to make it go off and mirabile dictu! it went off.

Getting him a little actual firearms training might have prevented this, but there's an element of 14K stupidity at work as well. We must act now to prevent hammers from falling into the hands of those who shouldn't have them...

[Xenalyte]

Sonic boom ping or something!

[Excuse_My_Bellicosity]

I saw that, too. I think the kid had already done some mischief with a .22 round before he went out and picked up a .380 round to try again. The article doesn't say it real well, but I think that's what happened.

[driftdiver]

"Investigators say the Riverridge H.S. student found a 380-caliber bullet on the side of a road

One wonders how we managed to pick up something so large."

Nearly hurt myself laughing when I notices the missing decimal. a 380 caliber is what 380 inches? Thats almost the size of an ICBM isnt it? Kid is strong if he got that into a vise.

[Joe 6-pack]

"A 22-caliber bullet pierced with a screw was also found near the vice."

The .380 was apparently an encore performance.

[word_warrior_bob]

Do you remember the Bugs Bunny where the bombs were on a conveyer belt and they were smashing the tips with a hammer to "test" them, that's what popped into my mind.

[Krankor]

According to every safety course I've ever taken, all bullets should be bashed with a hammer from a safe distance.

[Myrddin]

It appears the kid successfully ignited a .22LR in the vise and thought it would be a similar experience to do that with a 380. A 380 is essentially a 9mm round with a slightly shorter brass casing and similar weight bullet. The pressure is pretty high when that powder lights off. There's no way a vise is going to keep that brass immobilized.

[greenthumbedislndr]

what a moron!

[RobRoy]

I always thought the cartridge just had a big spring in it.

Who knew?!

[GSlob]

"Getting him a little actual firearms training might have prevented this"
Actually, he has just gotten probably the best possible training imaginary for such defecatives. And luckily for him, neither the bullet nor the case were traveling too fast [the bullet shot from 1/8" long barrel - recoil] to cause more serious injury.