Man drops his gun in Kmart, and it went off

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After Gun Incident, Belmont County Kmart Posts No Guns Allowed
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Watch Story VideoIncident happened at Ohio Valley Mall.
Story by D.K. Wright
Email | Bio | Other Stories by D.K. Wright

ST. CLAIRSVILLE, Ohio--On Wednesday, a new sign stating that no guns are allowed was posted at the Ohio Valley Mall Kmart in Belmont County, Ohio.
Why is this news?
Monday evening, a man accidentally dropped his gun on the floor in the store near the pharmacy and it went off.
The new sign applies to everyone, even those with a concealed carry permit
For the most part, shoppers shared that they thought the new sign was a good idea.
The man from Bridgeport, Ohio, who was carrying the gun had a permit. He is not facing any charges.


http://www.wtrf.com/story.cfm?func=viewstory&storyid=32533

I hate to be too hard on this guy, because another one of us could have made this mistake, but it is extremely frustrating to see another CPZ created because of carelessness on the part of one man. I found it interesting that the article does not say whether or not this man had a CCW. Is it possible this was one of our own, an OCer, that did this?

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Found another article:

ST. CLAIRSVILLE — Signs prohibiting firearms were posted Tuesday at Kmart after a man accidentally discharged his weapon inside the store.

A single shot from a .32-caliber handgun was fired at 7:30 p.m. Monday near the Kmart pharmacy at the Ohio Valley Mall when a gun fell from 44-year-old Bridgeport resident Paul Manukin’s pocket.

Belmont County sheriff’s Chief Deputy Joseph Hummel said no one was injured. He believes the pharmacist was the only person in the area of the gunshot. The bullet hit the floor.

Manukin, who reported the discharge to the sheriff’s department, is not expected to face charges. Hummel said Manukin has a concealed carry permit for the weapon.

Jonathan Fulkerson, section director with the Ohio Attorney General’s Office, said Tuesday the matter is a local investigation. Fulkerson noted, however, he doubts Manukin could be stripped of his permit.

“Unless he’s charged with a felony or a violation of the concealed carry law, there is no basis to revoke his permit,” Fulkerson said. “But, obviously, it’s an unfortunate and potentially dangerous situation.”

Hummel noted although there are signs at the Ohio Valley Mall’s main entrance prohibiting firearms, such signs were not posted at Kmart’s entrance until Tuesday. Belmont County Sheriff Fred Thompson said he was surprised to learn that several stores at the Ohio Valley Mall don’t have signs prohibiting firearms. He said he has no preference about whether businesses prohibit concealed weapons.

“It’s up to the business,” Thompson said. “If they feel uncomfortable with someone carrying a concealed firearm, they have the right to restrict it.”

Manukin said he did not know why the gun fired, but noted it will be dismantled. Although he said it is his right to carry the weapon, he may no longer do so.

“I don’t think I’ll carry a gun anymore,î Manukin said. “This accident could have been really tragic. ... It was a total accident. I forgot it was in my pocket.” Okay, now I'm pissed. HOW DO YOU FORGET YOU HAVE A GUN IN YOUR POCKET?!!!He nowseems to be a goof with a gun. He must have just not been thinking, but it stillupsets me that his carelessnesscaused a CPZsign to go on the door.

According to the Ohio Attorney General’s Office, “Carrying a concealed handgun is a privilege in Ohio, and with this privilege comes a responsibility to be aware, not only of the common sense rules of safe firearm handling, but the laws that affect how, when and where you can carry your firearm, and how to properly use the handgun to defend yourself or another person.”

http://www.news-register.net/page/content.detail/id/503296.html?nav=515

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Oops... who carries .32s anyway? Must have been a retired European cop.

I do sympathize with the guy. When I first started carrying for a job, I dropped my piece when I went to the bathroom - loosening the slack on my belt caused it to pitch out of the holster - so live and learn, hopefully. Mine didn't discharge even though it landed on the hammer and was oriented upwards. Might have been ugly. I now engage the safety and unholster the gun when I use the bathroom.

-ljp

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I understand where you're coming from Legba. I didn't want to jump to conclusions against this guy, either, but then I read he forgot he had a gun. That is mind blowing...how do you do that? That sounds like he was not pay attention and being very careless.

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Yeah, that sounds reckless, forgetting that you're armed altogether. Then again, I'm armed almost all the time, so I guess I take it for granted. Still, there's no substitute for situational awareness.

BTW, I was playing with a Mak-90 (Chinese version of an AK) this morning, and some wannabe 'gangstas' came in the shop, apparently casing the place (wearing Scarface t-shirts and asking about our alarms and cameras and such ?!?!), so I conspicuously loaded the thing up for my BUG for the day. Best to err on the side of caution. No telling how seriously they take themselves.

-ljp

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Legba wrote:

Oops... who carries .32s anyway? Must have been a retired European cop.

I do sympathize with the guy. When I first started carrying for a job, I dropped my piece when I went to the bathroom - loosening the slack on my belt caused it to pitch out of the holster - so live and learn, hopefully. Mine didn't discharge even though it landed on the hammer and was oriented upwards. Might have been ugly. I now engage the safety and unholster the gun when I use the bathroom.

-ljp

Click to expand...

When I first started packing, I carried a .45 at the 6 o clock position IWB. I getting undressed one night to take a shower, and when I unfastened my pants, it dumped right out of the holster onto the floor. Thank god there wasn't an ND, but for that reason, I do the exact same thing now when I go to the bathroom. I take the gun out and place it on the toilet reservoir (in a public restroom) or on my vanity in my bathroom at home.

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I try to avoid both jumping to conclusions and using cliches, but geez...this guy sounds like one of those "gun as magic talisman to ward off evil spirits" carriers.

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What kind of piece of crap was he carrying that dropping it caused a ND?

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A holster with retention is great for bathroom breaks. Dropping trou doesn't mean you should drop your gun too. Even the most simple thumb break would have saved this guy. Of course a holster is required, and if you're gonna pocket carry in a coat pocket, you should find a coat with a zipper pocket at the least.

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Has there been any word on what maker/model of .32 it was?