WA man ‘plugs his plumbing’
From the “Vasectomies the hard way” file comes the story out of Lynnwood, WA, involving an unidentified customer at a Lowe’s Hardware who will likely be re-thinking his method of carrying a pistol.
This fellow, according to the Seattle Times, carried his handgun “in the waistband of his pants,” and the muzzle was aimed at his privates. You guessed it, the gun somehow discharged and the bullet hit his testicles.
A spokeswoman for the Lynnwood Police Department told the newspaper—with a straight face—that when the gun went off, “it made a loud noise and scared a lot of people in the store.”
The wounded man was taken to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle for treatment.
Cops charge OR crime fighter
A Gresham, OR, man is in trouble for firing at a couple of robbers who stole telephones from an AT&T cell phone store in May.
Roger L. Witter, 48, was arrested by Gresham Police for “unlawful use of a weapon and reckless endangerment,” according to the Associated Press and Seattle Times. He reportedly witnessed the perpetrators making off with cell phones and followed them outside. When they drove away, he fired at their tires in an attempt to detain them for police.
But when the cops arrived, they put the cuffs on Witter instead.
Man robbed during open carry
Here’s one you don’t see every day: A man openly carrying a handgun was robbed at gunpoint in Milwaukee, WI—where concealed carry is not legal—and now the outlaw has the citizen’s pistol.
According to WTMJ news, the 34-year-old gunowner habitually carried a pistol on his belt. His neighbors reportedly knew he was always armed, and evidently the robber did as well because he got the drop on the armed citizen.
The news agency interviewed some of the man’s neighbors, who suggested that he carried the gun to “scare people off.” That didn’t work out too well for the man last month. He told a reporter that he carried the gun after being victimized in an earlier crime, at knife point.
He also reportedly said that open carry made him a target, so he is not going to do that anymore. However, he also said this adds fuel to the argument that Wisconsin should have a concealed carry statute. Currently, Wisconsin and Illinois are the only two states that do not have some sort of concealed carry law. A concealed carry law was vetoed twice by anti-gun Gov. Jim Doyle, a Democrat.
Open carry activists have argued that carrying guns where they could be seen is a deterrent to crime.
Deputy probed for pier gunplay
From the “Only Cops Should Have Guns” file comes the report out of Redondo Beach, CA, about a sheriff’s deputy who was under investigation for having fired his gun during an off-duty incident on a crowded pier.
The incident occurred May 24, according to the Daily Breeze, and an investigation was under way last month.
Deputy Randy Barragan of Corona was arrested for investigation of assault with a deadly weapon, the newspaper reported. This occurred during an apparent argument on the crowded pier with his girlfriend.
The newspaper said witnesses believed Barragan was trying to commit suicide because he climbed over the end of the pier. As police officers approached, Barragan allegedly drew a .38-caliber revolver. When the girlfriend, identified as Diana C. Rubio, told him loudly to put the gun down, Barragan allegedly fired one shot. She was then able to knock the revolver out of his hand and several citizens tackled him. A Redondo Beach police sergeant arrived and slapped the handcuffs on the deputy.
Reports indicate that both Barragan and Rubio had been drinking and dining prior to the incident.
The newspaper said Barragan got out of jail about six hours later on $50,000 bail, and he now could face charges.