Oh, the Irony...

There's always been a kernel of truth behind the bumper sticker that says, "Gun Control Means Using Both Hands". Responsible gun owners - and there are many - do stress the importance of safety and respect for the tools they own and use. Which is why this story from elsewhere in Ohio is so thoroughly ironic:

Instructor shoots student in gun-safety class

The instructor, apparently an otherwise law-abiding gun owner who both owns a gun range and is certified to teach CCW classes in Ohio, failed to observe what I understand to be the most fundamental rule of gun safety: always assume the gun is loaded. In this case, he got lucky - the result of the accident was a wound from which the victim will likely heal fairly quickly. 12 inches (just a degree or two of firing angle) in a different direction and this story could have had a very different outcome.

I suspect that this story will be uncomfortable for some folks on the political right. Some on the left will want to use it as evidence of the inherent danger of guns (and therefore, argument for further restricting them). Many will just make snarky comments. And many in the responsible gun ownership community will use this as a cautionary tale, which I suspect is what it deserves.

There really isn't a broader lesson here, except that the central rules of gun safety really are true: always assume the gun is loaded, and treat a gun at all times as if it were a deadly weapon - because it is. I have borrowed the phrase before: guns don't kill people, they just make it a whole lot easier.