Arkansas teen unintentionally shoots man while target practicing

 Saline County, Arkansas, Sheriff reported that a 45-year-old man and a 15-year-old girl were target practicing with a 9mm handgun.  The girl was holding the gun when her grip started to slip. She grabbed the gun tighter and unintentionally discharged the weapon. 

The bullet went into the man's abdomen and exited out his back. He told the sheriff it felt like someone had tackled him. He also told the sheriff that he and the girl "were practicing gun safety."

Father unintentionally shoots & kills 3-year-old son

Michael Carter, of Greene County, Arkansas unintentionally shot his 3-year-old son, Logan with a .45-caliber semi-automatic handgun he had purchased about a month ago.  Logan was shot in the head and pronounced dead at the local hospital.

The shooting occurred at the family home just before noon on Saturday.  Logan's mother and brother were also home at the time of the incident.

Police are still investigate how the gun was discharged.  The case has been turned over to the prosecutor's office to determine if any charges will be filed.

Open carry rally rescheduled after local teen unintentionally shoots & kills himself

A local gun group, Arkansas Carry, had planned to march through downtown Jonesboro, Arkansas openly carrying their firearms in a demonstration of what they believe to be Arkansas gun laws. However, the group decided to reschedule their demonstration after a local teen unintentionally shot and killed himself outside of a downtown restaurant. "We did it out of respect for the family of this tragedy that happened," said the spokesperson for Arkansas Carry. "If it would have been gun violence, we wouldn't have stopped it, but it was an accident."

17-year-old Jonathon Bell, of Brookland, Arkansas, was with a youth ministry group from Walnut Street Baptist Church at the Chick-fil-A fast food restaurant on Stadium Boulevard. Bell joined two boys who were outside listening to music in a red truck in the parking lot. When Bell got in the truck he saw a handgun stuffed beside the driver's seat and grabbed it.

According to reports, Bell placed the gun underneath his chin and pulled the trigger, causing the gun to discharge. Bell died from his injuries about two hours later.

Police found three unfired bullets in the truck next to Bell and the youth also had a bullet in his right hand. When police looked at the gun the six-shot revolver had five empty chambers and one fired casing lined up in the firing position of the gun.

The .357 revolver belonged to the grandfather of one of the boys. Police have said the grandfather will not face charges for leaving a loaded, unlocked gun where a minor could access it. "We're not going to file anything," he said. "There's not any charges to pursue."

According to Bell's obituary he enjoyed for frog gigging, fishing, hunting and other outdoor sports and was also an avid pool player.

Legislator who wants to put guns in schools shot wrong person during "active shooter" training

Arkansas state Senator Jeremy Hutchinson, of Benton, Arkansas, wants to make it easy for schools to arm teachers or other school personnel. He sits on a legislative committee that is examining the Arkansas law regarding guns in schools. The committee is looking at the laws after the Clarksville school district was thwarted in their attempt to arm two dozen of its teachers and staff members.
After the Sandy Hook shooting, Hutchinson was approached by his local police chief. The Chief had concerns about arming school personnel. His biggest concern was how would police tell the difference between a good guy with a gun and a bad guy with a gun. So, he set up an "active shooter" training simulation using rubber bullets and invited Hutchinson to participate.
"There was what appeared to be a bad guy in the hallway, shooting into the classroom," said Hutchinson. "And so, just instinctively, I shot. And then I turned the corner and see that the bad guy that I had just shot was actually shooting with another bad guy, which kind of blew my mind for a second."
Afterwards, the police informed Hutchinson that he had shot a "teacher."
Despite his experience, Hutchinson wants to "leave it to the school districts to design their best security plans." Even if that includes arming teachers.

Gun unintentionally discharged at gun show injures two

42-year-old Charles Pike was at the Lions Club Gun Show at the Hot Springs Convention Center in Arkansas. He picked up a revolver from a vendor's table and unintentionally discharged the weapon.
The bullet struck Pike in the left hand, then ricocheted off the floor and struck a 37-year-old man in the left side of the chest. Both men were taken to the hospital for treatment of non-life threatening injuries.
"For some reason we don't know, this particular weapon had a round in it and had an accidental discharge," said the gun show committee chairman.
Police are still investigating the incident.

Student at U. of Arkansas unintentionally shot in hand

Matthew Williamson is a student at the University of Arkansas. He has a work-study job at the radio station. Friday morning before heading to work he put a newly purchased Taurus .45-caliber revolver in his backpack. He was planning on going to the gun range after work.
He was showing a co-worker the gun in his backpack when the gun unintentionally discharged, shooting Williamson in the left hand. The gun was loaded with a small shotgun round that sent fragments that damaged Williamson's index finger and the meaty part of his hand. He is in danger of losing his finger.
Williamson sent a photo of his hand to a local tv station that showed the numerous stitches and pins doctors used to put his hand back together. However, because of the graphic nature of the wound the station decided to not air the picture.
Williamson does not have a permit to carry a concealed gun and also violated university policy of no firearms on school property. He could face charges on both counts.
Williamson said he owns several guns but after this incident he plans to sell them all. "I'm pretty despondent about the whole thing," he said.

Man in critical condition after being hit in face by ricochet bullet

Two men got into a fight over a woman at the Southern Pines Mobile Home Park in Little Rock, Arkansas. According to a witness, "the dude in the crutches pulled the gun out and shot."
Witnesses said the gun was pointed towards the ground when it was fired. The bullet then ricocheted across the street and struck a man in the face. Two days later the man remained in the hospital in critical condition.
A mother whose children were outside playing said, "It could have been an innocent kid that got shot about nothing, just like an innocent person got shot about nothing."

Two men unintentionally shot when man takes gun off of gun rack

44-year-old Allen Lee King, of White County, Arkansas was taking a gun off of a gun rack in a bedroom when he unintentionally discharged the gun. The bullet went through the wall into the kitchen and hit two men sitting at the kitchen table.
The bullet struck Jacob Morris, 30, in the shoulder, exited through his neck and went on to hit James Mitchell, 32, in the chest. Both men were taken to the hospital and are expected to recover.
Police are still investigating the incident.

Father unintentionally shoots and kills son while unloading handgun

Larry Kramer, of Harrisburg, Arkansas, was unloading a 9mm semi-automatic handgun when he unintentionally discharged the gun. The bullet struck his son, 19-year-old Brian. The shooting happened around 5 pm Monday afternoon. Brian was rushed to the hospital but died two hours later.
Police say no foul play is suspected. Autopsy reports are expected to be released later in the week.

Unintentional shootings at gun shows in Florida and Arkansas

Two men went to gun shows in two different states over the weekend, looking to sell their guns. (Private gun show sales - no background check run on the purchaser, no record of the sale kept.)
56-year-old Stephen Donnelly went to the gun show at the Northwest Arkansas Convention Center in Springdale, Arkansas. Donnelly neglected to unload his shotgun before entering the show. He unintentionally fired the shotgun at the entrance to the convention center. The gun was pointed at the floor and the round struck the tile and pellets ricocheted off the floor and struck a man standing nearby in the stomach and upper arm. The man's injuries were minor. Donnelly was charged with battery third degree, assault first degree and criminal mischief.
A 68-year-old man went to the Suncoast Gun Show at the Manatee Convention Center in Palmetto, Florida. He was looking to sell his 9mm semi-automatic handgun. Gun show staff unloaded the gun and placed a zip-tie device in the trigger housing to prevent the gun from firing. At some point the man went out to the parking lot, reloaded his gun and was trying to remove the zip-tie when he unintentionally shot himself in the stomach. The injury required surgery and the man is in the hospital listed in stable condition.
Ohh shoot.

Hammond collected lighters that looked like guns.....

37-year-old Stephania Hammond of Hardy, Arkansas likes to collect lighters that look like guns. Her home care client, John Sitz, collects real guns. Last week, Hammond stopped by to do some paperwork with Sitz. While there she picked up a very small .22 Magnum derringer four shot pistol and went to light a cigarette. Sitz describes hearing a loud bang followed by Hammond saying "Damn lighter." She then fell into unconsciousness with an gunshot wound to the abdomen and died on the way to the hospital.
Ohh shoot.