12-year-old Idaho girl unintentionally shot during local militia meeting

A 12-year-old girl who was at a local militia meeting with her father at the Rupert Gun Range in Rupert, Idaho was shot and wounded when a member of the group was trying to clear his weapon and unintentionally discharged the gun.

The 3% of Idaho group went to target practice after their meeting when the incident happened.  According to reports, the bullet struck a metal table and ricocheted hitting the girl in the stomach and exiting her side. 

She was helicoptered to the hospital where she underwent surgery.  She was in stable condition.

In a Facebook post, one of the militia members wrote, "It sounds as if she is going to be ok, she was able to tell (her father) she loved him as they were loading her into the helicopter."

Members of the 3% of Idaho group went to Oregon last month to offer help with the armed occupation of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge. 

Woman sentenced for mailing loaded gun that fired in postal processing center

47-year-old Tami Dee Bachart, of McCall, Idaho, mailed a loaded Ruger Blackhawk .357-caliber handgun in December to an address in Connecticut.  The gun discharged while being handled by an employee in a processing center in Springfield, Massachusetts.

The postal worker sought medical attention for ringing ears and stinging hands.

Bachart admitted sending the package but claimed she didn't know the gun was loaded. 

Bachart pleaded guilty to mailing injurious articles and causing a firearm to be present in a federal facility.  She was sentenced to a year of probation, ordered to serve 200 hours of community service, pay $3,400 in restitution and a $1,000 fine.

2-year-old unintentionally shoots and kills woman in Wal-Mart

A 29-year-old woman was shopping with four children at the Wal-Mart in Hayden, Idaho. According to police, one of the kids reached into the woman's purse and unintentionally discharged a handgun that was in the bag.

The woman was shot and died at the scene. The child who discharged the gun was about 2-years-old.

Deputies said the woman and the children were near the electronics section when the incident happened.  The woman was in town for the holidays and is not from the area.

After looking at video surveillance from the store and talking to eye witnesses deputies determined the shooting was unintentional.

Deputies said the woman had a concealed weapons permit.

Two months after state legalizes guns on campuses, Idaho professor shoots himself in foot

An Idaho State University assistant professor was teaching a chemistry class when a handgun inside his pocket unintentionally discharged, shooting him in the foot.  He was treated and released from a local hospital.

A new law, passed over the objection of the presidents of the state's leading universities, allows guns to be carried on university grounds.  The law went into effect on July 1. The professor did have the enhanced concealed-carry permit that allowed him to carry the loaded, hidden handgun on campus.

Guns are still banned in areas of the physical science complex where nuclear research is done, but guns are allowed in the chemistry lab were the incident happened.  There are 19 students enrolled in the chemistry course, but it is unclear how many were in the classroom at the time.

The university has declined to release the name of the instructor and is conducting a review of the incident.

Two injured in unintentional shooting at gun show in Idaho

Police are still investigating an unintentional shooting that happened Saturday at the Fort Boise Gun Show at Expo Idaho.
According to police, they received a call just before 3 p.m. that a gun was fired inside the exhibit hall. Apparently, a person attending the show picked up a gun that was on display and didn't realize there was a round left in the chamber. The gun discharged when the man pulled the trigger.
The bullet hit two other guns and sent shrapnel flying that hit two bystanders. One person was hit in the arm and treated at the scene. A 23-year-old man was hit in the eye and taken to the hospital for treatment for a serious eye injury.

Man sentenced for unintentionally shooting and killing friend

23-year-old Gregory Shain, of Boise, Idaho, has been sentenced for unintentionally shooting and killing his friend, Gary Arlen, last March.
Shain and Arlen were at Arlen's house, goofing around, drinking beer and dry-firing a .45-caliber handgun. They took turns pointing the gun at each other and pulling the trigger.

Shain told police he was about to leave when Arlen told him to "do it" - place the gun in his mouth and pull the trigger. Unbeknownst to Shain, Arlen had replaced the empty magazine they had been using before with a magazine that had bullets. When Shain pulled the trigger the gun fired and severed Arlen's spinal cord, killing him instantly.
An autopsy revealed that Arlen had hydrocone in his system and a blood alcohol level of .18, more than twice the legal limit. Shain was not tested, but admitted to having a few beers that evening.
Before sentencing Shain, the judge said he was "satisfied this is an accidental shooting" but was shocked by Shain's recklessness. "This could have been avoided," he told Shain. "You made the decision to pull the trigger..you didn't clear the gun. You didn't make it safe."
Shain was sentenced to a year in jail and 10-years of felony probation.

Hunting instructor brings loaded handgun to class, student unintentionally shoots it

A hunter education instructor in Soda Springs, Idaho brought a 9mm handgun and ammunition to his class to use as a teaching tool. After the demonstration one of the students picked up the gun. Unaware the gun was loaded, the student discharged the weapon. The bullet struck a deer head mounted on the wall.
Idaho Department of Fish and Game prohibits live ammunition in a hunter education classroom. The instructor has been dismissed.
Ohh shoot.

Hunting trips in Idaho and Indiana end in tragedy

18-year-old Eric Menefee Jr. of Fort Wayne, Indiana unintentionally shot and killed his father, 42-year-old Eric Menefee Sr., while hunting rabbits and squirrels at the Roush Lake Fish and Wildlife Area. Eric Jr.'s shotgun reportedly became tangled in brush and when he pulled the gun out he unintentionally fired the gun, striking his father in the back. Eric Sr. was pronounced dead at the scene.
36-year-old Robert Bartlett of St. Maries, Idaho unintentionally shot and killed his 7-year-old son Connor. Father and son were ending a hunting trip in northern Idaho. Bartlett was putting a rifle in a vehicle when he unintentionally discharged the gun, striking Connor. The boy died on the way to the hospital.

Woman files lawsuit over unintentional shooting at gun range

Nan Bassett, of Salt Lake City, Utah, has filed a lawsuit against the Sun Valley Gun Club, Idaho "alleging that improper instruction at the gun club contributed to a shooting accident there last summer." Bassett was in Sun Valley for a convention when she went to the gun club to try trap shooting. She told the club she had never shot a gun before and was told she would receive instruction.
According to the complain, "The instructor gave a brief demonstration of how to load and shoot the gun and each participant took turns shooting at the targets. At no time did the instructor give specific details and/or safety precautions related to loading the gun. On one occasion when it was Ms. Bassett's turn to shoot, the instructor was not next to her. He was sitting a short ways back going paperwork, but yelled to Ms. Bassett to go ahead and take her turn. Ms. Bassett went to load the gun, heard a loud shot and looked down to see blood running down her leg."
Bassett was hit by spraying shrapnel and gravel. She was taken to the hospital, treated and released. The suit asks for unspecified damages.
Ohh shoot.

12-year-old unintentionally shot with gun parents kept for protection

A 12-year-old Rupter, Idaho boy was home alone with two other boys, ages 10 and 12, when they decided to goof around with the 9mm handgun that was kept, loaded and unlocked, in the parents' bedroom for "security purposes."
According to reports, the boys were allegedly trying to clear the gun of ammunition by cycling the firing mechanism in the weapon. They took the magazine out and handed the pistol to the 10-year-old boy. Thinking the gun was unloaded, the boy pulled the trigger. The gun fired and a bullet went clear through the side of the 12-year-old boy and lodged in the bedroom wall. The boy was taken to the Minidoka Hospital before being air lifted to a medical center in Pocatello.
The boy's parents had other guns that were locked in a gun safe, but this handgun was kept in the bedroom. The sheriff's office issued a statement that read, in part, "Children do have a way of discovering things and we at the sheriff's office would encourage all parents with firearms to make their firearms as safe as practical."

Star high school athlete and dancer sidelined by unintentional shooting

Pocatello, Idaho high school sophmore Marlee EchoHawk was hoping to medal at the state high school track meet this week in Boise. Last year Marlee medaled in the 100m and 200m races at the state meet. But her hopes changed on Saturday night when she and two other girls were injured when a boy unintentionally discharged a 20 gauge shotgun during a pre-prom group date.
The accident resulted in more than 50 shotgun pellets lodging in both her feet. Doctors were able to repair much of the damage and save Marlee's toes but they say she faces a long and painful recovery and were uncertain about her future ability to run and dance. Marlee is also a competitive dancer.
Ohh shoot.

Family dog shoots, kills Idaho woman

39-year-old Carol Ann C. of Salmon, Idaho died from a shotgun blast injury this weekend. A loaded shotgun had been placed on her bed, the family dog jumped onto the bed causing that shotgun to discharge.
The shotgun blast hit Carol Ann who was immediately taken to the local hospital where she died of her injuries.
Ohh shoot.

Police release more details of unintentional shooting that wounded three in Idaho

Emmett police have released more information on an unintentional shooting involving a police officer's weapon that injured three people, including two young boys. The shooting happened in the home of Detective K. Judy and injured her 20-year-old roommate and her roommate's two little boys ages 2 and 3.
Police say the three-year-old got hold of Detective Judy's 9mm service weapon and fired one shot that went through the boy's leg, through the hand of the 2-year-old and into the roommate's arm.
Police would not say where Judy left her gun.
Ohh shoot.

Shot from off-duty police officer's gun unintentionally wounds three in home mishap

An unintentional shooting in a Idaho residence injured three people, including an adult female, a 2-year-old boy and a 3-year-old boy. The gun belonged to a Emmett police officer who was off-duty at the time.
The woman and the 3-year-old were treated and released from the local hospital. The 2-year-old needed to be transported to a hospital in Boise for additional treatment. Fortunately, the injury was not life-threatening.
According to police, the gun discharged one bullet which injured the three people. "It's a rather unusual scenario. We are investigating the path of the bullet."
Ohh shoot.

Boy trips, shoots dad in stomach

A father and son were target shooting in Idaho. The boy, 15, was walking when he tripped. As he fell he unintentionally discharged the .22 pistol he was carrying. The bullet hit his 43-year-old father in the stomach.
The father was airlifted to a hospital in Boise.
Ohh shoot.

5-year-old finds his mother's gun, takes it outside to play.......

A 5-year-old Idaho boy took a 9mm semi-automatic handgun out of his mother's bag. She was inside doing chores, he took the gun outside to play. While playing with the gun he shot a 16-year-old boy who was walking to lunch with a group of friends.
The bullet went through the teen's lower back and exited through his stomach. He was taken by air ambulance to a Boise hospital where he is listed in serious condition.
Ohh shoot.