The Power of Stupid

Ohio man cleaning gun killed Amish girl

First rule of gun cleaning: Remove the magazine and visually and physically inspect the chamber to be sure the gun is clear (not loaded).

At no time during gun cleaning do you fire the gun. He may have intended to clean the gun after shooting it, but he was not cleaning the gun when he shot it. He also broke the 4th rule of gun safety.

1. All guns are always loaded.
2. Never let the muzzle cover anything you are not willing to destroy.
3. Keep your finger off the trigger until your sights are on the target.
4. Be sure of your target and what is beyond it.

Because of the sorry state of what passes for journalism these days it is very difficult to know what really happened here. It's hard to accept that innocent people sometimes die because someone else wasn't thinking and did something stupid but it happens everyday be it cars, boats, motorcycles, tools or whatever - never underestimate the power of stupid.