Two people were hurt today in another accident that could have been prevented by a magazine safety disconnect.

Two cousins, ages 16  and 21, in Holly Hill, South Carolina were parked in a car when the older boy removed a pistol from his backpack and removed the magazine.  Shortly afterward, the mother of the 16-year-old said she heard a “pop” sound and then heard her son “running and screaming, ‘Mom, I’ve been shot!’” 

According to investigators, the older boy told law enforcement officers that after removing the magazine he assumed incorrectly the chamber was clear.  However, when he pulled the trigger, the fired round passed through both his younger cousin and himself.  The older boy was struck in the hand and his cousin was struck in the shoulder.  Neither wound was considered life-threatening.

Source:

Martha Rose Brown, “Orangeburg County Sheriff’s Office: Cousins Injured in Accidental Shooting,” The Times and Democrat (December 9, 2020).