Three guns were accidentally fired today.  Three injuries resulted. 

In Thomasville, Georgia, a man was moving his friend’s AR-15 rifle at the request of his friend’s grandmother, without knowing that the gun was loaded, when it inadvertently fired.  A child was injured.  There is no report on the victim’s condition.

In Knightdale, North Carolina, a man in a car was passing a gun to his friend when it got caught on a seatbelt and fired.  The friend was struck in the arm.  The two men were smoking marijuana at the time of the accident.

A man traveling with a performing group stopped for gasoline in Pelham, Tennessee.  When someone in the car attempted to move a jacket, a gun in the pocket of the jacket went off, striking one of the passengers in the thigh. 

It is unclear whether any of the guns involved had manual safeties that, had they been switched on, would have prevented these accidents. 

Sources:

Cristi McKee, “Thomasville Police Department Responds to Accidental Shooting, One Minor Injured,” WCTV.tv (December 19, 2020).

Rosalia Fodera, “Police: Knightdale Man Accidentally Shot in Arm by Friend,” WRAL.com (December 19, 2020).

Preston Steger, “One Injured in Accidental Shooting in Grundy County,” WRCBtv.com (December 18, 2020).