Man is critically wounded when gun discharges at shop

A customer at a Parker County gun shop was critically wounded Tuesday morning when a handgun discharged as a store employee examined it, authorities said.

Perry L. Cheatham, 69, of Weatherford was shot below his left eye, according to the Parker County Sheriff's Department.

Let's recap shall me?

Rule #2 - Never point the muzzle at anything you are not willing to destroy.

In this case, it was the store employee not pointing the firearm in a safe direction when trying to ascertain the weapon's state. Although it's an extremely rare occurrence, your finger doesn't even have to be on the trigger to have a discharge.

Owning or handling a firearm requires that you accept the responsibility that comes with it. It is sad to see instances like this where simple adherence to the 4 rules would have prevented such an accident.

Hat tip - A Keyboard and a .45