Lawton Man Shoots Himself in the Leg While in His Vehicle

A Lawton man is recovering after shooting himself in the leg while in his vehicle. The accident occurred yesterday evening around 7:00 pm on the corner of 38th Street and Lee Blvd. According to the reports he was trying to pull his firearm from his pocket and accidentally shot himself. Bystanders and motorists came to his aid until emergency personnel and police arrived at the scene and were able to transport him to the hospital.

Normally I'm not the kind of guy who kicks them when they're down, but in this case, I think it's more than appropriate. Now I don't know this guy and I feel bad for what happened to him, but there are some good lessons to be learned from all this. You can learn as much, if not more from mistakes than successes, especially with things like this. I hate to use someone's misfortune, but it's a very valuable lesson.

Guns don't just go off all by themselves. There is no such thing as an accidental discharge of a firearm, only negligent discharges. It's beyond rare that a firearm will malfunction to the point that it actually fires without the trigger being physically pressed by a person or some other means. While I wasn't there I can tell you with absolute certainty that the trigger was definitely pulled causing the weapon to fire and lead to injuries.

KSWO News Channel 7 was the first to report on this incident and where I originally heard about it. You can read the article and watch the video by clicking on the KSWO Facebook photo link above.

So what lessons can we learn from all this? Well, first off let's talk about trigger discipline. Keep your booger hook off the bang switch until you're ready to shoot! Second, you never place a firearm into a pocket, purse, or anywhere else on your person without the use of a good-quality holster. One that completely covers the trigger guard. It's too easy for something to find its way into the trigger guard causing a negligent discharge.

There are only 4 firearm safety rules, that's it, just 4. If you abide by them at all times you won't experience a situation like this. I hate to say it, but when this person reached into their pocket to grab their gun they certainly violated these safety rules. How do I know this? The gun went "bang" and he shot himself.

RULE #1: All guns are always loaded.

RULE #2: Never let the muzzle cover anything you aren't willing to destroy.

RULE #3: Keep your finger off the trigger until your sights are on target.

RULE #4: Always be sure of your target.

Luckily this guy is going to be okay and he'll live to tell the tale. I'm glad he's going to recover and that no one else was injured. Some aren't that lucky. So if you're currently carrying a firearm learn the hard lessons that this guy provided. Always use a holster and commit to memory the 4 firearm safety rules above.

Either something in his pocket, maybe even clothing somehow tangled up in the trigger guard. Or when he went to grab the pistol out of his pocket he put his finger on the trigger and BANG! I wish this man all the best and a speedy recovery. I am in no way making fun of, or purposely disrespecting him. I hate that this happened, but others can certainly learn from his mistake. He learned this lesson himself, the hard way.