At a gun safety class this past Saturday in Fairfield County, Oh. for those seeking to obtain concealed weapon permits, an instructor accidentally shot one of his students, effectively violating the No. 1 gun safety rule, the Columbus Dispatch reports.
Terry J. Dunlap Sr., who runs a shooting range and gun training center, was demonstrating how to properly use a handgun to students when he accidentally fired a .38-caliber bullet. The bullet richoeted off a desk and hit the arm of student Michael Piemonte.
"My wife was sitting just inches away from me," he told the Columbus Dispatch. "It could have easily hit her."
Presumably, Dunlap had no idea that the gun was loaded. Piemonte explained that the bullet first hit the desk before lodging into his right arm between his elbow and armpit, and admitted it could have been a lot worse.
"I am thankful that it only ended up being in my arm, and didn't hit my wife or individuals sitting at the desk behind me," Piemonte said. Currently he is studying for his teaching degree at Ohio State University's Newark campus, and his wife, who already has her teaching degree, decided to enroll in the course for general safety and not for classroom safety specifically.
Dunlap did not respond to the Columbus Dispatch for comment on the incident. No charges have been filed, but he did violate the No. 1 rule of gun safety, which is to assume all guns are always loaded. The NRA's No. 1 rule is to "ALWAYS keep the gun pointed in a safe direction."
The shooting occured at around 7:30 p.m., and luckily 29 students and a nurse were nearby to assist Peamonte and stabilize him before an ambulance arrived. A medic squad took him to a local Columbus hospital, and he was released later that night.
Piemonte still intends to buy a gun despite being accidentally shot, and the sheriff's office determined it an accidental shooting. Though Dunlap has not responded to reporters for comment, Piemonte confirmed that he did call him to check in on a "regular basis."
"It makes me feel good that he is so concerned," Piemonte said.
Dunlap is a local veteran trustee who will run for reelection in November. It is unclear whether or not the incident will hurt his chances, according to Gawker, though everyone seems to be understanding that it was an accident.
