Wednesday, January 9, 2008

Hunting accidents


Another hunting accident story has produced my favourite line from a news article this week:

"It is not uncommon for hunters to be shot by their dogs."

Man's best friend indeed. Perhaps we underestimate the intelligence of dogs if they frequently shoot their hunting masters - the ability to be able to fire a weapon without the use of opposable thumbs and actually hit something should actually give us pause and make us wonder whether they can actually open doors, drive cars and operate telephones, all the while managing to hide it from the human population.

I know I'm being flippant about an incident in which somebody died, but still. The man gave his dog access to a firearm. What should he have expected?

4 comments:

bradsmith281 said...

Sorry, but I had to laugh at the number of times you used the word "actually"!

Anyway, I think these kinds of accidents are exactly that, accidents. As you pointed out, you'd never expect a dog to be able to pull a trigger (perhaps pull is not the right word), just like you wouldn't expect them to open doors! But in these unlucky and infrequenct circumstances, the hunter might have placed the gun on the ground (fortuitously pointed towards him) and the dog would have accidently stepped on it. Can't say it's anyone's fault because the thought of it happening would never cross the mind of the hunter.

The Girl said...

Actually, this why I am actually an actual medical student rather than actually being a journalist or actual user of English of any actual kind. ;)

You HAVE been preparing for the gamsat, haven't you?

I would argue that anybody who carries a loaded weapon MUST keep in mind at all times the possibility of it going of unexpectedly. It is a basic part of firearm safety. You NEVER point a gun at somebody whether or not it is loaded. If you are carrying a loaded weapon that is ready to fire, letting it rest in any manner that would injure a person if it went off is just irresponsible and foolhardy.

pgrant said...

That's so great that you wrote a post about it. I heard it on the radio on my way to work. It's a terrible thing but I had to laugh. I just wonder who the witness was.

April said...

I secretly (or not-so-secretly, I guess) love these stories, too. Also, ones where animals escape slaughter!