Gun Cleaning Accident

[Dan20703]

A sad reminder to never forget safe gun handling. My prayers are out to the family.


http://www.click2houston.com/sports/152 ... etail.html
Former Houston Oiler Found Dead In Home

POSTED: 7:21 am CST February 7, 2008


HOUSTON -- Former Houston Oilers linebacker John Grimsley was found fatally shot in his suburban Houston home on Wednesday, the apparent victim of a gun cleaning accident, an official said.

Fort Bend County Justice of the Peace Joel Clouser said that when Grimsley's wife, who was out of town, was not able to reach her husband on Wednesday, she had a neighbor check on him. The neighbor found Grimsley's body on the floor in the dining area.

"It appears it may have been an accident," Clouser said. "He was in the process of cleaning his gun. It appears that he had his dinette table covered with newspapers and he had the tools out to clean the gun with."

Clouser ordered an autopsy to confirm the cause of death. Grimsley was 45.

The Galveston County Medical Examiner's Office was set to perform the autopsy on Thursday, said John Florence, the office's chief investigator.

Officers found Grimsley's body at his home after the neighbor called 911 around 9 a.m.

Clouser said that investigators at first thought Grimsley's death might be either a suicide or a homicide.

"He had no depression problems," Clouser said. "He had just come back from the Super Bowl. He had a lot of friends."

Clouser said the neighbor who found Grimsley's body had keys to his home.

Grimsley played 10 seasons in the NFL.

He was drafted by Houston in 1984 and played with the Oilers until 1990. In 1991, he was traded to the Miami Dolphins and stayed there until he retired in 1993.

He made the Pro Bowl in 1988 and was named an All-Pro in 1989.

"I don't know all of the details at this point, but it is certainly terrible news," Tennessee Titans owner Bud Adams Jr. said in a statement. "John was a fine player for us and part of the group that helped rebuild the Oilers into a perennial playoff team in the late '80s and early '90s."

Grimsley was born in Canton, Ohio, and he went to the University of Kentucky.

He was set to turn 46 on Feb. 25.

Grimsley is survived by his wife and two college-age sons.

[HighVelocity]

Very sad and totally preventable. However, something smells fishy to me. You're 46 years old, wife is out of town and you have a fatal "accident" with a firearm?

[frankie_the_yankee]

This is very sad. I followed the Oilers through the 80's, especially the teams with Bum Phillips and Earl Campbell. Grimsley was a heck of a player.

I've always had a tough time with gun cleaning accidents. The question always keeps popping up, "How do you clean a loaded gun?"

Now I usually remove my carry gun from its holstrer in the morning and give it a quick look over for lint, etc. And while I do not unload it when doing this, I do maintain strict muzzle control. (Feel free to critique, anyone. I'm just telling it like it is, not saying I'm right to do this.)

But if I'm going any further than that, like if I decide to wipe the gun down or give it a more thorough inspection, the mag comes out and the chamber is emptied (or I dump the cylinder if it's a revolver) first.

And certainly, if I'm gonna give it a clean and lube job, where I've got my cleaning stuff all spread out as described in the article, the first thing that happens is that I empty the gun. Even leaving aside the safety aspect, I don't want to get gun cleaning solvent all over my carry ammo. Who knows what that will do to reliability?

So whenever I read of someone having an AD or worse when cleaning a gun, it is always a puzzle to me.

John's family and friends are in my prayers.

[jpierce30]

It is sad that this happened. We all should use this as an example of not getting complacent. Unloaded guns will kill you.

[NcongruNt]

So whenever I read of someone having an AD or worse when cleaning a gun, it is always a puzzle to me.

Perhaps it was a Glock, and he removed the mag but forgot to eject the round from the chamber. It has been argued on this forum whether or not it is safe to require pulling the trigger as a part of the disassembly procedure...

[Hyunchback]

Perhaps it was a Glock, and he removed the mag but forgot to eject the round from the chamber. It has been argued on this forum whether or not it is safe to require pulling the trigger as a part of the disassembly procedure...

No matter whether the trigger must be pulled prior to disassembly or not proper procedure is to point the weapon in a safe direction when pulling the trigger. One's head or body is never a safe direction.

This death seems about as accidental as hanging one's self while sorting rope.

[NcongruNt]

No matter whether the trigger must be pulled prior to disassembly or not proper procedure is to point the weapon in a safe direction when pulling the trigger. One's head or body is never a safe direction.

I agree. It does, however, make it more likely that someone inexperienced with guns or unfamiliar with safe handling procedures will accidentally discharge their pistol while breaking it down. Accidents like this only fuel many people's perceptions that guns are inherently dangerous and likely to "just go off". Yes a person owning a firearm should be intimately familiar with the safe handling and disassembly of that firearm. However, this is far from a perfect world. A design that makes it inherently easy for an inexperienced person to make a grave mistake during disassembly serves to inflame people's negative misconceptions about the nature of firearms.

[nuparadigm]

...

This death seems about as accidental as hanging one's self while sorting rope.

I'm sad and sorry to say that I agree. Still, my profound regrets for the family are present.

[HankB]

I've seen assertions that most fatal "gun cleaning accidents" are actually suicides, but the medical examiners choose to rule them "accidents" in order to provide insurance & closure to the next of kin, or for some other reason not immediately obvious.

I tend to subscibe to this view.