Veterans’ firearm injuries

Chris

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Chris was eight or nine years old when he started shooting with his dad and brother. He started out target shooting, and then as he got older he found he enjoyed hunting with his uncle and close friends. His experience with firearms continued when he joined the Air Force, where he was responsible for the target armories for the cadet shooting teams and competed on the combat rifle team at the Air Force Academy. He reflects that the training he received during his military service “improved my marksmanship…You became very familiar with the firearm even before you fired a round.” 

After his time with the Air Force, Chris worked in law enforcement for several years. Experiencing chronic pain after he retired, he took gabapentin to help cope, which he attributes to the firearm injury he experienced while cleaning his firearm. “I had taken it apart and cleaned it. Put it back together and loaded it and realized I had neglected a step. I went to take it apart while it was still loaded. It went off and took my right index finger.” He shares that the experience reinforced the importance of not being complacent when handling firearms, even if you have extensive experience and training.

Now, Chris utilizes firearms primarily for hunting as a food source for himself and his family. “A lot of our meat is from the hunting I do. Firearms are more of a tool for me than they are a recreational item.” He enjoys teaching other people about firearms, “coaching them to improve their shooting skills, because I’ve got a lot of experience over the years of shooting.” 

For others who have experienced a firearm injury, Chris says "Focus on that positive that you are still alive. You do still have a chance. You can overcome it because you’re still here.”  

 

After cleaning his firearm, Chris realized he missed a step. When he went back to take it apart, he forgot that he had reloaded it.

After cleaning his firearm, Chris realized he missed a step. When he went back to take it apart, he forgot that he had reloaded it.

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So, I carried a firearm, a handgun, from 1989 all the way through 2015, for a living and never had any accidents. I was having a lot of pain, and I was on Gabapentin for the pain instead of narcotics. I had a misconception that, in my mind, because it wasn’t a narcotic, my mind should be clear, and that wasn’t the case. I was handling a firearm. I had taken it apart and cleaned it. Put it back together and loaded it, and realized I had neglected a step and went to take it apart while it was still loaded. It went off and took my right index finger. The bullet went down the length of it. If you can see, it’s gone. Because the bones were all shattered, it wasn’t worth saving. 

The week before I had that accident, I was teaching some kids how to shoot, and I was going over safety. One of the kids was seven years old, and he was my cousin’s child. So, he saw me after the accident, and he tells me, he says, “I know what you did wrong.” At seven years old. I said, “What is that?” He said, “You didn’t make sure the chamber was empty before you handled it.” I told him, “That’s exactly right. I did not do that. That is why you always check even if somebody says it’s empty. You always check.”  

Then I realized it was a teaching point. My stupidity, my accident, became a teaching point for the young people in the community. I got with the firearms instructors with Pheasants Forever. The Wyoming Game and Fish has community instructors that do hunter safety, and I got with them in my community, and also with the 4H shooting instructors. Because I do have pictures of the injury before any surgery was done, I have pictures of the X-rays before surgery and after surgery, and I shared that. The injury was pretty graphic because it ripped my hand open. The bullet went down the length of my finger and came out the back of my hand. Depending on the age of the kids and stuff whether they use those pictures, but it’s an experience to try to teach kids.

 

Recalling the injury that led to his finger being amputated, Chris shared, “Within a week I was back to using my hand like normal.”

Recalling the injury that led to his finger being amputated, Chris shared, “Within a week I was back to using my hand like normal.”

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I was having a lot of pain, and I was on Gabapentin for the pain instead of narcotics. I had a misconception that, in my mind, because it wasn’t a narcotic, my mind should be clear. That wasn’t the case. I was handling a firearm. I had taken it apart and cleaned it. Put it back together and loaded it, and realized I had neglected a step. I went to take it apart while it was still loaded. It went off and took my right index finger. The bullet went down the length of it. If you can see, it’s gone. Because the bones were all shattered, it wasn’t worth saving.  

I was fortunate, and I had a really good hand surgeon at the hospital. Before I went into surgery, I did tell him that if he could save the finger, go ahead and save it unless it was going to require multiple surgeries and months and months of rehab to save it. If that was going to be the case, just amputate it and let me move on with my life. He amputated it and did a beautiful job. Most people don’t notice that I’m even missing a finger. I use it. Within a week I was back to using my hand like normal without any issues.

 

Although Chris was embarrassed after his firearm injury, he used his experience as a teaching opportunity for others.

Although Chris was embarrassed after his firearm injury, he used his experience as a teaching opportunity for others.

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I know why a lot of guys wouldn’t want to share that. It’s embarrassing. You handle firearms for 30-odd years and never have an accident, and then you shoot yourself. It is. It’s a little embarrassing. But in my mind, it was more important and because I was already involved in teaching people firearms safety both in my past and had currently been involved in it, I felt like, why would I hide that? That’s a very important thing that these new shooters need to know about. That, no matter how experienced you are, if you’re not paying attention and if you’re not handling it safety you can be injured or killed. 

Interviewer:  Did it change the way you view firearms and how you interact with firearms?  

Respondent:  I think it just emphasized that I could not be complacent with them just because I’ve handled them for so many years. I had to pay attention. I had to make sure, just like the six-year-old told me, “I know what you did wrong.” Well, when I pick one up, I make sure it’s empty. I make sure that I check even if I just checked it. I don’t just assume it’s empty. I think it just emphasized safety for me a little more, where over the years I had gotten kind of complacent, I think.

 

Living on a fixed income, Chris hunts in order to provide meat for his family.

Living on a fixed income, Chris hunts in order to provide meat for his family.

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Because I’m retired, I’m on a fixed income. A lot of our meat is from the hunting I do so, firearms are more of a tool for me than they are a recreational item. Some people look at them as recreational, and they are. There’s nothing wrong with recreational shooting. I think it’s wonderful that people are able to do that. But, for me, it’s more of a tool as it provides meat for my wife and I.

 

 

Chris talks about the benefits of the firearm training required in the military compared to the lack of training for civilians.

Chris talks about the benefits of the firearm training required in the military compared to the lack of training for civilians.

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I think that we did some things in the military with our qualifications that civilians don’t do. We had minimum requirements. In order to continue to carry a firearm, you had to qualify every— if it was your primary duty weapon, every six months, your secondary duty weapon, once a year. You had to shoot and meet minimum requirements. There was always safety training that went along with that. So, it’s a little different. Where most civilians, they can go buy a gun, but they don’t necessarily have to have any training for it. I don’t necessarily, I’m not advocating they should have to have it, but I think it improved my marksmanship. It improved a lot of things, having that training, because we learned. You became very familiar with the firearm even before you fired a round.  

Even before you shot it, you were very familiar with every aspect of it. So, when you did squeeze off rounds, you knew when they were going to go off because you could feel it through the triggering. You knew when it would because we had done dry firing practice and different things, you knew what was going to happen next. We probably spent three days before we ever got bullets, just handling them, taking them apart, cleaning them, and putting them back together. And dry fire practice, shooting them without any rounds.  

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