Veterans’ firearm injuries

William A

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William has “...been handling weapons since I was a little kid.” His father taught he and his siblings how to safely handle firearms, which William went on to teach to others. In the military, William received very little firearm training. “It wasn’t very extensive. It was more extensive when I went to gun sites after I got out of the military.” Still, William believes that military experience helps people know how to maintain a firearm and handle one safely. “It’s an edge that Veterans have, even if it’s not very extensive training.”

William primarily carries firearms to “...protect myself and my loved ones from a dangerous situation.” He has “...a deep respect for firearms and I have a deep respect for other people with firearms.” Regarding firearm safety, William is very safety conscious and believes that “training is paramount.”

After his firearm malfunctioned, William suffered an injury to his leg. “I didn't touch it...it shot me in the leg. And there, all of a sudden, I had a hole in my leg.” The experience “...didn’t change the way I feel about firearms. I just do not carry cocked and locked on my side any longer...it was a good lesson.” 

William continues to be a proponent of gun safety. “Every safety measure should be taken.” His advice to others is to “...know your weapon inside and out.” For those who know someone who has been affected by a firearm injury, William says, “Don't give them too much grief.” 

 

 

William A had his “old Ruger .22 target pistol” holstered when it suddenly discharged.

William A had his “old Ruger .22 target pistol” holstered when it suddenly discharged.

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One morning in 2014, I was walking through the woods. I had my little .22 on my, in my holster, old Ruger .22 target pistol, just for whatever. And I'm walking and it discharged. I didn't touch it, it just, it shot me in the leg. I went down to the ground. It went, and it didn't, it just, I mean, it just all of a sudden, I heard a bang. And there, all of a sudden, I had a hole in my leg. 

Now, I went and knocked on a neighbor's door, and I got a ride to the hospital. And the police met me there because anytime there is a GFW, they got to be involved. And I told him what happened, and he said, "Okay." And he said, "I wouldn't carry that gun." So, my mistake, which I've always carried cocked and locked, just because that's the way I was trained. I don't do that anymore.  

But the safety was on, on this .22, so I don't know how to prevent it. It was, but except the gun discharged. So, I took the gun, after that, up to a gunsmith in – I forget where it was, anyway, up in the hills, a really good gunsmith at the mercantile in Washougal, Washington. And he tore the gun. He had the gun about three months, charged me $75, and he said there was this spring broken in the mechanism that allowed it to bypass the safety.  

So, when I was at the hospital, they took X-rays. And the bullet, it just missed the bone, and any blood vessels, and it just, I was lucky. It was just a .22. If it was a .45, like I usually carry, or a .9, it would have been a little different story. But so, as far as what I did wrong, I, you know, as much as I had to take a lot of crap from guys at work who called me Gunshot Willie. And that's, that's basically it.

 

While William A’s injury was initially very painful, he shares, “I don’t have any residual pain, or suffering, or anything.”

While William A’s injury was initially very painful, he shares, “I don’t have any residual pain, or suffering, or anything.”

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It hurt like hell. But, like I said, it missed, it missed the bone. It came really close. It went in the back of my thigh, or back of my calf, and that was – it was a, it was painful for a little while, and it tightened up pretty fast, as I was knocking on my neighbor's door to get a ride to the hospital.  

And then, yeah, and that's, that's about it. I was lucky it was in .22, and I was lucky it missed the bone, and blood vessels. So, the doctor said I was lucky and they took an X-ray, basically sent me home. And that was it.  

Interviewer: Okay, so no, you didn't have to have surgery, or any kind of physical therapy, or anything like that?  

Respondent: No. I was actually, I was actually at the hospital for probably an hour, and they cleaned up the wound, and took X-rays. And I asked them not to cut my pants off, and so they allowed me to take my pants off because they wanted to – I had a brand-new pair of Levi's on. So, and I still have those pants that I was wearing that day with a hole in the back of the, right where it went, right when it shot. Like I said, it was six years ago, seven years, eight years ago, so. I don't have any residual pain, or suffering, or anything.

 

For William A, the emotional impact was minor since his injury was “purely a weird, freak accident.”

For William A, the emotional impact was minor since his injury was “purely a weird, freak accident.”

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The only emotional impact is all of the crap I had to listen to from the guys at work once they found out that my… And, of course, nobody believes that I didn't, I wasn't doing some kind of silly, quick draw stuff. And I wasn't, because that goes along with the gun safety thing.  

Mine was purely a weird, freak accident. But there are people that shoot themselves by being silly and playing with guns. I don't play with guns. So, I didn't really have an emotional thing. I just, I didn't feel stupid because it was nothing I did. And the way to prevent it is, make sure all of your guns are in perfect working order.

 

William A talks about changing the way he carries his firearms after a pistol he was carrying went off by itself.

William A talks about changing the way he carries his firearms after a pistol he was carrying went off by itself.

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It was a pistol that a friend of mine's mom had purchased. And it was in her drawer. And they were surprised that the mom had a pistol in her drawer. And as he pulled it out of the drawer, it discharged. And so, they told me that this gun went off by itself. And then, I went through it, and of course, I went through it short of tearing it completely apart, but I cleaned it all up.   

And I took it out to the range, and I shot it. And it shot fine. And so, but then, so, and like I said, it was ten years, 12 years later, it was in my holster, and did the same thing it did to him. It discharged. So yeah, and I took it to the gunsmith, and I said, "If you can't fix it, then destroy it." I don't want it. But he did fix it. I still would never carry it cocked and locked on my side ever again  

It didn't change the way I feel about firearms. I just do not carry cocked and locked on my side any longer. It was a good impact and it was a good lesson. But I mostly keep my guns in perfect working order. I believe in, and probably overkill on my cleaning of my weapons, but that's okay. I don't carry broken guns anymore. 

 

William A remembers his father telling him the reason he kept a gun in the house.

William A remembers his father telling him the reason he kept a gun in the house.

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When I was a kid, I found my dad putting a pistol up underneath his seat in his car. And I said, "Dad, what's that all about? What are you carrying a gun for?" And he said, "Son, there is bad people out there, and if they start shooting at us, I want to be able to shoot back." So, that was a mindset that I've had all my life. So, I've always carried concealed.  

 

 

For William A, it’s important to be armed in “today’s world.”

For William A, it’s important to be armed in “today’s world.”

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Well, to protect myself and my loved ones from a dangerous situation. And I don't take it lightly. I have a deep respect for firearms, and I have deep respect for other people with firearms. And there's a lot of bad people out there, and especially in today's world. And somebody comes in and start shooting up someplace where my family and I are, I will be able to defend myself, and my family. It's very, it's critical to me to be armed, and I don't take it lightly.

 

William A maintains easy access to his firearms only because he does not have children in the home.

William A maintains easy access to his firearms only because he does not have children in the home.

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Absolutely, absolutely. If you, if you have young children, or young adults in your house anywhere. I don’t have any of that stuff because I don’t have any kids at my house, and my wife knows how to use my weapons and I know how to use my weapons, and I’m not going to be fuddling for a key if somebody breaks into my house. But, if you’ve got kids, yeah, you’re damn right, you put a lock, a trigger lock on it. Put it in a safe. Every safety measure should be taken. Not for me, I don’t have kids. Responsibility is a big, big part of owning a weapon and I am very responsible. And if I had any kids, my guns are all locked up in a safe. My granddaughter comes over, my guns are locked up in a safe. There’s no way in a high closet. There’s nothing, it’s locked up in a safe.

 

William A says that he would not feel comfortable talking to a provider about firearms

William A says that he would not feel comfortable talking to a provider about firearms

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I don't know. I know how I would feel if they started asking me questions about my guns. That has nothing to do with my healthcare. Yeah, I don't know. It's, I think some people – I mean, there are disgruntled Veterans out there. 

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