MILTON, FLORIDA — An employee in the Santa Rosa County tax collector’s office was allegedly responsible for a negligent discharge after business hours. One round penetrated the computer screen and another exited the office and impacted in an area where no one was located. The incident is currently being investigated as a negligent discharge, which isn’t categorically a crime but may be grounds for disciplinary action according to the tax collector’s office.
via WEAR TV
Stan Nichols with the tax collector said, “The employee is a model employee. Couldn’t ask for a better employee, it was an accident, but until the outcome of the investigation, he’s been placed on unpaid suspension.”
“He was sitting at his desk when the firearm went off and the bullet went through a wall and recovered later in an area where no one was located,” Nichols said.
While trying to trace back where the major malfunction happened, details emerge that may shed some light on his gun handling habits.
Interim Chief Tony Tindell said all signs point to an accident. “His normal daily routine was he would empty it and put it in his bag and carry it out to his car,” he said.
The employee in question does have a valid Florida concealed carry permit and is legally allowed to have his firearm on him while at work. That’s a fantastic thing that many concealed carriers don’t have the ability to do. Unfortunately, somewhere between or before the unloading process, he managed to trigger a round negligently.
Is this a situation that can get other concealed carriers in trouble? Is the unloading process that inherently dangerous?
The answer is a resounding no.
“He was sitting at his desk when the firearm went off and the bullet went through a wall and recovered later in an area where no one was located,” Nichols said.
We find that statement, in of itself, highly doubtful. Carrying a handgun nearly every day in an inside the waistband concealed carry holster, we’ve yet to have a single round go off on its own accord. More oft than not, negligent discharges arise from when someone fumbles or attempts to catch a falling gun. And, unless this guy’s computer monitor is on the same plane as his hips or he was doing some new yoga stretch, there’s almost no chance he was seated when the round went off.
We’re not going to sit here and speculate or tear apart this concealed carrier’s story. What we will say is that this is the sort of irresponsible behavior around guns that gives us all a very hard time when trying to advocate for freedom of movement of concealed carriers.
“With any rights comes responsibility and there are consequences when you make a mistake,” Greg Marcille with the state attorney’s office said.
Our Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms comes with an intrinsic call to action to each and every one of us to uphold our end of the deal. This guy didn’t and it’s a reminder to all of us to never get lulled into complacency when handling our everyday concealed carry pistol.