CONCRETE, WASHINGTON — A 43-year-old man is dead after negligently shooting himself in the face while taking selfies with his pistol. The incident happened Sunday when he and his girlfriend were taking the pictures.
The woman told police that the two were taking pictures with the firearm multiple times that day, and the man had loaded and unloaded the firearm repeatedly. Unfortunately, a round was in the chamber during his last selfie attempt.
The man’s name has not been released, and the incident is being ruled an accident.
While comments have been flooding news sites on this story to the effect of “Natural selection at it’s finest” and “Stupid people find a way to weed themselves out”, it’s no laughing matter. A man’s life was taken during a foolish attempt at trying to flaunt himself with a firearm; something no responsible firearm owner would ever do. These aren’t toys, and have no place in a setting such as this. It’s always been a pet peeve of mine when I scroll Instagram to see people posing with their firearms up by their heads. There is no need for it and while most people are safe with these actions, it seems completely unnecessary to me.
If you really want to take a photo with your firearm, have it by your side and pointed in a safe direction… and of course make sure it’s unloaded.
I can only hope that this woman, who witnessed the incident, can have peace at some point in her life. There is no doubt that what happened is an incredibly traumatizing event for her.
The Pro Tip: Don’t take selfies with your firearm. It’s irresponsible, and it makes you look like an idiot.
