View Full Version : Shot in the butt; now wishes he carried a clarinet instead
By Dee Riggs (http://www.wenatcheeworld.com/staff/dee-riggs/)
World staff writer
Originally published August 30, 2010 at 11:13 a.m., updated August 31, 2010 at 9:49 a.m.
PESHASTIN — A Snohomish man accidentally shot himself in his left buttock Saturday when he put a handgun in his back pocket.
Darrel Elam, 52, was preparing to go hiking on Blewett Pass and had moved his 40-caliber Smith & Wesson handgun from its holster to his back pocket to see if that position would be more comfortable for walking, said Jerry Moore, chief of administration for the Chelan County Sheriff’s Office.
The gun discharged and shot down his left buttock and left leg, coming to rest just above his knee.
Elam was treated at Central Washington Hospital and released, a hospital spokeswoman said. The incident happened on Blewett Pass about 12 miles from Peshastin.
Hikes in Rain
09-01-2010, 08:58
Hmm....evolution in action?
Sierra Echo
09-01-2010, 09:17
Well at least he didn't jam it down the front of his pants and end up shooting his sack off.
Pedaling Fool
09-01-2010, 09:22
As someone who has trained countless people in the safe handling of firearms I agree it was stupid. However, it does not indicate if the person was stupid. We all make mistakes and life is full of accidents, some are caused by idiots and others are just attributed to "Sht happens". ~40,000 people a year die in auto accidents just in the U.S., but an even larger number are injured and some are very serious life-changing injuries. Is that evolution in action or do you have some bias?
Well, obviously, he made a decision on how to carry. Wearing a holster is uncomfortable with a waist belt IMO. Better choice would have been a fanny pack designed to carry a handgun. Good thing he didnt hit his femoral artery in his thigh!
SMSP
Pedaling Fool
09-01-2010, 09:36
I'm not saying this guy is NOT an idiot, I'm just saying there's not enough info to determine, but yes it was an idiotic thing to do.
We all do stupid things; just most of us don't get it printed in the newspaper for all to know. Furthermore, many of us forget all these stupid actions and over time get the false impression that we live a safe life. For many it's a way to protect their fragile ego.
Tipi Walter
09-01-2010, 09:48
In '84 I went on a long backpacking trip thru the Shenandoah and wrapped my Clarinet in a down vest for the trip, thinking I'd get into some towns and "put out rounds downrange" amongst the populace, etc. Well, and here it is with all this clarinet talk and people wanting to "pack": I never used the thing and never needed to, so it was dead weight. Only one time did my Clarinet go off accidently and as Sierra Echo alluded to, just one long sustained note tore into my sac at waist level and so I was wounded but still alive. Actually, after the "musical misfire", and after the severe damage to my HungWells, the trip improved tremendously along with my daily hiking mileage. I hear trombones do a terrible amount of damage.
We have this clarinet registry up in Canada now. Most rural people hate it and refuse to cooperate, and the government has even said it wouldn't enforce it. Of course the urban voters won't allow the government to get rid of it either. So everyone pays, and no one benefits. And of course it does nothing for all the illegal clarinets and flutes and picalos out there on the street.
This is getting long winded..... ;)
Tipi Walter
09-01-2010, 10:18
We have this clarinet registry up in Canada now. Most rural people hate it and refuse to cooperate, and the government has even said it wouldn't enforce it. Of course the urban voters won't allow the government to get rid of it either. So everyone pays, and no one benefits. And of course it does nothing for all the illegal clarinets and flutes and picalos out there on the street.
My Dad used to smuggle clarinets across state lines back in the 1950's and had a special Ford outfitted for a high number of instrument cases. My Dad was what you would call a "horn nut" and was always packing, either a small E-flat clarinet or a wooden recorder, sometimes he didn't care and just went out in public with what he called his "M-60" thrown over his shoulder, a big old baritone saxophone. He always said, "When they take my clarinets away, you'll only have criminals playing Mozart."
Which reminds me. I can take my clarinet into the Smokies but cannot play it, so what's the point? Also, when I travel in my car, I must keep it in the trunk and the reeds separate in the glove box. Tennessee, bless 'em, doesn't have a clarinet registry, and in Louisiana it's now legal to go into bars and churches with any member of the clarinet family--B-flat soprano, E-flat, bass or contra bass clarinet, matched sets of B-flat and A, etc. In North Carolina it is NOT legal to carry a clarinet into a gun shop, a point clearly made to me on a recent trip to Charlotte. Who knew?
kayak karl
09-01-2010, 10:27
Well at least he didn't jam it down the front of his pants and end up shooting his sack off.
would of been going off half cocked.
dcmidnight
09-01-2010, 10:32
I'm not saying this guy is NOT an idiot, I'm just saying there's not enough info to determine, but yes it was an idiotic thing to do.
Agreed. Sounds like he was carrying something too big for hiking IMO considering how many small, lightweight options are out there - the new S+W Bodyguard .380 comes to mind (@ 11oz IIRC).
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p0hpoFbT4bQ
Gray Blazer
09-01-2010, 11:51
Definition of perfect pitch ...
... when you throw your clarinet in the waste basket and you don't hit the sides.
What's the difference between a clarinet and an onion?
No one cries when you cut up a clarinet.
What's the difference between a clarinet player and a large pizza?
The pizza can feed a family of four.
What's the difference between a terrorist and a clarinet player?
The terrorist has sympathizers.
How do you make a million dollars playing the clarinet?
Start with two million.
What's the difference between a dead clarinet player in the road and a dead skunk in the middle of the road?
The skunk may have been on the way to a gig.
How do you get two clarinet players to play in tune?
Shoot one.
How do you know when the stage is level?
When the clarinet player is drooling out of both sides of the mouth.
Please feel free to substitute any instrument for the jokes.
Guitars?
Do you know how to get a Rock n' Roll guitar player to turn down his volume?
Put some sheet music in front of him.
Vocalists?
How do you know it's a female vocalist at the door?
She doesn't know when to come in.
Sierra Echo
09-01-2010, 12:38
would of been going off half cocked.
lmao!!!!!!!!!!!
4eyedbuzzard
09-01-2010, 13:38
"Is that a clarinet in your pocket, or are you just happy to see me?"
http://t2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQwdhJo3qR-8213NKIExzn_-uxnF7kRZ__pTO77neUi2EFRzxI&t=1&usg=__HWMOl59fn7UZpYUj1M7rM8ifexs=
Blue Jay
09-02-2010, 19:10
How do you get two clarinet players to play in tune?
Shoot one.
OK, this one is a little harsh and worse could result in this thread going back to boring.
Blue Jay
09-02-2010, 19:13
"When they take my clarinets away, you'll only have criminals playing Mozart."
Too late they already do, clarinet laws are waaay too liberal.
litespeedlujak
10-03-2010, 00:18
I think John was serious when he made his point comparing the number of people dying in automobile accidents compared to gun deaths. Somewhere the simplicity of what he stated was lost in the silliness of the thread. Check this link out. http://www.the-eggman.com/writings/death_stats.html
I wonder how many lives could be saved by going back to the 55 M.P.H. speed limit, eating healthier as well as buying your groceries local, outlawing tobacco and alcohol, requiring all manufacturing plants to SERIOUSLY lower their of pollution output, setting up neighborhood programs to enhance quality of life such as recreation for all, and bringing the damn jobs back from China and India so U.S. so U.S. citizens can find work. I wonder what would happen to the health of U.S. citizens then? I Presently do not own a firearm although I've recently taken a look at buying a Taurus .22. Wouldn't be much for bears or boars but that's OK. Would fit nicely in a small fanny pack.
4eyedbuzzard
10-03-2010, 00:48
I wonder how many lives could be saved by . . .
outlawing tobacco and alcohol increased stress would result in an exponential increase in the murders of people who want to ban things for other people's good.
requiring all manufacturing plants to SERIOUSLY lower their of pollution output we did that, and our american corporations sent all our jobs to China.
bringing the damn jobs back from China and India so U.S. citizens can find work pollution would increase SERIOUSLY.
I wonder what would happen to the health of U.S. citizens then? We'd find other ways of dying. It's our right.
I Presently do not own a firearm although I've recently taken a look at buying a Taurus .22. Wouldn't be much for bears or boars but that's OK. Would fit nicely in a small fanny pack.S&W 340 or 360 Scandium alloy in .357 is lighter and will just as easily fit in that fanny pack - and that's one potent round from a 12 oz revolver. One step down in power, any of the small 9mm's like a Kahr or Keltec. Really small and light, Keltec P3AT, Ruger LCP, or S&W Bodayguard, all in .380 ACP. All are as light or lighter than the .22
litespeedlujak
10-03-2010, 01:34
Buzzard, not really saying we should good alcohol or tobacco. And I like Italian sausage as much as the next guy. I make dirty rice with it and use it in my chili. I do believe in the pollution thing though. Its ridiculous what has happened to the water of the world. I have no doubt most people with any degree of education or common sense would agree. And I do agree with the concept that people will always find some way to kill themselves, intentional or not.
Trailbender
10-03-2010, 07:40
S&W 340 or 360 Scandium alloy in .357 is lighter and will just as easily fit in that fanny pack - and that's one potent round from a 12 oz revolver. One step down in power, any of the small 9mm's like a Kahr or Keltec. Really small and light, Keltec P3AT, Ruger LCP, or S&W Bodayguard, all in .380 ACP. All are as light or lighter than the .22
.357 out of a snubby isn't much better than a 9mm, and it has a lot more recoil.
Pedaling Fool
10-03-2010, 08:13
I think John was serious when he made his point comparing the number of people dying in automobile accidents compared to gun deaths.
I shouldn't have posted anything and usually don't anymore on this topic; I just get sick of hearing about guns killing/injuring people, therefore sometimes I slip.
It’s such an obvious fact, not just here in the U.S., but around the world cars kill/injure so many (actually the U.S. roads are pretty safe compared to many other countries). And just like guns it’s not really the cars killing people it’s the people killing people – so many are so avoidable. But people want to focus on guns…:rolleyes:
They ignore facts like this:
"Worldwide it was estimated in 2004 that 1.2 million people were killed (2.2% of all deaths) and 50 million more were injured in motor vehicle collisions.[1] (http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/newreply.php?do=newreply&p=1055900#cite_note-who.int-0)[39] (http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/newreply.php?do=newreply&p=1055900#cite_note-www.searo.who.int-38) This makes motor vehicle collisions the leading cause of death among children worldwide 10 – 19 years old (260,000 children die a year, 10 million are injured)[40] (http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/newreply.php?do=newreply&p=1055900#cite_note-bbc-39) and the sixth leading preventable cause of death (http://www.whiteblaze.net/wiki/List_of_preventable_causes_of_death) in the United States[41] (http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/newreply.php?do=newreply&p=1055900#cite_note-JAMA2000-40) (45,800 people died and 2.4 million were injured in 2005).[42] (http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/newreply.php?do=newreply&p=1055900#cite_note-41) In Canada they are the cause of 48% of severe injuries.[43] (http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/newreply.php?do=newreply&p=1055900#cite_note-42)"
Freakin’ unbelievable.
I’m probably just a little too sensitive on this topic since I deal with reckless drivers daily on a bicycle.
http://www.safecarguide.com/exp/statistics/statistics.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Traffic_collision
Toolshed
10-03-2010, 08:55
Oh for the love of God, Mod!!!!!!! :D
4eyedbuzzard
10-03-2010, 09:18
Buzzard, not really saying we should good alcohol or tobacco. And I like Italian sausage as much as the next guy. I make dirty rice with it and use it in my chili. I do believe in the pollution thing though. Its ridiculous what has happened to the water of the world. I have no doubt most people with any degree of education or common sense would agree. And I do agree with the concept that people will always find some way to kill themselves, intentional or not.
I agree with you on the pollution issue to a great degree, but we have been absurd in our philosophy and administration of reducing it. We didn't reduce pollution, we actually increased it by moving it offshore where there is little to no regulation by penalizing business in the US. And we lost jobs, a lot of good ones, as well in the process. There was and is no way companies are going to manufacture a lot of the goods we consume here until we level the playing field via tariffs, trade penalties, etc.
Trailbender
10-03-2010, 10:15
Gun control is the belief that a 100 lb woman has the right to fistfight a 220 lb rapist.
Most people don't realize that most of the gun deaths in the US are criminals shooting other criminals.
Wise Old Owl
10-03-2010, 10:22
Well at least he didn't jam it down the front of his pants and end up shooting his sack off.
Guys like that don't or should not reproduce anyway.....:-? Just "pokin" Fun.