Conservative Columnist killed after gun he was showing teen goes off

mentalfloss

Prickly Curmudgeon Smiter
Jun 28, 2010
39,778
454
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If only he could have had another gun to defend himself.


Columnist killed after gun he was showing teen goes off

A conservative newspaper columnist known for his support of guns rights died after the pistol he was showing a teenager suddenly fired.

Michael D. Harmon, who wrote weekly for the Portland Press Herald, died at 71 Wednesday after what his wife called an “accidental tragedy.”

Police told the Press Herald that a 16-year-old and his father were visiting Harmon at his home in Sanford when he was showing the boy a handgun and it went off.

The newspaper said that he was an editor and columnist known as a “steadfast defender of gun rights” during his 41 years at the Press Herald and Maine Sunday Telegram.

He continued to write his column after retiring in 2011, and his LinkedIn page says that he has worked as a speaker.

It was not immediately clear where Harmon was shot, and police did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

An autopsy has been scheduled to determine his exact cause of death.

Harmon's last column, published Thursday, criticized the Obama administration for not vetoing a UN resolution on Israeli settlements.

Columnist killed after gun he was showing teen goes off - NY Daily News
 

darkbeaver

the universe is electric
Jan 26, 2006
41,035
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RR1 Distopia 666 Discordia
He broke the law he's dead. Don't play with loaded firearms. He was his own victim. A nice tidy case of stupid. Age and nationality may have played a role.

The exact cause of death was a gunshot wound to a vital organ, they will investigate anyway. cha ching

Are we to condemn the milloins of gunowners who don't shoot themselves? Statistics predict such things. Is there a real problem or are we just saddled with realistic probabilities?