ThinkProgress: A Lincoln, Nebraska man is recovering from his wounds at a local hospital after shooting himself in the leg during a class on carrying a concealed firearm. According to a local news station’s report, the gun went off when the man was placing it in a holster on his hip. The bullet lodged in his thigh and is not life-threatening.If Nebraska’s law is anything like Wisconsin’s, this guy will get his permit eventually, despite proving pretty much conclusively that he’s a menace — that is, assuming he’s dumb enough to still want it. These classes are pretty much just formalities and, as a result, jokes. Remember, safety is not the purpose behind these sort of gun/paranoia laws. The purpose is to sell more guns. And you’re not going to get more guns out on the street if people like Quick Draw McGraw here get flunked out of these certification classes. If he wants, he can try again — and again and again and again. It’s the same principle behind opposition to background checks — if someone gets flagged on the check, there’s no sale.
Beyond the irony of a man shooting himself during a class that was ostensibly intended to teach him about gun safety, this incident highlights the dangers inherent in a society where people routinely carry firearms. Guns are dangerous machines which can accidentally discharge, threatening the gun owner or innocent bystanders.
That whole thing about being worried about “federal gun registries” is just propaganda for the weakminded and gullible. Being against background checks is about being able to sell guns to criminals. Period. Just like “concealed carry classes” are just a way to sell them to paranoid clowns.
