Life can throw us some really wild curveballs sometimes. Waking up one day to find that everything in your world seems to have conspired against you to hand you a totally unexpected experience is strange enough, but some of these strange situations have a way of making us step back and laugh, even if we just had a hairy brush with serious trouble. That’s why I remind myself to stay relaxed and open-minded, because bizarre things happen. Life loves to keep it interesting, after all.
Unfortunately, sometimes these unexpected events aren’t always something that we can be amused about. In a tragic hunting accident this past Saturday, officials in Kansas say that Joseph Austin Smith, a 30-year-old resident of Witchita, has died after his dog discharged a rifle while they were both inside the pickup truck. The Sumner County Sheriff’s Office reported that the incident took place in an area near 80th Street South and River Road, just north of Geuda Springs.
The victim was sitting in the front passenger seat of the vehicle at the time of the shooting, which was allegedly caused when the canine stepped on the firearm that was left in the backseat. Despite efforts from first responders to administer CPR upon arrival at the scene, it was determined that Smith had succumbed to his fatal injuries
The Gun Violence Archive reports that there have been 101 unintentional shootings in America since January 1st of this year alone. In 2022, there were over 1,600 incidents recorded by the same organization, amounting to more than 2,400 gun fatalities thus far this year. These statistics are disheartening reminders of how important it is for gun owners to take all proper safety precautions when handling firearms. It’s a pretty normal thing out in the country to carry around a rifle in your truck, but having a dog discharge it is not.
