Cheney shoots hunting buddy (multiple threads merged)

[Lobotomy Boy]

One reason this "story has legs" is that the rule these days seems to be "tear the sucker down" whomever he might be.

Good point. It brings up an interesting question: what is more newsworthy--the vice president shooting another man or a woman performing oral sex on the president?

 

[Sistema1927]

I can't believe that I just read this entire thread.

What a waste of bandwidth.

 

[bogie]

I think anyone who accidentally discharges a
firearm, should never be allowed to carry
or even hold another gun ever again. There
should be a law. This is coming from someone
who loves guns.

Thrilling.

You must not have been a shooter very long. It isn't "if" you'll have an accidental discharge. It's _when_. That's why you don't wanna be pointing the boomstick at anything you like.

I've had a couple of accidental discharges. Both went downrange without incident. Granted, one was a skeet load, and "downrange" was about 3' in front of me, but hey... That trigger got fixed...

A friend of mine shot his bed. Twice. (new freshly 'smithed 1911, drops the slide, yow!, assumes he must have had his finger on the trigger, does it again, immediately ships the thing back....)

 

[bogie]

And I'll say it again...

How many of you have been at a range, and out of the corner of your eye, some Bubbba (or Son of Bubba...) goes wandering downrange to mess with his target. With the range hot, and people shooting on either side of him.

This is basically what happened. The guy got too far forward, and Cheney didn't notice until too late.

 

[Biker]

Most other reports differ with yours, but even at that, the responsibility still belongs to the trigger-puller, does it not?
Biker

 

[JMusic]

I haven't listened to the VP's talk tonight yet. Its my understanding one of his hunting buddies was catching up and Cheney swung on a bird pulling the trigger with him in the line of fire. There is a reason you dress in highly visible clothing, there is also a reason everyone who is hunting together continue to communicate where they are at and if they are not where they should be they should make their partners aware. Now on the other hand it is also the responsibility of the people who are still hunting to KNOW where everyone is at prior to shooting. How many times have you heard hunters yelling to verify locations? An unfortunate accident that should not have happened but one I have seen happen and almost happen on a few occasions. Botton line is if you go out with 4 guys you owe those guys the knowledge of where you are at all times. And if you are a shooter you MUST be aware of where your rounds are going.
Jim

 

[mp510]

You said you have facts. That you won't share them raises doubts.

If you guys are looking for a copy of the report,
http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/0213061cheney1.html

Also, of interest, it says alcohol or drugs were not involved for either party.

 

[ctdonath]

That's not the facts you were referring to.

 

[Phyphor]

I think anyone who accidentally discharges a
firearm, should never be allowed to carry
or even hold another gun ever again.

I disagree. There's a world of difference between accidently firing a weapon, and firing a weapon and unintentionally hitting someone (as opposed to the birds he was shooting at.)


Now, I wouldn't say he shouldn't have a firearm again, unless it was proven that he intentionally shot the guy.

There
should be a law. This is coming from someone
who loves guns.

Yes, because the one thing we need is even *more* draconian gun laws.

:banghead:

 

[22-rimfire]

Another Law... any excuse will do. NY is renaming a law the "Cheney Law". It concerns leaving the scene of a shooting accident. I didn't know Cheney left the scene of the accident.... had his own doctors on site with him. OH, it must mean "reporting the accident to the press".

The diagram the press uses to show where the shot hit the victim is a bit of an exaggeration.... essentially shows a full load.

 

[Kim]

This is the most disgusting thread I have ever seen on THR much less a RKBA web site. It is oozing of stupidity and partisian politics. It is sad and I am surprised. I have noticed the tendency for many on this board to be holier than thou with their "gun expertise" but this is awful. No wonder the 2nd amendment is in shreads. To some their political pick-nicking is the most important thing in their lives. For all who want any hunting accident to be tried in criminal court you are cutting your own throats. Our society is sick. BLAME< BLAME<BLAME> I hope someday I have the means to stay at home,turn off the TV, get off the inter-net and forget this society we live in even exists. That is how disgusted I am tonight. I 'm going hunting tomorrow and will try to enjoy myself knowing that if an acccident occurs there are people like many here who will think I am the devil incarnated. Some sound like a bunch of "Fundie" gun owners who I do not wish to ever know.

 

[bogie]

Yeah, someone at work suggested that Cheney was trying to kill the guy... It took a while, but I think I explained the concept of a very small shotgun shell, little pellets, a fair distance, and the ballistic performance of a tiny round ball.... And I think that the researcher now thinks I'm a little strange...

Oh, and for what it's worth, one of our researchers got her son a "bb gun." Said son's friend thought it'd be a good idea to shoot him. It went through the sternum, stopped right before the heart. Freakish, maybe...

 

[RFM]

To those who replied to my post:

I

 

[Detachment Charlie]

[B]I'd rather hunt with Dick Cheney that ride with Teddy Kennedy.[/B]

 

[RFM]

To those who replied to my post:

I’ve been a shooter for about 18 years. Shotguns, rifles and
handguns, and I’ve never had an accidental firearm discharge.
Thank God and my obsessive-compulsive side that over checks
everything, especially dangerous things like guns.

Ok, I might have been a little harsh with my first post. After all
there are hardware malfunctions and brake downs that you
can’t always control. I guess I should’ve said any accidental
shooting not just a discharge. And the punishment should
include getting your hands cut off by a Samurai; just kidding.

Happy and Safe shooting,

 

[Biker]

[B]I'd rather hunt with Dick Cheney that ride with Teddy Kennedy.[/B]

I dunno, I figure I can swim better than I can dodge. 'Course, you might be faster than a string of 7.5 pellets.

Biker

 

[22-rimfire]

Anyone who wants to read the unabridged text of the Cheney interview can link to it here.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,185012,00.html

It is fairly long. New points. These were wild quail and they were hunting with dogs.

 

[Herself]

And what did we learn, class?

1. When hunting, always make sure the other hunters know where you are.
2. Always be sure of your target and what is behind it, in front of it or right next to it.
3. "Close" counts in more than horseshoes and horse droppings.

...It is better to learn from the mistakes of others than from one's own -- though it doesn't stick in memory quite as well.

The rest of it is just headline-fodder, worth about as much as -- oh, Mr. Garner? -- "a pitcher of warm spit on a hot afternoon."

--Herself

 

[ReadyontheRight]

I like your style Herself.

Oh...and the media attitutde toward this is fascinating.

 

[Bigreno]

 

[LAK]

Oh boy, Cheney has used the old "I only had one beer" defense...

Ask the Law Enforcement, EMT personell, and ER staff that frequent this board what "I only had one beer" means. You can usually get fairly close to the amount of alcohol actually consumed by multiplying the amount they admit to by anywere from 4 to 6.

If there was a delay in the time this was reported, then it would be easy for me to believe it was reported late to allow his alcohol level to go down.

And had the incident been investigated - as it would have with any other citizen of Texas; a blood alcohol test immediately following questioning would have allowed some means of accurately estimating his alcohol level at the time of the incident. This is routinely done after automobile collisions involving drivers suspected of alcohol consumption and intoxication.
------------------------------------------
http://ussliberty.org
http://ssunitedstates.org

 

[Lobotomy Boy]

In the interview Cheney took full responsibility for his actions. He did the right thing, unlike the weasel-like excuses many here tried to make for him (blaming the victim was despicable). Accidents do happen and we all do make mistakes. When you accept your responsibility after making a mistake, you are a lot less likely to make that mistake again. I'd probably hunt with Cheney, though I'd keep a close eye on him. This will probably die down, though it would not have blown up to this degree if Cheney had issued a statement immediately.

 

[CalamityJane]

.... I'd probably hunt with Cheney, though I'd keep a close eye on him. This will probably die down, though it would not have blown up to this degree if Cheney had issued a statement immediately.

I imagine Mr. Cheney would keep a close eye on you too. This isn't anything against you, just that he's learned a very hard lesson and will probably never hunt again without knowing where everybody else is.

As for the idea that this wouldn't have blown up as much if he had spoken about it immediately, I think it would have. The media would have found some other area to focus on, but there would still have been some kind of criticism and outcry. That's what people do when they don't like someone.

 

[#shooter]

Get their stories straight

Why did Cheney have to go and get the story straight with the rancher before reporting it to the police? It is the job of the police to get the facts straight and not Cheney or his staff.

I admit some of the Democrats and lefties are taking this too far. The conspiracy theory stories that are floating around are just loopy. It is what it is, an accident that was handled very poorly by Cheney and or his staff. I guess Cheney could be charged with a felony if the victim dies, though am not familiar with Texas laws on the matter. I think this case should be treated as it would be if it involved a regular John Doe hunter.

If you think Cheney is getting a raw deal, he isn’t. Republicans and the right criticize everything Hillary and the Democrats do. What comes around goes around. The Republicans based their 2000 and 2004 campaigns around personal character. This incident is about personal character including taking responsibility. It is sad to see this country is more divided than I ever remember. Unfortunately, this dramatic polarization and unwillingness to compromise by Republicans and Democrats hurts all of us in between.

 

[Lobotomy Boy]

As for the idea that this wouldn't have blown up as much if he had spoken about it immediately, I think it would have. The media would have found some other area to focus on, but there would still have been some kind of criticism and outcry. That's what people do when they don't like someone.

Had Cheney got out ahead of the story, as advised by the Whitehouse spin doctors, it would have still been a huge story, but not nearly as explosive as it has been. Rather than becoming a political football, it would have been confined to jokes on Letterman and The Daily Show.

I agree that the anger people feel towards Cheney inflamed the situation. As I have said repeatedly, I have never in my life seen an executive branch so reviled as the current administration. Cheney is the focus of much of that revulsion since many people see Bush (wrongly in my opinion) as too stupid to be running things. They think Cheney is his puppet master. If Republicans and moderates aren't worried about this level of animosity and a possible reactionay swing to the opposite extreme in the upcoming elections, they are delusional. I'm very, very worried.