This won't require a lot of explanation. I decided to count as many incidents as I could of firearms being discharged on "Gun Appreciation Day," and what happened as a result. After hearing the news of five woundings in separate accidental shootings at three different gun shows during the day, I got curious about how many other incidents, both intentional and unintentional, might have happened during the day.
I'm sure that my list is not comprehensive. All I did was search Google news. Still, I came up with a list of 110 separate incidents in 35 states and the District of Columbia, killing a total of 40 people and wounding 71 more.
Additional methodology note: For the purposes of this list, I have defined gun "incidents" as those in which there was a discharge, intentional or otherwise. There is one exception on the list: an incident in Las Vegas, NV in which an elected state representative brandished a gun and threatened to shoot the Speaker-elect of the Nevada state legislature. I thought that merited consideration, though strictly speaking, that might open the list to the inclusion of armed robberies and the like, even if no shots were fired. Though it's certainly well within reason to argue that such incidents should be included, they threaten to make the list unmanageable, and perhaps dilute its impact. But the subject is certainly open for discussion.
If it makes conservatives feel any better, the state legislator arrested is a Democrat.
Take in the full list, below the fold.
- Clarksburg, OH; 12:00 am EST. No injuries
- Providence, RI; 12:30 am EST. 1 wounded
- Buffalo, NY; 1:00 am EST. 1 dead
- Columbus, GA; 1:00 am EST. No injuries
- Cleveland, OH; 1:04 am EST. 1 dead, 1 wounded
- Hamilton, OH; 12:20 CST. No injuries
- Odenton, MD; 1:30am EST. 2 wounded
- Kingston, NY; 1:45 am EST. 1 wounded
- Allentown, PA; 2:00 am EST. 1 dead
- Columbus, GA; 2:07 am EST. 1 incidentally wounded
- Kirksville, MO; 1:30 am CST. No injuries, no property damage
- Elmira, NY; 2:30 am EST. No injuries reported
- Washington, DC; 2:30 am EST. 1 dead
- Gresham, OR; 12:00 am PST. 1 dead
- Spartanburg, SC; early am EST 1 wounded
- Charlotte, NC; 3:00 am EST. 1 wounded
- Baton Rouge, LA; 2:09 am CST. 1 dead
- Aurora, CO; 1:25 am MST. 1 dead
- Greensboro, NC; 3:30 am EST. 1 dead
- McDonough, GA; 3:30 am EST. 1 dead
- Chicago, IL; 4:00 am CST. 1 wounded
- Salem, OR; 1:00 am PST. 1 wounded
- North Platte, NE; 3:30 am CST. No injuries
- Colorado Springs, CO; 2:00 am MST. 1 wounded
- Danville, IL; 3:00 am CST. 1 wounded
- Sioux City, IA; 3:19 am CST. Property damage, no injuries
- Las Vegas, NV; 2:00 am PST. 2 wounded
- San Francisco, CA; 2:25 am PST; 1 wounded
- St. Louis, MO; 4:00 am CST. 1 dead
- Chico, CA; 2:24 am PST. 2 wounded
- Big Beaver, PA; 6:30 am EST. No injuries
- Anchorage, AK; 2:45 am AKST. 1 wounded
- Loleta, CA; 4:15 am PST. Incidental injury
- Yuma, AZ; 5:45 am MST. Property damage, no injuries
- Tallahassee, FL; 8:30 am EST. 1 wounded
- Trinidad, OR; 8:00 am PST. 1 dead
- Moscow, ID; 9:00 am PST. 1 dead
- Stow Creek, NJ; 12:30 pm EST. 1 wounded
- Jackson, MS; 12:00 pm CST. 1 wounded
- Franklin Co., TX; 12:00 pm CST. 1 dead
- Madison, WI; afternoon CST. No injuries
- Little Rock, AR; 12:10 pm CST. 2 wounded
- Raleigh, NC; 1:15 pm EST. 3 wounded
- Cleveland, OH; 1:45 pm EST. 1 dead
- Hampton, VA; 1:46 pm EST. 2 dead
- Long Beach, CA; 10:50 am PST. 1 wounded
- Las Vegas, NV; 11:15 am PST. 2 wounded
- Walterboro, SC; 2:30 pm. 1 wounded
- Kansas City, KS; 1:40 pm CST. 1 dead
- Chicago, IL; 1:49 pm CST. 1 wounded
- Medina, OH; 3:00 pm EST. 1 wounded
- Idaho Falls, ID; 1:00 pm MST. 1 dead
- Chicago, IL; 2:00 pm CST. 1 wounded
- London, KY; afternoon EST. 14-year-old wounded
- London, KY; afternoon EST. 45-year-old wounded in separate incident
- San Leandro, CA; 12:20 pm PST. 1 dead, 1 wounded
- Dothan, AL; unknown time. Property damage, no injuries
- Port Edwards, WI; 3:00 pm CST. 1 wounded
- Ft. Wayne, IN; 4:00 pm EST. 1 dead, 1 wounded
- Boonville, MO; 3:07 pm CST. 1 wounded
- Indianapolis, IN; 4:15 pm EST. 1 wounded
- San Jacinto, CA; 2:00 pm PST. 1 wounded
- Colorado Springs, CO; time unknown MST. 2 wounded
- Lake City, AR; 4:30 pm CST. 1 dead, 1 wounded
- Las Vegas, NV; 3:45 pm PST. No injuries reported
- Concord, CA; 3:55 pm PST. No injuries reported
- Long Beach, CA; 4:30 pm PST. 1 dead, 1 wounded
- Rosewood, FL; evening EST. 1 dead
- Oklahoma City, OK; 7:00 pm CST. 1 wounded
- Springfield, MA; 8:00 pm EST. Property damage; no injuries
- Greenwood, SC; 8:00 pm EST. 2 wounded
- Winchester, KY; 8:02 pm EST. 1 wounded
- Philadelphia, PA; night EST. 1 wounded
- Mad River Township, OH; night EST. No injuries reported
- Nashville, TN; night CST. 1 wounded
- San Francisco, CA; 5:30 pm PST. 1 dead
- Monroe, LA; night CST. 1 wounded
- Sanford, FL; multiple incidents EST. Property damage, no injuries
- Odessa, TX; 7:52 pm CST. 1 wounded
- Tempe, AZ; 7:15 MST. 1 wounded
- Livingston, CA; 6:23 pm PST. 2 wounded
- Huntsville, AL; 8:30 pm CST. 1 wounded (life-threatening)
- Atlanta, GA; 10:00 pm EST. 1 wounded
- San Rafael, CA; 7:00 pm PST. No injuries
- Greenville, SC; 10:06 pm EST. 1 dead
- Chicago, IL; 9:19 pm CST. 1 wounded
- Boston, MA; 10:30 pm EST. Pit bull killed by police officers
- Thomasville, NC; 10:38 pm EST. 1 dead
- Fall River, MA; 11:00 pm. No injuries
- Long Beach, CA; 8:00 pm PST. 1 wounded
- Memphis, TN; 10:00 pm CST. 1 dead
- Little Rock, AR; 10:00 pm CST. 1 dead
- Grapevine, TX; 10:00 pm CST. 2 dead
- Picayune, MS; 10:00 pm CST. 1 dead
- Chicago, IL; 10:00 pm CST. 1 wounded
- Albuquerque, NM; 9:15 pm MST. 5 dead
- Orlando, FL; night EST. 1 wounded
- Sarasota, FL; 11:45 pm EST. 1 wounded
- Tallahassee, FL; 11:45 pm. 1 wounded
- Farmington, NM; time unknown. No injuries
- Columbia, SC; approximately 11:50 pm EST. 1 wounded
- Ft. Washington, MD; approximately 11:55 pm EST. 1 dead
- North Charleston, SC; night EST. 2 wounded
- Aloha, OR; 9:00 pm PST. 1 wounded
- Pomona, CA; 9:12 pm PST. 3 wounded
- Woodville, CA; 9:45 pm PST. 1 dead, 1 wounded
- Fresno, CA; 10:00 pm PST. No injuries
- Los Angeles, CA; 10:15 pm PST. 1 dead
- Santa Ana, CA; 11:40 pm PST. 1 dead
- Porterville, CA; 11:40 pm PST. Incidental injuries