A 7-month-old yellow Labrador retriever named Molly accidentally shot a passenger in her owner’s car on Oct. 3 in Oklahoma. NBC affiliate KFOR reports that 44-year-old Tina Springer was in the passenger seat of 79-year-old Brent Parks’ car. Behind them was Parks’ dog, Molly. Between Springer and Parks, on the center console, was a .22 caliber handgun. The car was stopped, waiting for a train to pass. Enid News & Eagle reports that Molly, spooked by the passing train, jumped onto the console, pressing down and discharging the gun, shooting Springer in the thigh.
According to NBC News, Parks was instructed by a 911 call dispatcher to use his belt as a “tourniquet” and Springer was brought to a hospital, where she underwent surgery. She is expected to make a full recovery. Parks told police he normally doesn’t load his firearm when he carries it. Police told the news outlet that they discovered “three shell casings in the vehicle, and they are not clear if they all came from that incident.” According to ABC News, the police report states that Parks suffers from dementia and that Springer is Parks’ caregiver.
As smart as your dog may be, they do not have the capacity to understand guns. One could argue that a distinguishing factor between the human race and the rest of the animal kingdom is that we can create and use guns, and in doing so, we have essentially taken ourselves out of the food chain. However, guns are dangerous by their very nature and accidents can frequently be fatal. Gun owners, like Fox News viewers, believe themselves to be the best informed and safest with firearms. But statistically speaking, they are wrong.