The sheriff suffered an injury to his hand while he was cleaning a gun at his home in Des Moines County, Iowa.

 

Sheriff Mike Johnstone sustained a gunshot wound to his left hand as he cleaned his personal handgun, at about 11:30 p.m. Wednesday, December 16, 2015, according to a statement from the Des Moines County Sheriff’s Office.

Source: Sheriff hurt while cleaning a handgun in Des Moines County | WQAD.com

I know. You’re asking, why should we care that yet another police officer or other person has shot himself while cleaning his gun. Well, this one is noteworthy only because Sheriff Mike Johnstone is rather well known in Iowa for campaigning against the state’s license to carry laws moving from “may issue” to “shall issue” as well as advocating “gun free zones.”

As is often the case, the people most vocal in their belief that only the police and military should have guns, are usually the least qualified with respect to operation, storage, and handling of firearms themselves. It seems the Sheriff is no exception. We wish him a speedy recovery but, this is what good trainers call a “teachable moment” that applies not only to the victim of his own mistake (the Sheriff) but to all gun owners.

The Sheriff shot himself because he failed to follow basic handling procedures that some might call “common sense.” Most importantly, pointing the gun in a direction that could lead to unintended personal/property damage. He clearly failed to treat the firearm as if it was loaded. And his process of unloading and condition checking the firearm was clearly flawed. At the end of the day, what happened with Mike Johnstone is the firearm equivalent of texting and driving with similar results. Don’t be a Mike Johnstone.

GM

“I am a lifelong Democrat. I proudly boast an “F” rating from the NRA. And, yet during my 2014 gubernatorial campaign in Texas, I supported the open carry of handguns in my state…It is a position that haunts me.”

Source: Wendy Davis: Why I Caved on Guns When I Ran for Governor of Texas – POLITICO Magazine

Wendy Davis explains that she was “cowed by the political realities” of Texas politics when she endorsed “open-carry” while running for governor. Um, news flash…No one who actually believes in the right to keep and bear arms ever believed you, Ms. Davis!

You can read more here but, I can save you some time. Davis blames the NRA and her desire to make the conversation about something other than guns. And so, as she puts it, she compromised her “deeply held principles for the sake of political expediency.” In other words, like every other politician, she lied through her teeth to get a vote.

-GM