Kalamazoo man at gun-rights picnic at South Haven beach charged after AD

[DaveM55]

http://www.mlive.com/news/kalamazoo/...rights_pi.html

By Kalamazoo Gazette staff
September 24, 2009, 11:25AM
By Rex Hall Jr. | Kalamazoo Gazette

SOUTH HAVEN — A Kalamazoo man attending a gun-rights picnic at South Haven’s South Beach has been charged with reckless use of a firearm after his weapon discharged, police said Thursday.

Jonathan Wayne Sager, 28, was unloading his semiautomatic handgun and preparing it for transport after the Sept. 13 picnic when it discharged at 5:44 p.m., said Chief Rod A. Somerlott of the South Haven Police Department.

A warrant authorized Wednesday by the Van Buren County Prosecutor’s Office charged Sager with reckless use of a firearm, which is a misdemeanor, police said.

No one was struck by the bullet.

Somerlott said officers found remnants of the bullet in the parking lot, leading police to conclude the gun was pointed in a downward direction when it was fired.

“Was his intention to fire the gun? No,” Somerlott said. “At least, I don’t believe so.”

However, police said they believe about 150 beachgoers left the area voluntarily after the shot was fired.

Police responded to the area after receiving calls about the gunshot being fired.

They later stopped Sager, who was riding in a friend’s pickup truck, and three friends in the 800 block of LaGrange Street.

At the time of the stop, Somerlott said Sager and his friends told police they were looking for the local police station so they could report the incident.

At the scene of the stop, Sager’s weapon was checked and returned to him and he was allowed to leave, police said.

Sager voluntarily turned himself in Wednesday at Van Buren County District Court following the issuance of a misdemeanor warrant and was later released pending a formal court arraignment, a news release said.

Sager and his friends had attended a picnic on the afternoon of Sept. 13 that was organized by Michigan Open Carry, which promotes awareness of the state law that allows citizens to openly carry a firearm in most places

[The_Game]

What a bunch of tardfarmers.

[granuale]

[url]SOUTH HAVEN — A Kalamazoo man attending a gun-rights picnic at South Haven’s South Beach has been charged with reckless use of a firearm after he discharged his weapon, police said Thursday.

Jonathan Wayne Sager, 28, was unloading his semiautomatic handgun and preparing it for transport after the Sept. 13 picnic when he discharged it at 5:44 p.m., said Chief Rod A. Somerlott of the South Haven Police Department.

That needed fixin'.

[dc dalton]

People need to remember the golden rule of firearms handling (when not shooting):

Always keep your booger picker off the bang switch, PERIOD

[twoeggsup]

That sucks.

Not the kind of attention we need.

[edstephan]

Sounds like a show and tell went bad









An OC Activist and 1 of the 3%
Ed Stephan

[cigarmanpa]

this seems like a good reminder to all of us to keep weapons holstered when in public

[XD40coyote]

I take it one can OC in MI on foot without a lisc, but if you have no concealed lisc, you can still transport an unloaded gun in your car. More than likley this guy's cc lisc is in the works or he is so new to this, he hasn't applied yet. NEED MORE INFO!

Before you get too hot over this ND, think of seventy4blazer and Curmudgeon on here. It CAN happen even to the best of us.

[Curmudgeon]

this seems like a good reminder to all of us to keep weapons holstered when in public

Yes, but what if you have to unload it for transport?

At some point in time, a weapon must be loaded/unloaded. Hunting, range, home, whatever. A ND can happen anywhere if a person isn't carefful, and a person could still be charged, even if it happens in your home.

Just sayin'

[max384]

First off, it is an ND, not an AD. An AD occurs only if your weapon malfunctions or it fires beyond your control, such as a car accident, etc. Everything else is negligent, not accidental... even if it is an accident. Yeah, I know, I know, I'm splitting hairs here, but there is a difference.

A misdemeanor charge seems kind of rough for an ND though. Then again, what would have happened if it had hit someone? It is definitely not a good way to represent legal gun ownership... happening out in public and all. But at least he had it pointed in the right direction when it went off. That's a lose-lose situation for anyone interested in preserving gun rights.

Good fix granuale. It sure as hell didn't discharge itself.