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How do you title this one... tragic.


Coytee

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A long story....made longer.....

 

Back in 1995, I worked with a group of guys.  One of them had a son (Rocky) who played on the high school football team.  Good looking, chiseled jaw "tough guy" but was a genuine nice person.  Turns out he was more into acting than football.  He went to Rutgers, was active in their theatre stuff....  he went on to New York for a couple episodes in some daytime drama.  I don't know if he was the hunk creating swooning women or if he was a bad boy....creating swooning women.  Short gig as I guess the women weren't swooning enough.

 

He moved to London, England for maybe a year or so and was working in the Shakespeare Theater in London....  so he was having a blast.

 

Came home and ended up following his fathers (my partner at work) footsteps and got his securities license.  He was like a dry sponge just trying and wanting to absorb as much as he could.  His father was a retired CPA, had also worked for the criminal investigation arm of the IRS.  So his father was a wealth of technical information.  Not to toot a horn but I had 20 years in the securities business with multiple Principal licenses so I had a lot to offer as well and Rocky was eager/willing to take in as much as he could.

 

Spreading his wings further, he moved on to Scottrade (discount broker) who was bought out by Ameritrade.  He moved from Knoxville to Nashville for maybe two years with  Ameritrade.  Decided he wanted to be closer to family so moved back to Oak Ridge.  In fact, he was staying in the basement of his parents (7,000+ sq/ft) house.  Accepted a job at Fidelity and now he's hitting his stride.  Though he was the new guy there, he had that humble "I'll start at the bottom rung" mentality and work his way up.  For whatever sales ranking they have, he rose to be their #1 person in the ENTIRE south east....so now Rocky was "rocking & rolling" in his career.

 

I'm told that about three years ago, he found a passion with collecting old guns.  This frankly strikes me as odd....  I would have not been surprised had he found a passion about collecting antique make-up bottles.....but guns & rifles?  No way.  None the less, he was a guy full of surprises.

 

About two weeks ago, as I'm told, he woke from a nap.  He had a new rifle that he had acquired and wanted to show it to his father.  His father, being a VERY matter of fact guy, didn't really care about doing it, but would as he always did, entertain things for Rocky.

 

His father had a vasectemy years ago after they had a daughter.  Couple years go by....  he really wants a son.  So he had that procedure reversed.....  low & behold, they have Rocky.  So Rocky was really the shiniest apple of his fathers eye that I have ever seen.  Not only was he the apple of his fathers eye, they really were best friends.  It was very heartwarming seeing them together because you could just see the strong father/son, mentor/student, friend/friend bond that they shared.

 

Rocky went downstairs to get the gun.  His father must have shown some concerns on his face to which Rocky said "Don't worry Dad....  I removed the magazine and left it downstairs".  Rob (father) was sitting in his chair,  Rocky was standing in front of him.  Rocky turned the rifle around to hand it to his father for him to inspect (Rob was a West Point graduate so certainly had some background in firearms)

 

I'm still trying to wrap my head around what happened but Rocky turns the rifle around to hand it to his father.  There was no magazine in the rifle.....but......  yes, there turned out to be a round in the chamber.  As he rotated the gun to hand the butt end to his father, the rifle is now pointing at Rocky....

 

Rocky's funeral was last Thursday.  41 years old.  Closed casket as my understanding is it hit him in the face, right in front of his father. 

 

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8 minutes ago, Deang said:

First rule of gun safety: All guns are loaded.

Second rule of gun safety, make sure to eject the one in the pipe, then it's back to rule #1 and 3, which is never point the gun at anything you don't intend to kill. Thanks for the story. It's the same reason we Olivia Newton John's boyfriend died, same with Terry Kath of Chicago Transit Authority fame, before the lawsuit and change of Band Name. The round in the chamber is what gets them every time. Bad things happen to good people.

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59 minutes ago, JJkizak said:

If he had Marine Corps training that would have never happened.

JJK

It doesn't take Marine Corps training.  It's basic safety.  The barrel never points at someone, whether handling, or passing it off, and trigger discipline is always adhered to.

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Tragic but not everyone should own a gun or for that matter a drivers license either. That being said accidents happen with guns, motorcycles, cars and most anything else mechanical. Woofers statement about finger off trigger is super important with the relatively new striker fire pistols without a safety, Glock and clones. Not that uncommon for law enforcement officers shooting themselves in leg putting their Glock in holster with trigger hanging up on hold down strap. 

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Sorry to hear this, never should have happened.

 

I have a bunch of guns, and even when I carry a pistol there is never one in the chamber. I figure if I don't have time to rack it no problem, I wouldn't shoot it at anyone that fast anyway, it's how mystakes are made.

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  • 3 weeks later...

Really Really sorry to hear this.

 

But as Dean said........... And my father, a real military Master Sargent type, expert sharp shooter told me. Rule #1 is THE GUN IS ALWAYS LOADED.

 

Rule #2: Never point the gun at anyone.

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