MY NEIGHBOR SHOT MY HOUSE!
My neighbor across the street has been reloading .45 auto the past few weeks because he acquired a Thompson Submachinegun a couple months ago (he has a Class 3).
This morning my wife called me at work and said he shot the front door of our house. He came over and apologized and said it was an "accident". He says that he was inside his house cycling his realoads through the Thompson to check for any bulges, etc. He said that in order to cycle the action in the Thompson that he had to slightly depress the trigger. He says that he must have accidentally pulled the trigger too hard. The bullet went through his wall (drywall, insulation, and siding), travelled about 120 feet across the street (thank god it didn't hit a car), and lodged about 2 inches in the frame of my front door.
I have never used a Thompson, so I don't know how feasible his story is. I need some Thompson experts to tell me if this guy is being honest or if he is just a maniac. I am on OK terms with this guy, I've only known him about a year. He is REALLY into guns. I mean I love guns, I own about 10 or so and I post on these forums often. But I also do other things to. This guy has no job and is CONSTANTLY either reloading ammo, talking about guns with my other neighbors, or shooting at the quarry behind my house. I never had any problem with his activities, but I think the guy obviously needs to chill out.
I'm really unsure how to respond to this. I obviously don't want to call the cops, especially if it was an honest mistake. But I can't risk my wife's life and my own because this guy is being totally careless.
PLEASE, I NEED ADVICE!
-WoundedWolf
MOLON LAVE
"If ever time should come, when vain and aspiring men shall possess the highest seats in Government, our country will stand in need of its experienced Patriots to prevent its ruin."
-Samuel Adams, Patriot/Brewer
This morning my wife called me at work and said he shot the front door of our house. He came over and apologized and said it was an "accident". He says that he was inside his house cycling his realoads through the Thompson to check for any bulges, etc. He said that in order to cycle the action in the Thompson that he had to slightly depress the trigger. He says that he must have accidentally pulled the trigger too hard. The bullet went through his wall (drywall, insulation, and siding), travelled about 120 feet across the street (thank god it didn't hit a car), and lodged about 2 inches in the frame of my front door.
I have never used a Thompson, so I don't know how feasible his story is. I need some Thompson experts to tell me if this guy is being honest or if he is just a maniac. I am on OK terms with this guy, I've only known him about a year. He is REALLY into guns. I mean I love guns, I own about 10 or so and I post on these forums often. But I also do other things to. This guy has no job and is CONSTANTLY either reloading ammo, talking about guns with my other neighbors, or shooting at the quarry behind my house. I never had any problem with his activities, but I think the guy obviously needs to chill out.
I'm really unsure how to respond to this. I obviously don't want to call the cops, especially if it was an honest mistake. But I can't risk my wife's life and my own because this guy is being totally careless.
PLEASE, I NEED ADVICE!
-WoundedWolf
MOLON LAVE
"If ever time should come, when vain and aspiring men shall possess the highest seats in Government, our country will stand in need of its experienced Patriots to prevent its ruin."-Samuel Adams, Patriot/Brewer
0
-
Most smg's fire from the open bolt. Many have a stud on the front of the bolt, not a removable firing pin. Dunno if that's the case with the TSMG. You can get a couple of hundred $ out of him by not reporting this incident. He'd be out of his Class 3 license if the cops hear about it and pass on the info to ATF, count on that. There's a $15 die that he can get from Brownell's to check chamber fit of ammo. He's nuts for running ammo thru the gun. 0 -
i dont know how the Thompson Submachinegun works but i've never seen a gun that you had to slightly depress the trigger to action rounds. but you would think that if you had to do something that dangerous that you would do it in a safer place like the range...even if it was an accendent i would have called the police anyway... people like that are the onces that give us responcible gun owners a bad rep. 0 -
RULE NUMBER ONE: NEVER POINT A GUN AT ANYTHING YOU DON'T WANT TO SHOOT. AND NOW WE MUST ADD AND SHOOT THROUGH. Jim
Jim Kammerer0 -
What happend to his safety catch?, it was more than likely an accident but i think he lied about how it happend.
He probably dry-fire'd it after cycling out the ammo or something and had a bullet in the chamber.
That is an awkward situation as it could have hit one of your loved ones or it could have hit someone walking down the street, i doubt he would risk his ffl or class 3 on purpose as thoes guns cost quite a bit, at the very least he should pay for the dammage's, and then see how you get on living in the same street, but he must feel realy bad for what has happend.0 -
....(thank god it didn't hit a car)....
Thank God that he didn't hit an innocent bystander.......
"In God We Trust........All Others Go Thru NCIC"0 -
Sounds like a possible real nut , may be of best interest to ' nip it in the bud ' & make some phone calls on this guy ...Screwballs like this are the ones that give the rest of us a real bad name , or worse!
Good Luck !!!
d.a.stearns
Gunsmith / LEO
Niota . Tn
My dog is the best person I know...
If only more people could be as loyal and honest as my dog!!!
I love guns & Shooting!0 -
Sounds like the guy is a real jackass. I'd report him next time your wife might not be able to call you. 0 -
Thompson SMG's fire from an open bolt, which basically means that when the bolt pushes a round into the chamber it fires. Depending on the specific model it fires by either a fixed firing pin (M1A1) or from a lever on the front of the bolt striking the breech face as the bolt slams forward (all other models). Without removing parts from the bolt ahead of time it's impossible to manually cycle rounds through these guns because you can't chamber a round without the firing pin striking the primer.
I wouldn't be surprised if this idiot didn't lock the bolt back, insert a loaded mag, retard bolt movement by hand, depress the trigger to release the bolt from the sear, then take his finger off the trigger and allow the bolt to slam forward and push a round into the chamber. These firearms aren't equipped with a sear release mechanism. The trigger only functions as a bolt hold open device, meaning that when the bolt reaches the breech the primer gets struck by the firing pin even if the trigger is no longer being held to the rear.
I've seen AD's like this happen with people who pick up an open bolt gun for the first time and attempt to "chamber a round" this way, but for this to happen with someone who owns or has even fired such a gun before isn't realistic.
This guy's dangerous.0 -
He is your neighbor. Be a good neighbor and cut him some slack this one time. There ought to be some range time with his TSMG out of the deal for you. Anyone that says they've never had an accident through their own negligence is a liar.
Stolen from, and with thanks, to Kiwibird0 -
I'd one-up him and shoot his house with my 45-70! 0 -
Thanks for all of the responses.
I think the technical explanation provided by Txs may be what happened, but I don't know for sure, don't really care at this point.
My plan is to have a neighborly chat with the guy when I get home from work. I want to be careful not to lecture the guy nor provoke him, but I want to be sure that he comprehends the seriousness of all this. My wife called again and said that he came over a second time and offered to take us shooting this weekend. I guess he was real embarassed and afraid we would call the cops.
I think if I can reassure him that I won't call the cops this time, but emphasize how this obviously could have been a really ugly situation, then maybe that will be satisfactory. I am also going to ask that he not cycle live ammo through his firearms in his home to test his reloads. That's what the range is for. Perhaps I will suggest the device from Brownells that Cloop mentioned.
Also, I may request a couple thousand rounds of 9mm from him [:)].
It is a tough situation because I believe it truly was an accident, but it could have become a REALLY BAD situation. We are lucky no one is dead. However, I don't want to antagonize the guy by lecturing him about gun safety and potentially provoking him to do something else (if he really does turn out to be a nut). At the very least, I don't want this to turn into a war against neighbors, although technically he did fire the first shot [:D].
Thanks all,
WoundedWolf (<-- If I had been home I may have lived up to my name!)
MOLON LAVE"If ever time should come, when vain and aspiring men shall possess the highest seats in Government, our country will stand in need of its experienced Patriots to prevent its ruin."
-Samuel Adams, Patriot/Brewer0 -
You are the one living across the street from this man and the decision on what steps to take is up to you and your wife.
Personally I would talk with the man to be sure that there would no more loading/checking rounds for proper fit unless he is in the basement where the bullet can bounce around until it hits him or some of this belongings.
Do some reloading and shooting with the man and observe his safety habits to satisfy yourself that he had an honest (thought stupid) accident or if he is an accident waiting to happen again.
Should you feel he is a real threat, then take legal action to avoid future problems.0 -
[8D]-As this FORUM feels, I'm somewhat of RADICAL[?][?].This guy is not a Father, Brother or FAMILY. Why do you suppose the round(s) just happened to hit your front door[?][?]CALL the PD and make a full report and ask for surveilance and protection--all in writing--
it's your LIFE(s).--JIMBO (P.S. don't touch the evidence)
I'm only wearing Black untill they make something darker0 -
quote:Originally posted by p3skyking
Anyone that says they've never had an accident through their own negligence is a liar.
The fact that he invested beaucoup thousand dollars in a firearm and has had it for months, but still doesn't realize it's impossible to cycle rounds through an open bolt gun without a discharge is what bothers me. Negligence describes a brain hiccup, but a complete lack of understanding how your firearm operates is a whole different matter.
If I was on a range with this guy I'd make a point of staying close in behind him.0 -
Wolf: My reply was being typed when your summary was posted. I think you are handling this correctly.
He may not be family; however, he is your neighbor and most likely will be for the near future. You indicated that he had been fine in the past, hopefully, he will be a "better" neighbor in the future.0 -
quote:Anyone that says they've never had an accident through their own negligence is a liar.
That's a fact wether it's the guns fault or operator error. And anyone that has had one, usually doesn't have a second one, because the 1st one will scare the snot out of you.
I'd have the talk with him and remind him of the living hell that will come with the police and/or BATF having to be called. He pays to fix the damage, a large quanity of the caliber of your choice, and a trip to the range to play with his toys.
"Aim small, Miss small"0 -
quote:Originally posted by WoundedWolf
Thanks for all of the responses.
I think the technical explanation provided by Txs may be what happened, but I don't know for sure, don't really care at this point.
My plan is to have a neighborly chat with the guy when I get home from work. I want to be careful not to lecture the guy nor provoke him, but I want to be sure that he comprehends the seriousness of all this. My wife called again and said that he came over a second time and offered to take us shooting this weekend. I guess he was real embarassed and afraid we would call the cops.
I think if I can reassure him that I won't call the cops this time, but emphasize how this obviously could have been a really ugly situation, then maybe that will be satisfactory. I am also going to ask that he not cycle live ammo through his firearms in his home to test his reloads. That's what the range is for. Perhaps I will suggest the device from Brownells that Cloop mentioned.
Also, I may request a couple thousand rounds of 9mm from him [:)].
It is a tough situation because I believe it truly was an accident, but it could have become a REALLY BAD situation. We are lucky no one is dead. However, I don't want to antagonize the guy by lecturing him about gun safety and potentially provoking him to do something else (if he really does turn out to be a nut). At the very least, I don't want this to turn into a war against neighbors, although technically he did fire the first shot [:D].
Thanks all,
WoundedWolf (<-- If I had been home I may have lived up to my name!)
MOLON LAVE"If ever time should come, when vain and aspiring men shall possess the highest seats in Government, our country will stand in need of its experienced Patriots to prevent its ruin."
-Samuel Adams, Patriot/Brewer
Sounds like a good way to handle it to me. I know that if I were him, it would have scaired the hell out of me. I don't think getting the cops involved at this point would be the best course of action. Everyone make some kind of dumb mistake in their life. Hopefully he has learned from this. It would be a shame to burn him, if it was an honest mistake and no one got hurt. Just my .02.
Eric
allamericanarmsco@frontiernet.net
All American Arms Company
www.galleryofguns.com
VIP Code: AAAC
Veteran Owned and Operated
I had a neighbor who was doing some target shooting parrallel to my house. We had rounds ricochetting (sp?) through my side yard. I went and talked to him about it and the problem was completely solved.0 -
Wolf, you got a lot of good advice. I was impressed by your thoughtful analysis, & think that you have a good action plan.
The one thing I would add to your list of "demands" is that he secure all his guns in a safe, if he doesn't already do so. And, I don't mean a $150 Stack-On; anyone who can afford a $20,000 toy can afford to buy a real safe. That way, you will never need to worry about his kids, or other kids in the neighborhood, using his guns to wreak havoc.
Neal0
Please sign in to leave a comment.
Comments
18 comments