A 32yearold man from Wichita, the most populous city in the state of Kansas, USA, died last Saturday after being shot by his dog. The victim was in the passenger seat of her pickup truck when her dog stepped on a gun in the back seat. According to police, the bullet hit the man in the passenger seat. He was on an animal hunting trip, which would explain the gun’s presence.
The Sumner County Sheriff’s Office told KWCHDT, a CBS affiliate, that “respondents arrived minutes after the 911 call and began providing medical care while they were still there. However, the man couldn’t resist and “succumbed to his injuries” before being taken to a hospital.
Eventually, the case led to opinions being expressed on social media about gun control. Many people criticized that the man was armed and pointed out the lack of security around the car. A man posing as the victim’s friend defended him.
“To all the ‘weapons experts’ here: This man was my friend for over 20 years. Those comments you are making are hateful. I know this family very well and I cannot tell you how much their hearts ache at the moment. Shame on you all,” he wrote.
According to the Gun Violence Archive, there have been 101 unintentional shootings in the United States since the beginning of this year, 2023. More than 1,600 were reported in 2022.