Delegate's gun goes off in his officeBY HUGH LESSIG
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January 27, 2006
RICHMOND -- A visibly shaken Virginia lawmaker apologized to his colleagues Thursday after accidentally firing a handgun in his office while attempting to unload it.
But Del. John S. Reid could still call it a lucky shot: The slug slammed into a bullet-resistant vest that hung on the door.
He received the vest as a gag gift last year, but Reid wasn't laughing Thursday. His normally booming voice was stilled as he discussed the incident with reporters. He said he wasn't sure if he would continue to carry a gun.
"I've got some soul searching to do about that," he said.
Reid said he arrived at his office shortly before 9 a.m. and closed the door. He carried the gun, a small .380-caliber automatic, in the breast pocket of his sport coat. His normal routine is to remove the gun and take out the clip. He then pockets the clip and leaves the unloaded gun in his office.
He pulled the gun from its sheath and pressed a button to release the clip. "As I went to hit that, the thing discharged," he said.
He wore a small bandage below his thumb where the slide hit his skin.
Reid said he went to the Capitol Police, who sent an investigator to his office.
The Henrico County Republican then took the rare step of asking to meet with the House Democratic Caucus, where he apologized. He did the same for his Republican colleagues, then apologized publicly in a floor speech.
Asked later why he felt a need to apologize, his voice trembled as he said, "I just ... that's a reflection on everybody, in one way or another. I don't want to reflect negatively."
Reid said he's had a permit to carry a gun for about two years. He began carrying it because of phone calls he had received over the years. While he was never directly threatened, he said the calls made him uneasy.
State law allows people who have obtained the proper permit to carry a concealed weapon into the General Assembly building or the Patrick Henry Building, now serving as the temporary capitol.
Both buildings have metal detectors, but lawmakers and staffers generally are not checked.
Reid said he doesn't feel the need to be armed once he reaches the Square. The Capitol Police do a good job of protecting lawmakers and the public, he said.
Other lawmakers have reportedly carried guns on Capitol Square, where Reid and other conservatives staunchly protect gun rights in vote after vote.
Reid said the accident would not make him change his voting stance, but he will review his own habits.
"It's at least causing me to evaluate myself," he said.
Maj. Mike Jones of the Capitol Police said Reid would not be charged with a crime, because he did not deliberately fire his gun and he was not behaving recklessly.
"It was an accident," Jones said. "It was a significant accident. But for anyone who carries a firearm, it was a lesson learned."
Gov. Tim Kaine, who held an impromptu press conference on several issues Thursday, was asked about the incident and whether Virginia should change its law about carrying guns.
"I understand Jack's been a real trouper about it, but it does raise a safety question," he said. "You've got Boy Scout groups, pages, all kinds of folks walking around in the halls. So I think it's something the legislature needs to look at."
www.dailypress.com/news/dp-61737sy0jan27,0,5082585.story?coll=dp-widget-newsApparently it wasn't his fault... the thing just discharged!