VP Cheney accidentally shoots someone while hunting

[alicia-w]

i'm not sure being in ICU in serious but stable condition qualifies as "OK"

[TexasStooge]

Three Stooges.

"Nyuk-nyuk-nyuk-nyuk-nyuk!"

I can see the late night talk show hosts salivating now. And SNL is busy working on a parody skit. Since the guy seems to be okay,I think it will probably be very funny

Oh, yeah. I'm sure SNL and Mad TV would make parodies of that incident.

I also wonder what E!'s "The Soup" has to say about it?

[fwbbreeze]

I hunt quail on a regular basis and it is not uncommon to be sprayed with shot from a shell used to hunt quail. Usually you are spread out enough that if you do get pelted it only hurts like heck and doesnt put you in the hospital. Same goes for hunting dove, ususally occurs in a large field with many hunters and getting sprayed with shot is quite common. I beg to differ but accidents with firearms DO OCCUR. I agree most can be avoided but not all of them!!

fwbbreeze

[x-y-no]

The issue here is that he wheeled around all the way to his rear while tracking a bird's flight, and fired in a direction he couldn't be sure of.

This runs against the most basic safety practice I was taught when learning to hunt.

[fwbbreeze]

The issue here is that he wheeled around all the way to his rear while tracking a bird's flight, and fired in a direction he couldn't be sure of.

This runs against the most basic safety practice I was taught when learning to hunt.

I concur!!!

[CentralFlGal]

You just know that those close to him in the White House are razzing him on this today. I'd have gone to the Secret Service and picked up my blue vest to wear around him.

Glad his partner is okay; the spray hurts. But not as bad as the BB gun wars we used to have in highschool. It might to them both well to take up paintball instead of quail.

[alicia-w]

i was thinking they should stick to shuffleboard.

[coriolis]

A 28 guage shotgun? I never heard of that.

[alicia-w]

We have two. I just never thought of using a 28 gauge for bird hunting.

[coriolis]

Yes, a co-worker confirmed too.

[fwbbreeze]

A 28 guage shotgun? I never heard of that.

Yes for bird hunting it is common to use either a 12, 16, 20, 28 or 4-10 guage shotgun.

fwbbreeze

[alicia-w]

my husband said that a 28 gauge is great for old codgers like that to hunt birds.

[j]

amazing to me is how the press is all over this like flies on you know what, but Ted Kennedy 30 years ago "accidentally" drives off a bridge killing his babe for the night, and then doesn't report it for 24 hours...and here we have Cheney involved in a true accident...not a drunken act of negligent homicide...

But am I surprised?? nope

[gtalum]

That was like 40 years ago. I'm sure the press was all over it back in the day. Teddy would have ended up being Presidnet without the Chappaquiddick incident. Besides, the coverage of this story tends to be of the lighthearted "what an idiot " variety.

[Stephanie]

amazing to me is how the press is all over this like flies on you know what, but Ted Kennedy 30 years ago "accidentally" drives off a bridge killing his babe for the night, and then doesn't report it for 24 hours...and here we have Cheney involved in a true accident...not a drunken act of negligent homicide...

But am I surprised?? nope

There are more avenues to get news now than 40 years ago when there was at most 3 television stations in black and white and radio.

If what happened with Ted Kennedy occurred 40 years later, you better believe the press would be all over it. There's no comparison.

[azsnowman]

AH HA!! I KNEW it..........he IS guilty, BOTH of them are GUILTY!! But a WARNING citation IMHO.......he SHOULD get a cit. for this, man let me tell ya, he wouldn't get away with that in MY jurisdiction It's "May I see you drivers license, hunting license and please sign down at the bottom!

http://www.azcentral.com

Cheney apparently breaks key hunting rule

08:16 PM EST on Monday, February 13, 2006
By NEDRA PICKLER / Associated Press



WASHINGTON, D.C. — Vice President Dick Cheney apparently broke the No. 1 rule of hunting: Be sure of what you're shooting at. He also violated Texas game law by failing to buy a required hunting stamp.


Cheney wounded fellow hunter Harry Whittington in the face, neck and chest Saturday, apparently because he didn't see Whittington approaching as he fired on a covey of quail in Texas.


Hunting safety experts interviewed Monday agreed it would have been a good idea for Whittington to announce himself - something he apparently didn't do, according to a witness. But they stressed that the shooter is responsible for knowing his surroundings and avoiding hitting other people.


"We always stress to anybody that before you make any kind of a shot, it's incumbent upon the shooter to assess the situation and make sure it's a safe shot," said Mark Birkhauser, president-elect of the International Hunter Education Association and hunter education coordinator in New Mexico. "Once you squeeze that trigger, you can't bring that shot back."


The Parks and Wildlife Department said Cheney and Whittington will be given warning citations for violating game law by not having an upland game bird stamp, a requirement that went into effect in September. Cheney had the required $125 nonresident hunting license, the vice president's office said Monday night in a statement, and he has sent a $7 check to the state to cover the cost of the stamp.

[Miss Mary]

Letterman's Top 10 List is Cheney related tonight. Of course. Let the jokes begin. You know they'll be numerous.

At least this takes the focus on W, right now.

Mary

[Terrell]

Sounds like it's about time for Mr Cheney to quit hunting. Shooting another hunter I think is a pretty good sign that it's time to retire from the sport.

[Brent]

amazing to me is how the press is all over this like flies on you know what, but Ted Kennedy 30 years ago "accidentally" drives off a bridge killing his babe for the night, and then doesn't report it for 24 hours...and here we have Cheney involved in a true accident...not a drunken act of negligent homicide...

But am I surprised?? nope

Cable news and the internet didn't exist 30 years ago.

[southerngale]

i'm not sure being in ICU in serious but stable condition qualifies as "OK"

He's in a private room and only being held for observation now.