Video: Man Points Gun at Himself, Friend’s Head for Shooting Range Selfies

Jack Phillips
10/12/2018
Updated:
10/12/2018

A Texas gun range posted footage of two men trying to pose for a selfie while holding a gun.

In the video, one of the men held a gun to the other man’s head for a selfie opportunity.

Top Gun Range in Houston wrote: “Great job from our Range Safety Officer in stopping and addressing a safety violation on the range.”

The range added that the person is banned from going there.

“The former customer brought in his own weapon for him and his friend to shoot. They were given a safety brief and still broke range rules once they went out to shoot,” said the range in a Facebook post.

“After they were promptly removed from the range, we covered which rules they broke and then banned them for life from the range. We take safety very seriously here at Top Gun Range, and we pride ourselves in having the best staff in Texas,” the post said.

According to Fox News, the gun in the video was not loaded. The man holds it close to his chest as he takes a selfie with his phone. The man next to him then grabs something, and his friend held the gun to his head while taking photos.
A range officer was teaching a safety class just a few feet away when he saw the two men’s antics. Kyle Harrison, the manager, said the officer rushed over and “caught it, took the weapon, cleared it and escorted them off the fire line immediately,” KHOU reported.

“Taking pictures is OK, but you just have to do it safely,” Harrison said. “You have to assume every firearm is loaded. You don’t want to point it at something you want to destroy, and he was pointing it at his friend’s head,” he said.

“There’s really no apologizing for breaking safety rules,” Harrison said. “You can’t do that. You have to take them (guns) seriously. They’re not toys.”

In Conroe, Texas, a 16-year-old girl was killed while posing for photos with a loaded gun. The gun she was holding went off and a bullet struck her in the head, killing her, the Dallas News reported.

Two 19-year-old men were arrested in connection with the incident.

And in April, a 25-year-old playing with a gun on Facebook Live shot her friend in the head.
A Texas gun range posted footage of two men trying to pose for a selfie while holding a gun. (Credit: Top Gun Range via Storyful)
A Texas gun range posted footage of two men trying to pose for a selfie while holding a gun. (Credit: Top Gun Range via Storyful)

Gun Safety Tips

According to Urban Survival Site, it recommends people to keep a gun unloaded when not in use, but it cautions that one should handle a gun as if it is loaded.

“Even if you have a perfect track record for unloading your firearm before putting it away, always assume it is loaded. Remember, accidents frequently happen when someone is absolutely sure their firearm is unloaded; everyone makes mistakes. That’s especially true in survival situations, so be careful,” said the website.

The website reiterated a common gun safety rule: “Only point your gun at what you want to shoot.”

“Even if you think your gun is unloaded, never point it at anything or anyone you don’t want to punch a deadly hole into. It is best to keep the barrel of the weapon pointed somewhere neutral like the ground except when you are actually aiming to shoot,” it added.

Jack Phillips is a breaking news reporter with 15 years experience who started as a local New York City reporter. Having joined The Epoch Times' news team in 2009, Jack was born and raised near Modesto in California's Central Valley. Follow him on X: https://twitter.com/jackphillips5
twitter
Related Topics