Gunsmith Sentenced To Jail Time

[mrjarrell]

I'm surprised he didn't get more time than he did. He got off incredibly lucky and will likely still face a crippling lawsuit. This is why you always know what's downrange. A totally avoidable tragedy, that makes gun owners look like fools.

From The Star

MARTINSVILLE, Ind. -- The gunsmith who fired the stray bullet that killed a man as he slept in his central Indiana home has been sentenced to 60 days in jail.John Graf of rural Monrovia apologized during a Morgan County court hearing after pleading guilty to a felony criminal recklessness charge in the death last March of 35-year-old Jason Breisch. Graf had trouble looking at Breisch's widow and three children as he spoke.
The judge ordered Graf to also serve a year in a county work release center.Graf admitted to investigators that he had been test shooting a .45-caliber handgun he was trying to repair. Authorities say Breisch was asleep in his bedroom within 1,000 feet of Graf's home when he was shot in the chest and died a short time later.

 

[Bubba]

I think the news clip makes it sound a lot more negligent than it was. Still, IIRC the gunsmith made a habit of unsafe test-firing and it was only random chance a tragedy didn't occur sooner.

 

[Seancass]

I guess it's been a while since this happened, but i thought the pistol was fired in a seemingly safe way, at a back stop. Was this not the case?

Still really sad for everyone involved. I'm not sure it makes gun owners look like fools. It might make guns look like dangerous killers all the time: "even a highly trained shooter can't protect innocent bystanders from his stray bullets" etc.

 

[SD45]

1,000 feet with a .45..... in and out of a wall...and into a chest. Yea...that victim nor gunsmith was having a lucky day. I think there is a fair amount of neglect there...but wow....

 

[indybrad]

I guess it's been a while since this happened, but i thought the pistol was fired in a seemingly safe way, at a back stop. Was this not the case?

Still really sad for everyone involved. I'm not sure it makes gun owners look like fools. It might make guns look like dangerous killers all the time: "even a highly trained shooter can't protect innocent bystanders from his stray bullets" etc.

I think that's what he told them, but there where some trees shot up in his back yard. Think they thought a round bounced off a tree or something like that.

 

[Bubba]

I guess it's been a while since this happened, but i thought the pistol was fired in a seemingly safe way, at a back stop. Was this not the case?

From Channel 6 Neighbor To Be Charged In Death Of Man Hit By Stray Bullet - Indiana News Story - WRTV Indianapolis

According to the probable cause affidavit, Graf told police he was testing a handgun and fired 14 rounds directly into the ground behind his house, about 300 yards from Breisch's rural Morgan County home. Police said Graf couldn’t explain several fresh gunshot marks on some nearby trees.

I can't find the article I'm remembering, but I recall reading at the time something that indicated that the gunsmith in question made a habit of function testing his weapons from the back door of his house.

 

[henktermaat]

Wait- man shot with .45 and doesn't realize it?

 

[redneckmedic]

He prob would have been OK if it had been a .380

 

[38special]

I think likely the guilt he'll be feeling for taking a man's life is much worse than the 60 days in jail.

Prayers go out for both parties involved.