Man accidentally fires gun at Hampton gun show, is charged with reckless handling
A man accidentally fired a handgun at a gun show at the Hampton Roads Convention Center on Saturday afternoon, Hampton Police said.
The gun owner was “clearing his weapon to enter” the event when he “accidentally discharged the gun into the floor,” Hampton Police Cpl. Ernest Williams said.
It happened at 12:42 p.m. in a convention center hallway that leads into the show. A source told the Daily Press the gun was fired not far from where a group of Girl Scouts was selling cookies at a booth.
The gun owner, a Smithfield man, was charged with reckless handling of a firearm, Williams said. That’s a Class 1 misdemeanor, punishable by up to a year behind bars.
Williams did not immediately have the man’s name or age, saying he believes the man was issued a summons to appear in court later rather than being physically arrested.
The event, sponsored by Southeastern Guns & Knives, is known as the “SGK Hampton Gun Show.”
It’s common practice at gun shows for weapons to be checked — and verified to be unloaded — before people can enter.
“No loaded firearms or loose ammunition are permitted in the building,” this event’s website says. “All federal and local firearm laws and ordinances must be obeyed.”
The gun show continues at the Hampton convention center Sunday.
Peter Dujardin, 757-247-4749, pdujardin@dailypress.com
