Coloured South African urban (Cape Town) - I’ve known lots of people who have been shot - hundreds, even. If we exclude being shot with buckshot or rubber bullets by police, that goes down to just over a dozen - 2 armed robberies, 1 domestic murder, 1 suicide, 1 accident, ~10 gang-related killings - all of those were fatal. Plus another couple dozen woundings, in the gang-related category.
I don’t know anybody who has been shot. Just thought I’d throw out there that some of us don’t! I’ve talked to dudes who’ve almost been shot before, but they weren’t more than casual aquaintances.
I spent a year (1969) in Vietnam in the Marines, probably knew a hundred or so, if you count shrapnel it goes way up.
From 1970 until 1987 I worked construction and probably met another fiftyish or so, if you include stabbings the number goes way up.
Outside of the above I’ve known at least five that were murdered, four shot one and one strangled. And a couple that did some murdering not associated with the previous.
I am English and do not know anyone back home who has been shot. This is not exactly surprising as I do not know anyone in England who owns a gun, other than a few farmers with shotguns.
Since moving to the US two neighbors have shot themselves and one was shot and killed in her own home and the murderer not yet apprehended.
White suburban male.
A guy a year behind me in HS was shot to death in front of his GF by two car jackers who wanted his new jeep. I was actually on jury duty when they were panelling the jury for the two ‘kids’ who executed him. (no I wasn’t picked and I would have recused myself if I had). I remember him being a macho wrestler-jerk, but he didn’t deserve to be shot dead for the crime of driving a nice car.
Two people I sat next to at the ‘young marrieds table’ at weddings/baptisms/first communions in my wifes family died by gun in a murder suicide. He was a seemingly nice but clueless foreman at a construction company. She was a gymnastics instructor. Rumors of her affairs were well known, but nobody’s business. We always figured he dealt with it as long as she was discreet.
The story goes that she pulled a train of the guys on his crew at their job site, while he was checking another site, within a week of the murders. Its generally supposed that he snapped after finding out. Its a matter of record that he shot her to death, and then killed himself with the gun afterwards.
White Suburban Male.
My best friend from college was shot (in the leg) about 20 years ago in the New York City Subway, during a robbery. Decided to try to hold onto his computer when the guy grabbed for it. Guy calmly pulled out the gun and shot him, then grabbed the computer and got off at the next stop. My friend crawled over and blocked the door with his body to get the conductor’s attention. Bullet’s still in his leg.
I work at a Veterans Adminstration hospital, So i know many gunshot victims.
One of my former coworkers back in Chicago had been shot. He was a young (probably 23 or so) white urban guy.
An Israeli friend of mine got shot at while patrolling the Lebanese border. The bullet missed, but ricocheted off a wall, broke up into a bunch of pieces, some of which got embedded in his knee. He told me about it casually the day before surgery to remove the pieces. He was only a couple years older than me (I was 20 at the time) and it really freaked me out.
My friend MikeG was shot in Africa. I don’t know the details. Maybe he’ll stop by and share the story.
oh, my uncle was shot too… don’t know any of the details, probably don’t want to know, either. My Grandfather, a Marine who was KIA at Saipan, don’t know any of the details. Probably an 80% chance he was killed by a gun.
Used to play war with some buddies as a kid. I’ve been pinged several times with pellets and BB’s from Air and CO2 rifles… sometimes they leave a nasty welt, never penetrated at the distances we played from and the ground rules we laid down (No shooting at close range).
A kid who belonged to my church was shot and killed by his best friend when they were about 13. The friend’s father was a cop, and the boys were playing with (?one of) his gun(s) when it went off. I was probably about 8 or 9 at the time, and it was the first time I ever knew somebody who had died. I remember being worred about having to go to a viewing or a funeral, but my parents didn’t take me.
When I was about 18, one of my coworkers was pregnant, and her OB/GYN was shot and killed by the OB’s estranged husband, in front of their kids. This is more in the category of FOAF anecdote, but I do remember it vividly because of how strongly it affected my coworker.
White, suburban, female.
White female, rural, 30s.
The only person I can think of that has been shot is an acquaintance who is about 70 now. When he was in his single digit years, he shot himself in the foot with a .22 that the boys used to hunt small game. A lot of pain but no lasting adverse effects.
But alas, I did not know him.
I think I’ve told this story once before. It happened many years ago. My youngest uncle was 10 at the time. One of my aunts was going with a Texan we’ll call “Bill.” Well, Bill came into town in full Texan drag, complete with a holster and gun. When he met my 10-year-old uncle, he said, “Hey kid, I bet you never saw a real gun before.” He then handed the gun to my uncle, who aimed it at him and pulled the trigger. The damn thing was loaded and cocked!
Well, Bill spent several months in the hospital, nearly dying a few times. Eventually he married my aunt and they had two kids . . . so no Darwin Award this time.
“Sooner or later everybody gets shot.” - Grandpa Simpson
My uncle’s step-son was shot on a street in Washington DC or Maryland, forget which.