# To dumb to breathe, let alone own a gun... **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [March 25, 2008, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-dumb-to-breathe-let-alone-own-a-gun/442728 "2008-03-25T22:10:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![CynicalGabe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/3e96dc/32.png) [@CynicalGabe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CynicalGabe)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2008, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-dumb-to-breathe-let-alone-own-a-gun/442728/1 "2008-03-25T22:10:54Z")
[Man shoots wife while drilling hole in wall](http://www.kctv5.com/news/15698864/detail.html) Not RO, just a good head-shaking. This isn’t a gun-control thread either. This man is clearly too stupid to be trusted with anything more dangerous than string. ---
**Author:** ![wring](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/838e76/32.png) [@wring](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wring)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2008, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-dumb-to-breathe-let-alone-own-a-gun/442728/2 "2008-03-25T22:15:37Z")
“too” dumb to recognize the error in title\* \*\* I only post corrections like this when the error makes it funny IMHO. So, hope you take it in good stride. ---
**Author:** ![Slacker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6bbea6/32.png) [@Slacker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slacker)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2008, 10:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-dumb-to-breathe-let-alone-own-a-gun/442728/3 "2008-03-25T22:17:56Z")
From the article: > [@](#): > > Officials are trying to decide whether to file charges against a Missouri man who fatally shot his wife while trying to install a satellite TV system in their home. Maybe I’m just more mentally gifted than these officials, but isn’t this textbook manslaughter? How can you argue he wasn’t reckless while shooting a friggin gun through a wall with someone inside? ---
**Author:** ![THespos](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8c91f0/32.png) [@THespos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/THespos)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2008, 10:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-dumb-to-breathe-let-alone-own-a-gun/442728/4 "2008-03-25T22:26:46Z")
Looks like I’m six or seven minutes too late to rank on the OP. Oh, well… **wring** is too quick on the draw. ---
**Author:** ![Mosier](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ea924/32.png) [@Mosier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mosier)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2008, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-dumb-to-breathe-let-alone-own-a-gun/442728/5 "2008-03-25T22:31:23Z")
You’re absolutely right about the head-shaking thing. What an idiot. Who’s first thought when confronted with a home improvement project that requires a tool they don’t own is “I’ll just use my pistol!” /boggle ---
**Author:** ![Malthus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/85f322/32.png) [@Malthus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malthus)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2008, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-dumb-to-breathe-let-alone-own-a-gun/442728/6 "2008-03-25T22:33:03Z")
[QUOTE=Mosier] You’re absolutely right about the head-shaking thing. What an idiot. Who’s first thought when confronted with a home improvement project that requires a tool they don’t own is “I’ll just use my pistol!” /boggle [/QUOTE] Hey, it worked. Hole was made. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![danceswithcats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9e8a1a/32.png) [@danceswithcats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/danceswithcats)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2008, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-dumb-to-breathe-let-alone-own-a-gun/442728/7 "2008-03-25T22:33:30Z")
[QUOTE=Slacker] Maybe I’m just more mentally gifted than these officials, but isn’t this textbook manslaughter? How can you argue he wasn’t reckless while shooting a friggin gun through a wall with someone inside? [/QUOTE] Minor nitpick: The shooter _was_ inside, and claimed he thought everyone else was. Not going to argue that his choice of hole-making implement was severely flawed. ---
**Author:** ![Anne\_Neville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Anne\_Neville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anne_Neville)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2008, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-dumb-to-breathe-let-alone-own-a-gun/442728/8 "2008-03-25T22:41:38Z")
[QUOTE=Mosier] What an idiot. Who’s first thought when confronted with a home improvement project that requires a tool they don’t own is “I’ll just use my pistol!” [/QUOTE] It sounds like something from those “you might be a redneck if…” lists. ---
**Author:** ![cookeze](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e19b73/32.png) [@cookeze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cookeze)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2008, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-dumb-to-breathe-let-alone-own-a-gun/442728/9 "2008-03-25T22:41:26Z")
So—did he get his satellite hookup installed? How good does it work? ---
**Author:** ![OtakuLoki](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ac8455/32.png) [@OtakuLoki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OtakuLoki)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2008, 11:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-dumb-to-breathe-let-alone-own-a-gun/442728/10 "2008-03-25T23:00:12Z")
Whether the prosecutor chooses to arraign this yutz, or not, I think we can safely award him the title of Moron of the Week. ---
**Author:** ![wring](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/838e76/32.png) [@wring](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wring)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2008, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-dumb-to-breathe-let-alone-own-a-gun/442728/11 "2008-03-25T23:01:56Z")
[QUOTE=OtakuLoki] Whether the prosecutor chooses to arraign this yutz, or not, I think we can safely award him the title of Moron of the Week. [/QUOTE] That’s “Widower Moron of the Week”. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2008, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-dumb-to-breathe-let-alone-own-a-gun/442728/12 "2008-03-25T23:08:17Z")
“Joey: Oh! Sorry… did I get you? Chandler: NO, you didn’t Get me! It’s an electric drill! You Get me, you Kill me!” Is it wrong that this was the first thing I thought of when I read the OP? And yes, I know he shot her, not drilled her. Same principle, basically. ---
**Author:** ![CynicalGabe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/3e96dc/32.png) [@CynicalGabe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CynicalGabe)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2008, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-dumb-to-breathe-let-alone-own-a-gun/442728/13 "2008-03-25T23:08:34Z")
[QUOTE=wring] \*\* I only post corrections like this when the error makes it funny IMHO. So, hope you take it in good stride. [/QUOTE] :smack: Gahh! I sure had that one coming. ETA: I suppose I could fix it by using a pistol to shoot a hole in my screen, thus making another “o”. ---
**Author:** ![wring](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/838e76/32.png) [@wring](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wring)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2008, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-dumb-to-breathe-let-alone-own-a-gun/442728/14 "2008-03-25T23:11:12Z")
[QUOTE=CynicalGabe] ETA: I suppose I could fix it by using a pistol to shoot a hole in my screen, thus making another “o”. [/QUOTE] 😃 ---
**Author:** ![FoieGrasIsEvil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foiegrasisevil/32/16638_2.png) [@FoieGrasIsEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FoieGrasIsEvil)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2008, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-dumb-to-breathe-let-alone-own-a-gun/442728/15 "2008-03-25T23:13:02Z")
Hand-operated drills are really, _really_ cheap. ---
**Author:** ![Sanity\_Challenged](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9de053/32.png) [@Sanity\_Challenged](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sanity_Challenged)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2008, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-dumb-to-breathe-let-alone-own-a-gun/442728/16 "2008-03-25T23:19:10Z")
[QUOTE=cookeze] So—did he get his satellite hookup installed? How good does it work? [/QUOTE] Pretty sweet, until he loses the remote. Those buttons on the console make for real small targets. ---
**Author:** ![Ale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@Ale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ale)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2008, 1:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-dumb-to-breathe-let-alone-own-a-gun/442728/17 "2008-03-26T01:59:23Z")
Let me get this straight, the moron was shooting a hole from the inside out?, as in, bullets flying out in the street? He hit his wife, could had been a neighbour, the pizza boy, anyone walking past. I guess he didn´t want to damage any of his precious property inside the house. :rolleyes: [QUOTE=Slacker] From the article: Maybe I’m just more mentally gifted than these officials, but isn’t this textbook manslaughter? How can you argue he wasn’t reckless while shooting a friggin gun through a wall with someone inside? [/QUOTE] Don´t worry, I know for a fact that the idiot is in Deepwater. ---
**Author:** ![cookeze](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e19b73/32.png) [@cookeze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cookeze)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2008, 2:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-dumb-to-breathe-let-alone-own-a-gun/442728/18 "2008-03-26T02:54:28Z")
I don’t think this will get a Darwin Award because it was an innocent bystander. Too bad. Maybe they could make a new Associate Prize, given to the mate who was married to the dumbass who pulled this stunt. Dispatching the wife at least temporarily removed his ability to multiply, therefore reducing the risk to the gene pool. This guy will serve a few years in jail then get out. Then, of course he’ll find some woman to marry him. Then they’ll have to decide what to put in their wedding gift registry—Black & Decker or Smith & Wesson. After all, a man never knows when he’ll need to drill a hole. ---
**Author:** ![Zebra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c0e974/32.png) [@Zebra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zebra)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2008, 4:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-dumb-to-breathe-let-alone-own-a-gun/442728/19 "2008-03-26T04:03:08Z")
So does this qualify for a Darwin? I mean the guy can’t breed anymore. sort of ---
**Author:** ![danceswithcats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9e8a1a/32.png) [@danceswithcats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/danceswithcats)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2008, 4:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-dumb-to-breathe-let-alone-own-a-gun/442728/20 "2008-03-26T04:05:09Z")
I’ve figured out the defense-his wife asked for it. Patsy: Did ya feed that wire through, yet? Ronald: No! Can’t get the damn drill to make a hole. Patsy: Well, shoot! Ronald (confused): Well, ok. BAM! :eek: [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-dumb-to-breathe-let-alone-own-a-gun/442728.md?page=2)