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2007 May Slush
(HM)Recycled Bullets.
(?)Old Guy, Nudist Colony and Car Door
(DA)Fatal Double Crossing
Man dies while trying to have sex .
(PA)Stirring Up the Wasp Nest
(?)Blank Brain Shooting Blanks
Sniffing Smoker
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Tagger gets burned
Drunken (Wheelchair) Driving
(PA)Bong Gone Wrong
Wacky tale of a pair who got whacke
Moomins that go bump in the night
Quick Draw
Towel Snapper
Train Kills Would-be Killer
Stormwater Surfer II
Sat nav driver's car hit by train
Smoking is dangerous
Cops Say Culprit Caught in Cemetery
Fiery Instant, 'wild' spirit killed
Man burned in DIY accident
Search For Crash Victims Suspended
Volts bolt kills teen on pylon
Flying WAY Under The Radar
Short sawing shooter shoots himself
a dumb hitchhiker kills herself
Pee on a PS2, Get Electrocuted
Roofs and Drinking Don't Mix
Kiss of the freight train
Bridge Rappelling
Poisonous Alcohol
Man gets leg harvested
WoW player harrasses woman in-game,
(HM)Teen Hurt Whacking Bullets With Ham
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Three hurt in couch-towing stunt in
Man caught in industrial fan is kil
Illegal fireworks kill party host
Quad bike pub crawl
Too much water can kill
Give me ice cream or give me death!
Carbon monoxide claims life of Emer
The Cause: A Inadequate Tool
Soccer fan beheaded
Ceiling tile temptation
The tragic tale of pilot's sticky t
Another elemental mistake!
Wheelies in a Hardee's Parking Lot
Taxi driver run over by own car
(HM)whacking bullets
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Darwin Awards
2007 Slush Pile

This item was recently submitted by a reader.
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Quick Draw

2007 Reader Submission
Pending Acceptance

When I was in the Marines, I stationed on MCAS Okinawa, Japan for several years. This is another out of my personal archive of stupid things that got someone killed. During the late 1980's the military transitioned from the single-action M1911A1 .45 caliber pistol to the double action M9 9mm pistol. A single-action pistol only fires when the hammer is cocked, even if there is a round in the chamber. In a double-action pistol, the trigger moves the hammer so it will fire as long as there is a round in the chamber, even if it is not cocked. One night, two Military Policemen (MPs) decided to play "Quick draw" with their M9 pistols over at the MP barracks. Apparently, they didn't know the pistol was loaded and forgot the M9 was double action. The result was the senseless loss of a Marine and another whose life was totally ruined. For all the Marine Corps stressed firearm safety, these two forgot the basics and paid the ultimate price. Firearms are useful tools and sporting implements but they are not toys. Please don't play with firearms.

Submitted on 05/08/2007

Submitted by: Andrew Cole
Reference: Late 80's or Early 90's

Copyright © 2007 DarwinAwards.com

Great? 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0 Awful?
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>> Moderator Scores <<

Graham said:
Neutral: Personal Account
Like I always say, humans have no business with guns - they just don't respect them, or know how to use them safely. Case in point right here. Thanks again, Andrew.


James said:
Definitely Keep: Personal Account
Two in a row, eh, Andrew?! I know about pistols. I was a Naval Officer, and we stuck to the .45 (at least for shipboard issue) for a while. Good thing, too, or we'd have had some incidents! Anyway, I am surprised that Marine MPs, of all people, would do this! I guess every regiment has its eight-ball! Good PA!!


Chip said:
Definitely Keep: Personal Account
With Quick Draw McGraw and the ditch surfer, MCAS Okinawa seems to have a high turnover rate! Having walked the flight line in the Air Force carrying an M1911A1 (Security Augmentation Duty) and watching some of the young yahoos there playing bang bang you're dead hahaha I can easily visualize this one. Yeah, "the gun won't go off" deaths are a dime a dozen but as a personal account, I like this one. Thanks once again, Andrew


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