NBC News reports on a Lake Barrington, Illinois man (it’s not clear whether or not he’s ever lived in Florida) who told cops he was dreaming when he fired a shot in his sleep, wounding himself in the leg. This 62-year-old’s fanciful claims seem more than a little difficult to believe. Even taking him at his word, it seems like a(nother) good reason not to sleep with a gun under your pillow.
Here’s the story as reported nationally by NBC News . . .
An Illinois man who police say shot himself in the leg while he was dreaming about burglars has been charged with firearms offenses, officials said Tuesday.
The 62-year-old Lake Barrington man survived the accidental April shooting, and no one else was hurt, the Lake County Sheriff’s Office said.
He was charged with possessing a firearm with a revoked Firearm Owners Identification, which is required in Illinois, and reckless discharge of a firearm, the sheriff’s office said in a statement…
The shooting happened about 9:50 p.m. April 10, and first responders needed to use a tourniquet to stop the bleeding, the sheriff’s office said.
The man “had a dream that someone was breaking into his home” and fired a .357-caliber revolver, it said. The bullet went into the bed, it said.
I’ve handled a lot of guns in my time, but I’ve never “sleep handled” any of them, even while having one on my hip while I dozed. What’s more, I’ve certainly never fired off a negligent round while dreaming (or any other time). Besides, if someone is dreaming, it seems logical to think they wouldn’t shoot themself in the leg.
No, this sounds like an ill-conceived story used to cover up a negligent discharge. One that the mainstream media will cheerfully sensationalize to “prove” their narrative that the average Joe can’t be trusted with firearms.
I’ve slept plenty of times while wearing my carry gun(s) on some unusual occasions where I slept in my clothes. Yes, I wear a holster (Bravo Concealment some days, and a Blade-Tech Phantom on most other days) that’s more than comfortable. That’s happened in some sketchy situations like a night spent in craptastic EconoLodge motel in Decatur, Alabama.
Here’s the letter I sent to Choice Hotels in the days afterwards…which was returned five months later with no forwarding address.
August 3, 2021
Attn: Guest Relations Service Center
6811 East Mayo Blvd, Suite 100
Phoenix, Arizona 85054
Dear Choice:
My lovely bride Wendy Boch (I believe she’s a member of your club under 815 XXX-XXXX) chose one of your facilities on our trip down to Florida for our vacation on July 24th. We stayed at the Econolodge in Decatur, AL. We stayed with our twin 2-year-old boys.
We suspected something wasn’t kosher when we drove around back to our room. Shady characters were loitering in the parking lot, and a couple of “ladies of the night” (later, they called one another “crack whores”) were hanging out in the open doors to their rooms listening to loud music. This was at just after midnight. One nice lady apologized for playing loud “redneck music,” but the music was the least of our concerns.
Once in the room, we were treated to the smell of sewer gas from an improperly vented plumbing system. When my wife went to turn on the air conditioning, the filthy front of the unit fell off onto her ankles and feet revealing a mold or mildew-loaded, chock full-o-filth AC unit. Oh, did I mention the sink had no stopper, so we got a nice view of the filth in the drain? Outlets didn’t work, the tub was disgusting (the only thing missing was leftover pubic hairs from the previous occupant), and it looked like a crime scene on the walls (and mirror).
After watching some shady looking characters checking out our newer SUV, I opted to stay up and watch it for the first half-hour we were there, until police showed up following a catfight between those “ladies of the night” sans “customers.”
If it hadn’t been for a lack of available rooms elsewhere nearby and our complete exhaustion from a long day of traveling, we would have bailed before unloading the car once we saw the room. We left sans showers or anything else at first light.
We picked this facility because of your company’s reputation. I told my wife I would write and get your thoughts on this before she shares photos on her social media accounts.
Yeah, you can rest assured that we’ll never stay at another EconoLodge again. In fact, we sidestepped your entire chain for a stay in the same region on the return trip.
If your company doesn’t yank its franchise agreement with this facility, then that speaks volumes for the types of facilities you’ll allow to operate under your brand. And I damn sure want no part of that. I’ve stayed at my share of hotels across the nation over my fifty-odd years and this was easily the worst of the worst experiences I’ve ever had. My wife said the same for her. And we paid $108 for that priceless experience.
Thought you would like to know. On the bright side, at least we didn’t have to shoot anyone trying to rob us before we drove away. And we didn’t bring home any bedbugs. But that’s a little below my minimum standards for lodging. And I hope they are for Choice as well.
Sincerely,
John Boch
Book your travel accommodations accordingly.
