Late Thursday evening, emergency services in Southside Virginia were called to a residential explosion.
The source of the blast was discovered to be a firearm that had been stored in an oven. The Chesterfield County Fire and Emergency Medical Services (EMS) responded to the incident after the homeowner reported the oven's fiery eruption.
As reported by the Daily Caller, the agency's statement revealed that upon inspection, firefighters found a handgun inside the oven. "It turns out, someone turned the oven on with the gun inside, the weapon heated up, and five rounds went off," the statement read. Thankfully, no injuries were reported, but the agency emphasized that the outcome could have been drastically different.
The incident served as a stark reminder of the potential dangers of storing items in an oven. The agency warned homeowners of the risk of fire or worse, particularly as it is easy to forget about stored items when the oven is switched on. The statement concluded with a strong recommendation for firearms to be stored in a gun safe.
The unusual incident sparked a flurry of reactions online. One commenter humorously referred to the incident as "Bang Bang Shrimp," while another expressed concern about the possibility of more firearms being stored in unconventional places within the home. The position of the gun, partly melted onto a grill, prompted one user to comment on the luck of not being shot. Another image showed the oven's glass window completely shattered.
According to OnlineTexasLTC.com, a firearm education and training company, bullets can spontaneously discharge at temperatures around 400 degrees. This incident underscores the importance of proper firearm storage, a topic highlighted in a 2024 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) study. The study found that between nearly 20% and nearly 44% of firearm owners stored at least one firearm loaded, with about half of them not storing their loaded firearms securely. The study further revealed that in at least 25% of homes with a child or adolescent under 17 years old, at least one loaded firearm was stored unlocked.
This incident in Virginia serves as a stark reminder of the potential dangers of improper firearm storage, emphasizing the importance of safety measures and responsible ownership.
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