High School Student Dies from Prop Gun Injury

[elite1trek]

A sad reminder of how dangerous this industry can be if safety procedures are not followed.

FOXNews.com - Student Dies After Prop Gun Discharges Before Play Performance

[cprted]

What a tragic and totally avoidable situation. It makes me wonder though, who thought it would be a good idea to use a real firearm, blanks or no, in a highschool situation.

[avkid]

Whoever let that unsupervised child have a loaded firearm needs to be prosecuted.

[WestlakeTech]

I won't be the last one to agree that it certainly should have been a fake gun, rather than a real one, which was used during the show. But I'm also wondering what a prop was doing in the booth.

Also, the report said that the police had previously been called to the campus due to someone bringing the prop gun to the school. Here's a thought: what on EARTH are the police thinking that they would let a working gun be brought to a high school, prop or not? As we've now been reassured, it has just as much potential to kill as a prop as it does when used to murder.

There were at least 3 people who could have avoided this: the deceased, the director, and the police officer who said "oh, you're just using it as a prop? That's fine then."

[rochem]

We just finished a play at my high school where we used a prop gun. It wasn't used until near the end of the show. At half hour call, the TD would go to a big safe and bring out a smaller safe which contained the gun. He would hand it directly to the ASM on that side of the stage, who was not permitted to let it out of her sight. He would also give the key to the safe to another tech. Immediately before the gun was to be used, the tech with the key would come over and unlock the safe. The gun was handed to the actress and she walked on stage and did her thing. Immediately after coming off, the process happened in reverse. Then right after the final curtain the TD would come back and take the safe and key and lock them in the bigger safe.

A little overcautious? Possibly. But if this school were to have been just a little more overcautious, this completely preventable tragedy could have been avoided.

[willbb123]

That is truly unfortunate and if handled properly should of never happened.
rochem method sounds like alot of unnecessary work, but it is necessary for safety especially in a high school. Always treat a gun like it is loaded. In a theater setting the gun is going to be pointed at someone, therefor extra precautions need to be taken. IMO with the school shootings that have happened there shouldn't be guns in a high school, especially not unsupervised.

[Gretsch]

Whether or not the gun is real a blank can kill when miss used. The problem was that they were using a starter blank in a 38, this means the gun had the same power discharge as 38 without a bullet. They should been using hand packed blanks with less powder. Its sad that people don't consult professionals when they do these things.

[elite1trek]

Originally Posted by Charc

I'm still unsure of exactly what the situation was. I have witnessed a traditional stage prop gun, modified with a trigger activated LED, fired directly into the mouth of a 16 year old boy.

He did that for a six week run.

Was this kid actually using a real gun?

From what I understand it was a real gun with blanks. Meaning that energy and gas was actually released from the end of the gun.

[chrispo86]

Here's another article that provides a little further explination of the situation...

Salt Lake Tribune Article

[elite1trek]

Originally Posted by chrispo86

Here's another article that provides a little further explination of the situation...

Salt Lake Tribune Article

This article actually sounds like everybody is trying to cover their backside. It is unacceptable for a student to have a gun, real or otherwise. It is certainly unacceptable for him to be allowed to remove it from the school.