Nominee Dr Janette Nesheiwat knocked over gun in 1990, causing it to fire and fatally shoot father in the head

Summary

Dr. Janette Nesheiwat, Trump’s nominee for US surgeon general, was involved in a 1990 gun accident at age 13 that killed her father.

A handgun fell from a tackle box she knocked over, discharging and fatally wounding him.

Nesheiwat cites the tragedy as her inspiration to become a physician but omits specifics of the incident in her upcoming memoir.

If confirmed, she would replace Dr. Vivek Murthy, who declared gun violence a public health crisis.

The nomination highlights GOP opposition to addressing gun violence through public health policy.

  • Glide@lemmy.ca
    1·
    3 days ago

    What am I expected to be inferring from this? Why is this news? That’s a horrible tragedy, and says nothing about the character of the woman. If anything, I’d assume it means she’s likely to be on the side of firearm restrictions, and likely to agree with her predecessor on gun violence as a public health crisis. But the summary, at least, tries to frame it in the opposite manner?

    • macattack@lemmy.world
      0·
      2 days ago

      I also expected better from The Guardian. This feels like it should be a sentence in a Wikipedia page not an article that introduces her to the public

  • ramsorge@discuss.online
    0·
    2 days ago

    While searching for scissors in a fishing tackle box on a shelf above her father’s bed, she accidentally knocked over the box, causing a .380 caliber handgun inside to fall out and discharge. The bullet struck her father in the head as he slept.

    • MyTurtleSwimsUpsideDown@fedia.io
      0·
      2 days ago

      These kind of misfires are known to happen. the right impact can either simulate a trigger pull, directly strike the firing pin itself, or otherwise jostle the firing pin free; especially in older firearms, whether due to design or wear. This is why some places mandate that new firearms sold have a drop safety mechanism.

      It would likely have to have been stowed loaded and cocked.

    • orclev@lemmy.world
      0·
      2 days ago

      Badly designed ones. Sig Saur rather infamously has had a ton of problems with guns firing when dropped or in a few instances when bumped while still in a holster.

      Most guns should not be capable of going off when dropped or hit, there should be various safety features in place to prevent that.

    • Bob Robertson IX @discuss.tchncs.deEnglish
      0·
      2 days ago

      Muzzle loaders can go off when dropped.

      When I was around 10 years old my dad had a couple of muzzle loader pistols that he enjoyed shooting. He gave me the safety talk, and showed me how it worked, then he handed me the gun for me to shoot for the first time. It was actually the first time I’d held the gun and it was much heavier that I thought it would be, and I immediately dropped it at our feet. Fortunately it didn’t go off, but it left my dad pretty shook up.

  • wise_pancake@lemmy.ca
    0·
    3 days ago

    That hardly seems like it’s her fault or a fault against her.

    More of a warning about keeping a gun unsecured like that.

    • Soup@lemmy.world
      0·
      3 days ago

      Right? I’m all for gun control and I’m sure she’s a complete buffoon if Trump wants her to have any power but this ain’t the angle.

      • affiliate@lemmy.world
        0·
        2 days ago

        it feels similar in spirit to the kind of thing you’d find on fox news. it’s disappointing to see it on the guardian