THE BURNED OVER DISTRICT

Today's efforts by the gun owning community to show their worth are particularly enlightening today. The first man of exception comes to us from Florida.

A gun owner in Florida was arrested on Wednesday after he opened fire at a suspected Walmart shoplifter because he said he felt threatened and wanted to “mark” the man’s car for police.

As unarmed 42-year-old Eddie McKee allegedly ran from an Orange City Walmart with stolen merchandise, 35-year-old Jose Martinez pulled out his gun and fired at least five bullets, according to WKMG.

“I saw one black gentleman running from the parking lot, he dove in his car,” a caller told 911. “And there were two older gentlemen chasing him down. One drew a gun, ripped open the guys car door and screamed, ‘Freeze, freeze, don’t move!’ And then fired shots.”

Bullets riddled McKee’s vehicle, hitting the trunk and shattering the back window. Two other cars were also hit by gunfire.

Martinez told WKMG that he was shocked that police arrested him because he thought no one other than the shoplifter was in danger. He said he just wanted to mark the man’s car for police.

Orange City police argued that surveillance video showed that the gun owner was never in danger because McKee was in the process of fleeing when the shooting occurred.

Curious that Mr. Martinez imagined that he felt threatened by a fleeing shoplifter. Even better, his delusion that his bullets would stay in the car he was shooting. Fortunately no one was injured by this nimrod's antics.

Not so in Texas where the second incident took place. This time at a firearms training session for school employees.

The Tyler Morning Telegraph on Thursday reported that Van Independent School District school board member Leslie Goode confirmed that “there was an accident involving one of the employees today.”

According to KLTV, multiple sources identified the employee as Glenn Geddie, a maintenance worker for the district.

“At the conclusion of the CHL training on February 27, 2013, one certified person stayed for private instruction with the instructor and had a mechanical malfunction with his weapon,” Van Independent School District said in a statement. “With the assistance of the instructor, the malfunction was addressed, but the gun misfired and the bullet ricocheted coming back to strike the VISD employee in the left leg.”

“The VISD employee was attended to at the scene and transferred to Tyler for further treatment. The injury is not life threatening or disabling. Because of privacy and security issues we cannot make any further statement.”

Two people who should know what they are doing and a gun that goes off in the wrong place. A sure sign that much more training is needed.