The McClelland Gun Shop has been arming East Dallas since the 1970s from its nondescript shop by the railroad tracks on Centerville Road. And it offers just about what you'd expect from a Texas gun shop: a mix of hunting equipment, handguns, and Second Amendment rhetoric. It was where, during his 2010 reelection campaign, Governor Rick Perry went to pick up the endorsement of the National Rifle Association.
It's also the shop where a 66-year-old gunsmith -- and frequent commenter at vintageshotgun.com -- named Gordon Disharoon plies his trade.
Disharoon was there at 3:30 p.m. on Tuesday when he accidentally bumped into a table, causing the shotgun leaning against it to fall. No harm there, but then, as he wrapped his hand around the barrel and returned the firearm to its upright position, he placed his thumb over the muzzle.
You can imagine the rest. A loud bang. The acrid smell of gun powder. Disharoon standing there, gaping at the spot where his thumb used to be. Police caught up with him at Doctor's Hospital. Officers say he "appeared calm and awake" as he recounted the accident, despite what must have been a massive amount of pain pulsing from his throbbing hand.
The store doesn't open until 9:30 a.m., and their number doesn't accept voicemail. We do have a couple of questions, namely whether it's common practice to leave loaded shotguns lying around.
