Chalk one up for the Darwin awards: a man in Ohio has managed to offer incontrovertible proof that even a dumb oven can be dangerous. That’s because 44-year-old Robin Garlock of Warren, Ohio had the bright idea of storing his loaded handgun in his oven’s broiler to safeguard it against his girlfriend’s kids, who came over to visit that day.
You can see where this is going, right?
When the aforementioned girlfriend decided to do some baking and turned on the oven, not only did the handgun catch on fire, but it also started spinning around and firing off live ammunition. While trying to stop the chaos, Garlock was struck twice with bullets or bullet fragments. He also neglected to grab a hot pad and suffered a severe burn. Garlock was described by police as “severely injured,” but is expected to survive.
Warren Police Detective Wayne Mackey offered local media outlet The Vindicator the investigation’s exhaustive reasoning for the incident: “It’s too hot.” As it turns out, heat makes bullets explode.
A neighbor, Jennifer Harris, heard the nearby gunfire and called 911 to report it, concerned there might have been a shooting in her normally safe neighborhood. After realizing it was an accident, Harris told The Vindicator she was happy to hear “people aren’t just getting shot outside my house.”
“Don’t store your guns anywhere that’s hot,” Mackey told Raw Story. “Don’t put your gun in an appliance. They make things for that and an oven is not one of the things.”
He also added,” “You know it’s a weird one. In thirty years I have not had anybody shot by an appliance.”
Weirdly enough, it’s not the first time sort of thing has happened. In 2013, a St. Petersburg, Florida resident was injured from bullet fragments after her friend placed a magazine from his .45-Caliber Glock 21 in the oven. After catching rounds in her chest and leg, the woman rode the bus to the hospital, where police officers investigated the incident.
The Warren, Ohio incident occurred in the small town 60 miles southeast of Cleveland. No charges have been filed against the Maytag oven.
