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Cops: Vendor shoots woman at Pennsylvania gun show

The Columbia County district attorney's office will determine whether the vendor, Geoffrey Hawk, will face criminal charges stemming from the shooting Saturday at the Bloomsburg Fairgrounds, Officer Brad Sharrow said.

Hawk, 44, of Warminster, didn't immediately return calls Sunday to his cellphone and business, In Case of Emergency Enterprises. He was manning a booth for his business at the Eagle Arms Gun show at the time of the shooting.

Hawk told police he thought the gun was unloaded when he demonstrated a concealed-carry wallet holster to the woman, Krista Gearhart, 25, of Orangeville. Gearhart was treated and released for a thigh wound at Geisinger Medical Center in Danville.

Hawk told police he had done the same demonstration about 20 times without incident before the shooting, "racking" the gun's slide to clear it of bullets each time, Sharrow said. Somehow, the gun was loaded when Gearhart was shot.

Police said Hawk told them he had left the gun on display when he completed background checks on some customers and believes it's possible someone loaded the gun when he was busy.

Joel Koehler, the gun show organizer, said Hawk was asked to close his booth and leave the show, which continued Sunday. The show has an entrance sign that says "No Loaded Weapons" and Koehler said his staff checks all guns to ensure they are unloaded before they are brought in for display.

Koehler said Saturday's shooting was the first at any show he has held at the fairgrounds or anywhere else.

Inexcusable.

I wouldn't rule out some deviant slipping a round into a gun then walking off just to see what happens.

I would check every weapon someone had their hands on before I put it back on the rack.

Following simple rules could have prevented this even if some jerk slipped a round in it.

What's to stop an anti from slipping a round in a chamber at a gunshow? They need statistics to push their agenda.

As many of you know, I used to do a lot of guns shows. I sold custom earplugs, not guns.

At a small show in Wyoming, they checked every gun at the entrance. The guard there opened the bolt on a Rem 700, looked inside, closed the bolt and okayed the customer. At least three people - vendors and other customers - looked at that rifle, each and every one of them dutifully cycling the bolt. Finally, somebody was interested enough to want to see the bore. He removed the bolt, held the gun to the light and - blackness.

One very live round of .270 Win. And no extractor.

Only dumb luck kept somebody from trying the trigger pull on that "unloaded and checked" rifle.

I also worked at a gun store. Never mind the many MANY "It ain't loaded" guns that people brought in loaded to the gills and often with the safety off. On occasion, we'd find one of our display rifles with a round in it. No way it had gone on the rack loaded, because I personally checked every one of them when I put them out. REALLY checked them. The only way a round could have gotten there was from a customer.

And one time, a guy walked in, took a .30-30 round from his pocket, racked it into a Win 94 and put the muzzle in his mouth. The boss tackled him while he was stabbing the trigger with his thumb. Only the M-94's lever lock safety kept the rifle from going off.