An elderly Connecticut man pestered by a raccoon decided to lie in wait at his New Haven home with a .22 caliber rifle, but ended up accidentally shooting himself after sneezing and falling from his chair.
But it was the revelation that his gun was subsequently seized by authorities that made waves on gun-rights websites.
James Pace Sr., 81, armed himself and waited for the raccoon to appear on Saturday evening, the Associated Press reported. He sneezed, fell, shot himself in the shin and was taken by his son to Yale-New Haven Hospital for treatment of a minor injury.
NBC Connecticut reported he was able to secure his gun before he left for the hospital.
AP reported that police have launched an investigation after taking his rifle — a development that didn’t sit well with some.
“Wondering what right they had to seize the rifle,” said one commenter on the site NC Gunowners.
And another posted an answer: “According to the Fourth Amendment to the Constitutional of the United States, none, nada, zilch, nil, naught, nix and not one bit.”
The Fourth Amendment guarantees the “right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers and effects against unreasonable searches and seizures.”
• Cheryl K. Chumley can be reached at cchumley@washingtontimes.com.
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