The Gun Report: October 2, 2013 Michael Luo, one of the authors of The Times's front-page story about the underreporting of accidental shootings of children that we cited on Monday, tweeted a few days ago that he'd skimmed through the 1,000-plus comments below the piece and was "shocked by number of firsthand accounts of accidental shootings." Indeed, readers have shared some frightening tales: Many years ago, as a 14-year-old city boy visiting his cousins in rural South Dakota, I was given a loaded .22 in preparation for our going out to shoot jackrabbits. I had been carefully instructed to always keep the safety catch on until the actual time to aim and fire. But I couldn't remember which was the "on" position for the pushbutton. So what better way to check to see if it was on than to just pull the trigger? This was immediately followed by the appearance of a .22 caliber hole in the wall a foot above my cousin's head. The lesson I learned is still embedded in me 61 years later. Bob Brown, Tallahassee, Fla. My own son was shot accidentally when he was 13 by a neighborhood boy, who was just a little older. He survived. The hollow tip bullet of a .365 handgun hit the underside of his lower left forearm, blowing away the ulnar nerve. His left hand was mostly spared disuse by a sural nerve transplant from his left leg. His hand has about 70% functionality now. Amey Buchanan, San Antonio, Tex. When I was a teen saying goodbye to my sister's friend who had been over after school, I heard a bang and saw this sweet 14-year-old girl slump over. My brother was cleaning a neighbor's gun in the next room and the bullet had gone through the wall and struck this innocent girl. That night and in the days to come my family suffered beyond anything imaginable. And yet, we didn't have to bury anyone in our family. I will never forget the sadness and the loss the dead girl's family suffered. Never. This event changed my life. Nancy, New Mexico I had a dear friend who was accidentally killed with a firearm last year at the age of 24. He was a Marine who served honorably in a special Consulate guard contingent overseas. He was the Consulate weapons officer, responsible for weapons training, cleaning, check-in/check out, ammunition requisition, etc. One of his best friends, an army corporal who had received basic and specialized weapons training, and had won numerous marksmanship awards, accidentally killed him at point-blank range with a shotgun that was hanging above the mantelpiece. They were horsing around the night after having celebrated the corporal's engagement...There was no drinking or argument involved; the young man simply picked the shotgun up off the wall, pointed it laughingly at my friend's chest, and pulled the trigger, thinking the gun was unloaded. None of them checked the shotgun for a round in the chamber. Ron, Saudi Arabia An 8-year-old boy was shot in the shoulder when someone opened fire on a home in Overland Park, Kan., Monday night. Two other children and a woman were at home at 11:30 p.m. when five to 10 shots were fired from outside. A neighbor spotted a dark-colored sedan speeding away from the scene. Investigators are trying to figure out who did it and why. Five people were wounded in two separate shootings in Tallahassee, Fla., Tuesday afternoon. In the first, a man was shot multiple times, and another man showed up at a hospital with gunshot wounds a short time later. In the second shooting, three men were struck at an apartment complex. Police are investigating whether the incidents are related. Three people were shot and wounded in Kansas City, Mo., Tuesday morning. One of those wounded is considered a suspect. No motive was revealed. Fox4KC.com 24-year-old Nicholeia Taylor was shot in the chest and killed at a Brooklyn, N.Y., apartment complex Tuesday morning. The victim, a mother who works with special needs children at night, was walking through the courtyard on her way to the gym when the gunfire erupted. 21-year-old Corey Brown is being sought. A 24-year-old woman was accidentally shot and killed when she hugged her boyfriend and his gun discharged in Phoenix, Ariz., Tuesday. The 18-year-old man had a handgun in his waistband, and when he removed it because it was bothering the victim, it went off. The case will go to the Maricopa County attorney's office for review. A 25-year-old woman was shot in the head and critically wounded in Selbyville, Del., early Tuesday. Police found the victim sitting outside a car in front of a home. 18-year-old Devon N. Gordon was taken into custody. CBS Philly A 28-year-old woman was shot in the shoulder while standing in the doorway of her St. Petersburg, Fla., home early Tuesday. Police said the woman opened the door to talk to someone she knew, and a few minutes later a man in a black ski mask appeared and started shooting. Her children, 2 and 4, were inside at the time of the shooting but were not hurt. Three teenagers were seriously wounded when shots rang out during a basketball game in the Jeffery Manor neighborhood of Chicago, Ill., Tuesday night. A 15-year-old boy was shot in the leg and buttocks, and two boys, 16 and 17, were each struck in both legs. No suspects are in custody. Chicago Tribune A man and a woman were injured during an accidental shooting in southeast Portland, Ore., Tuesday afternoon. Police said the man was handling a gun and mistakenly pulled the trigger. KGW.com 60-year-old Steve Whitman, the owner of a campground in Princeton, Me., was shot twice and wounded Tuesday afternoon. The suspect, 52-year-old Craig Woodruff, was later found dead in his S.U.V. Police said the two men knew one another. SF Gate A 20-year-old was shot and seriously wounded at an apartment complex in southeast Oklahoma City, Okla., Tuesday night. Elsewhere in Oklahoma on Tuesday night, a man in his 20s died after being shot multiple times during a disturbance on a Tulsa street. Witnesses told officers a dark-colored S.U.V. drove up during an altercation outside a home and someone inside opened fire, sparking a firefight. News9.com 25-year-old Barry Norman was shot and killed on a Fountain Inn, S.C., street, sparking a manhunt late Tuesday. Witnesses reported hearing several gunshots and seeing two people run away. No motive was given. Fox Carolina Brian Wynn, 32, was shot and killed near Middle River Terrace Park in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., Tuesday afternoon. The motive is unknown and police do not have suspect information. SunSentinel A man was found lying on a sidewalk, suffering from gunshot wounds in Ogden, Utah, early Tuesday. He is in critical condition. The police gang unit is investigating. Fox13Now.com Akim Duchard was shot in the leg and wounded in Lenoir, N.C., Monday morning. Police said the shooter and the victim knew each other but haven't revealed a motive. Charlotte Observer A man was shot in the back and critically wounded on the west side of San Antonio, Tex., Tuesday afternoon in what police said was a possible drive-by shooting. Witnesses reported seeing a red S.U.V. speed away from the scene. MySanAntonio.com According to Slate's gun-death tracker, an estimated 8,888 people have died as a result of gun violence in America since the Newtown massacre on December 14, 2012.