On August 19, 2024, a negligent discharge of a firearm at the NRA Whittington Center in Raton, New Mexico, resulted in an injury to David Kelner, a 65-year-old employee and Executive Director of the NRA Whittington Center.
The incident occurred while Mr. Kelner was inspecting a shipment of donated firearms in his office. During the inspection, Kelner accidentally hit the magazine release on one of the pistols, causing it to fall and strike a .22 caliber Walther pistol on his desk. The impact discharged the Walther, sending a round through Kelner’s left hand before lodging in a wall.
Officer Harrison Benway of the New Mexico State Police responded to the call after Kelner was taken to Miner’s Colfax Medical Center for treatment. Kelner, who was alone in his office during the incident, explained that the magazine’s fall had caused the discharge. No other injuries were reported.
On August 23, 2024, Officer Benway conducted a follow-up interview at the NRA Whittington Center. Kelner reiterated the sequence of events and noted that the Walther had not yet been inspected for safety. An employee named Ashley had driven Kelner to the hospital.
The NRA issued a statement acknowledging the negligent discharge incident and emphasized its ongoing commitment to firearm safety.
“As the nation’s premier firearm safety and training organization, we were concerned to learn about an accidental discharge at the NRA Whittington Center. Any accident with a firearm is regrettable, but thanks to the NRA’s well-respected Gun Safety Rules, accidental injuries with firearms have been on the decline since records of such have been kept. NRA is conducting an internal investigation of the circumstances to determine what lessons should be learned and applied. While detailed personnel and medical information cannot and will not be disclosed, the individual involved is doing well.” ~ NRA Public Affairs.
They announced an internal investigation to understand how the negligent discharge occurred and to prevent similar events in the future.
While gun accidents are extremely rare at the Whittington Center, this incident serves as a reminder of the importance of vigilance and following all safety protocols when handling firearms. After receiving surgery, Kelner is expected to recover, and further details regarding the NRA’s investigation will be released in due time.
For now, the case remains open as investigators review the circumstances surrounding the accident.
David Kelner NRA Whittington Center Accidental Discharge NM State Police Report
I hope Kelner is ok and has a speedy and complete recovery.
Negligent discharge is the proper term. So riddle me this: how did the loaded Walther find its way on to a desk? Here is a hint for you: touch the gun, clear the gun. Repeat. If someone touched the gun they should have cleared it and put it in a safe condition before laying it on a desk.
Why is there a loaded weapon in an administrative area?
“a shipment of donated firearms”.
Who put the guns in the shipment? Do people just accept the donated guns and put them in a shipment without clearing them?
More than one gun in the proximity of the desk top. Do people just pull guns from an unknown source and place them on a desk?
Sounds like complacency on multiple fronts.
HLB
NEGLEGENT discharge at …, not accidental. don’t you think that before kelper began checking the serial numbers of the firearms that he would have ensured the firearms were unloaded and made safe? maybe i’m just being too safe, as i haven’t ever shot myself in the hand.
Here are some additional questions that should be asked: 1) If the firearm on the desk was part of the shipment of donated firearms why wasn’t that.22caliber pistol checked and cleared as soon as it was removed from the shipping container but before it was placed on the desk? 2) However, if the firearm that discharged was NOT part of the shipment why was it on the desk and not in a holster, lock box or other device that would protect the trigger? And if the pistol was not ready to use, why was it loaded? (See NRA Rule 3:… Read more »
The police report is missing several important details: 1) The report lists both the Reporting Party and Involved Organizations as the State of New Mexico. This seems odd to me. Someone, either at the Whittington Center or the hospital probably called and brought this to the attention of the State of New Mexico (state police). Who? This is a very important detail and I find it unusual that it was not included in the report–the actual reporting party may have additional information that is not in the report. With respect to involvement, the I doubt that the State of New… Read more »
Thank you for sending this over. Below, please find my analysis of the events pertaining to an unintentional discharge of a firearm at the NRA Whittington Center as reported by New Mexico State Police Officer Harrison Benway. Please also see the footnotes at the bottom.
Feel free to reach out if anything is unclear or if you have any questions.
SEE THE BELOW SUMMARY OF WHAT OUR SUBJECT MATTER EXPERT THOUGHT ABOUT THE STATEMENTS THAT WERE TAKEN AND WRITTEN IN THE POLICE REPORT:
Unfortunately, what got cut off were URLs for the 3 footnotes and two other URLs from the manufacture’s manual for that specific pistol.