2 Injured In Shooting At Tennessee Church During Gun Discussion

TELLICO PLAINS, TN — Two people were hurt in an accidental shooting at a church in Tennessee during a discussion about guns when a man pulled the trigger on his weapon, apparently forgetting that he had just loaded the chamber.

The shooting on Thursday happened when elder members of the First United Methodist Church in Tellico Plains were cleaning up after a Thanksgiving luncheon, The Knoxville News Sentinel reported. A discussion about guns in churches began when a man in his 80s pulled out his handgun, saying that he carries it everywhere.

The man showed his gun to some men at the church, put the magazine back in after removing it and loaded a round in the chamber before putting it back in its holster, according to the news report. At that point, someone walked up and asked to see the gun.

"With this loaded indicator, I can tell that it’s not loaded," the man reportedly said after pulling out the gun. Then he pulled the trigger.

The bullet hit the palm of the man's hand and went through the left side of his wife's abdomen before exiting out the right side, according to The Knoxville News Sentinel.

"This was an accident. It was not intentional," Tellico Plains Police Chief Russ Parks told ABC News. "It just slipped his mind that he recharged the weapon."

No charges will be filed. Parks also told ABC News that the man was carrying the gun legally.

The man and his wife suffered non-life threatening injuries.

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