Summary
Dr. Janette Nesheiwat, Trump’s nominee for US surgeon general, was involved in a 1990 gun accident at age 13 that killed her father.
A handgun fell from a tackle box she knocked over, discharging and fatally wounding him.
Nesheiwat cites the tragedy as her inspiration to become a physician but omits specifics of the incident in her upcoming memoir.
If confirmed, she would replace Dr. Vivek Murthy, who declared gun violence a public health crisis.
The nomination highlights GOP opposition to addressing gun violence through public health policy.
Muzzle loaders can go off when dropped.
When I was around 10 years old my dad had a couple of muzzle loader pistols that he enjoyed shooting. He gave me the safety talk, and showed me how it worked, then he handed me the gun for me to shoot for the first time. It was actually the first time I’d held the gun and it was much heavier that I thought it would be, and I immediately dropped it at our feet. Fortunately it didn’t go off, but it left my dad pretty shook up.