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Man shot by his pet dog is ruled unfit to own guns

Munich court decides passionate hunter likely to use firearms 'carelessly' in future

Tom Embury-Dennis
Tuesday 19 February 2019 16:10 GMT
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Munich administrative court dismisses man's appeal against withdrawal of rifle license
Munich administrative court dismisses man's appeal against withdrawal of rifle license (Google Maps)

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A man who was shot by his dog has been ruled unfit to carry a firearms licence in Germany.

The man, a passionate hunter, was wounded in the arm in 2016 after his pet dog managed to release the trigger on a loaded rifle left in his car.

A Munich administrative court on Tuesday dismissed the man’s appeal against an earlier ruling by Bavarian authorities to revoke his rifle licence and his hunting permit.

The court decided the hunter was unreliable ”because it must be assumed that he will handle firearms and ammunition carelessly in future as well”.

The man, whose name was not released, can appeal the verdict.

It comes just two months after an American dog owner was shot in the torso by his 120-pound Rottweiler mix.

Investigators suggested the dog, called Charlie, shot owner Sonny Gilligan after getting its paw caught in the weapon’s trigger.

Mr Gilligan inisted the animal ”didn’t mean to do it” and was ”very loving”.

“I thought who was that?“ Mr Gilligan said of the incident. ”I was there, isolated, nobody was around.

“I had a gaping hole, you know, and a lot of blood there too. I could see the blood and I felt it.”

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