I'd thought/hoped the story was ABOUT the Cheneys!

Case of mistaken identity maybe...

Here kitty, kitty. Come sleep with momma.

Does Dick Cheney's daughter live in Texas......

They're both idiots and should be outlawed from having guns, as all idiots. We try to keep guns away from criminals and I think the next step and even more important is keep them away from idiots.

Guns don't kill idiots do!

Some story headlines provide such rich fodder for one-liners that you find yourself chuckling before you even read the article. I'm glad the skunk is OK.

;-)

PS. The article notes that the skunk came back; probably for another good chuckle.

I guess she got lessons from Dick Cheney.

More like the NYPD.

LOL Julie, I see I'm not the only one that finds that commercial funny. :)

Skunk named Akins maybe?????

Gee, how about moving the cat bowls inside? Christ.

I wonder how far away the closest neighbor lives and if the Sheriff though of that when he decided not to charge the woman for negligent discharge of a firearm.

How can you top that article with a humorous post! Hilarious!!! She missed the skunk and it came back! Priceless!!

She is also at least as dumb as the good ol' Dick - shooting a skunk on your porch? You have to be a real dumbazz to think of that one. Shot skunk will spray your porch for sure. And if you miss - you can get sprayed too. And hitting her husband? That is just precious...

Easy solution - don't leave cat food outside at night, dumb woman...

Is it possible - just may be that she was not really going for the skunk!

People who leave pet food outside are asking for these kinds of problems. Coyotes, wolves, raccoons, bears. All types of critters that are possible carriers of rabies and all kinds of infections. Consider what could happen to children and family pets playing in areas where people accidentally tempt creatures by leaving food out. Townships and communities should consider ordinances and fines for negligent and irresponsible people that leave food out.

I knew a very sweet and kind lady who didn't know what to do with her skunk problem and she asked me for a live box trap. I told her to forget that idea altogether that it was impossible. Using a woman's prerogative she used her less than brilliant idea and caught one. Then called me and begged "how should she deal with a captured live skunk" in a trap nobody could get near without being sprayed. She wasn't happy that because of her negligence there was nothing else that could be done except termination by shooting the critter she didn't want to harm in the first place.

He's lucky. She coulda been a New York cop witha Glock with a New York trigger, the she woulda plugged him and 8 of his friends.

I don't care what you 2nd amendment zealots say, this could have gotten very bad, very fast if the skunk had also been armed!!!

;-)

PS. Is .45 the common handgun caliber for ladies' purse weapons in Texas? What caliber weapons do Texas women carry in their shoulder holsters, and in their thigh holsters and in the glove-boxes of their cars? Are some weapons considered more fashionable/trendy than others for the paranoid oops ... for the well-dressed Texas woman?

PPS. I have concluded that when dating a Texas woman, a guy should be on time. And if she asks "does this dress make me look fat?" ... pretend not to have heard the question! :-O

amietamant,

I respectfully disagree...but of course you knew someone would!

The second amendment reads:

"A well regulated militia being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed."

Now is where we get into "interpretation". Did our Founding Fathers mean ONLY those in "well regulated militia" should have the right "to keep and bear arms"...or did they mean that all citizens should have that right TO FORM a regulated militia?

I think the answer lies to the right of the comma (which is one of the most contested punctuation marks in history based on the context): "...the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed." Sounds like our Founding Fathers wanted arms in the hands of common citizenry, to avoid the government from seizing too much power. But that's just one interpretation, and my opinion.

Remember, our Founding Fathers knew all too well the dangers of too much government power, courtesy of King George III.

I'll also add that *no* amendment has had the scrutiny that ol' #2 has endured. Scholars have pored over every letter, looking for that magic Rosetta Stone that could extract the "true" meaning behind the Right to Bear Arms.

In the end, it's all a moot point. I believe that the horse has already left the barn where guns in America are concerned. I also believe--quite adamantly--that criminals aren't going to give a hoot whether guns are made illegal...only law-abiding citizens will. Control will be enforced on the wrong demographic.

I respect and see your point of view. I hope you do the same with mine.

I don't think she missed. She's probably rather fond of the skunk.

We're better shots than that down here in Texas...

>:)

She was wrong to leave food out where wildlife has access, and had no right to shoot the skunk. Don't give guns to stupid people.

It would have been a totally different story if that bullet landed in the head of one her children. Another case why people shouldn't be allowed to have guns. Most "normal" people would have perhaps just thrown a couple of rocks at the skunk. One good bonk on the head, that skunk will think twice about coming back. And with rocks you have a much lower chance of critically injuring a family member.

Texas. It figures!

amietamant

I hope her gun license and permit are revoked.

Come to think of it, NO American who is not part of an well-regulated militia (such as the National Guard, not those crazy groups) should be allow to buy or own any type of gun. Read the Second Amendment

How about you read the Supreme Court decisions of 2008 and 2010 that upheld the right of individuals to own firearms, whether or not they are in the National Guard, instead.

A WELL regulated militia. And since the government doesn't regulate anything well, your interpretation as to the government regulating it is laughable at best.

In the absence of defining who regulates the militia, it is left to the people. It was put in place to protect the people against government, either foreign or domestic, regardless of what your progressive teachers try to poison your brains with.

This 50 year old couple may be poor self-regulators, and suffer a non-fatal wound because of it. But compared to Fast and Furious which will, if haven't already, kill many people, which is worse?

You progressives are all the same. You jump at any chance to further your math-less ideology while losing total sight of the bigger picture.

A .45 for a SKUNK? Must have been a big skunk.

Replying to amietamant #1.13 who stated:

"NO American who is not part of an well-regulated militia (such as the National Guard, not those crazy groups) should be allow to buy or own any type of gun."

Actually, you have misunderstood the meaning behind the second amendment as so many seem to have been carefully taught to do. There is a reason that the First Amendment (right to freedom of speech and assembly and to state your grievances) is followed by the Second Amendment (right to own guns) and that is because a militia if needed will be created from citizens, and if citizens do not have the constitutional right to own guns, then a militia can never be formed if needed to bring an out of control government back under control. It is the Second Amendment that guarantees as best we can that the First Amendment is never taken away.

2nd Amendment

"A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State,
the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed."

@ON IT I would assume if idiots should not have guns, you have been disarmed?

Shooting a skunk with a .45 makes a bigger mess than you could imagine.

The wife shot at the skunk but missed. The bullet ricocheted off the porch,

What do they make porches out of in Texas that you could ricochet a .45 Cal. slug off of it? Something stinks here and it ain't the skunk.

cp from PA

A really big stink.

@working poor Concrete? Angle iron? Could have just hit a nail? The cat bowl (if metal). Doesn't take much to cause a ricochet.

What do they make porches out of in Texas that you could ricochet a .45 Cal. slug off of it?

If the angle's right, a bullet can ricochet off just about anything. Well, probably not Angel Food cake, but wood? You betcha. NEVER shoot in the general direction of a residence, vehicle, or anyplace there might be people. You never know exactly where the bullet will end up.

@Enough.... Or an excellent commercial for Thompson's Water Seal.

I got hit in the chest by a ricochet off a 4x4 wooden block, it was a 22 and didn't break my skin, did hurt. I did myself worse damage when I shot my finger with an air pistol.

I am a Texan and have a concealed Hand gun permit, called a CHL in Texas. No license or permit is required to own and use a hand gun in the state of Texas. You only need a CHL if you intend to carry a concealed hand gun. Also, guns are not registered in Texas. There is an FFL requirement for licenced FFL dealers to collect the information and keep it on file when they sell a gun, but there is no requirement by the citizens to maintain a registry for the firearm with the state. And there is no requirement to collect or maintain any information to document a private gun sale from a private individual to another private individual in the state of Texas.

Mytwocent$: Who knows, she may be related to the Chaney's!

Oh come on everybody, lighten up. Granted, things could have turned out pretty bad, but they didn't, and at least these people will have a good story or two to tell their friends and families for years to come, and tease each other about. Can you imagine all the different jokes about the wife shooting her husband? Ahh, the humor.

@denver bill 2 Ignoring author

"How about you read the Supreme Court decisions of 2008 and 2010 that upheld the right of individuals to own firearms, whether or not they are in the National Guard ....."

Bill, just as an aside ....

The 1973 Roe v. Wade case (abortion rights) was decided by a 7:2 (seven to two) decision of the Supreme Court. Yet millions of self-defined conservatives have labeled that decision of the court ...."illegitimate" and "wrong" and "judicial activism" and have vowed to overturn the decision.

The 2010 District of Columbia v. Heller case (gun control) was decided by a 5:4 (five to four) decision of the Supreme Court. Yet millions of self-defined conservatives have labeled that decision of the court ...."conclusive" and "definitive" and "correct application of the law." and have vowed to defend the decision, even with their guns if necessary.

Am I the only one who perceives some logical disconnects in common 'conservative' rhetoric?

Just my tuppence ....

.45 is the smallest caliber they know of in Texas.

I shouldn't even comment on this but it's a slow day. All the good joke targets are at the convention.

Robert in Oregon: EVERYTHING IS BIGGER IN TEXAS, including the skunks, the pistol calibers and the jugs.

now...which skunk did she say she was aiming at?

@howieCA

"....If the angle's right, a bullet can ricochet off just about anything. Well, probably not Angel Food cake ..."

Now that's just silly, howie. Who in their right mind would waste good Angel Food cake by shooting it?

Oh, wait. I forgot. Texas. OK, I get your point. Never-mind.

;-)

CO Mommy I mostly agree--can you imagine the conversation around Thanksgiving Dinner this year? "Gee, the stuffing is as heavy as lead this year." "Honey, show them your scar."

denver bill don't talk about $hit you don't understand the 2nd admendment is NOT giving the federal govt. the right to keep and bear arms but the ordinary average citizen .the national guard is a part of the federal govt !!! so SFTU!!yeah i can see it now the n.g. prptecting homes and property like they did during the l.a. riots and katrina .

Well, that stunk for the husband

Bill, just as an aside ....

The 1973 Roe v. Wade case (abortion rights) was decided by a 7:2 (seven to two) decision of the Supreme Court. Yet millions of self-defined conservatives have labeled that decision of the court ...."illegitimate" and "wrong" and "judicial activism" and have vowed to overturn the decision.

The 2010 District of Columbia v. Heller case (gun control) was decided by a 5:4 (five to four) decision of the Supreme Court. Yet millions of self-defined conservatives have labeled that decision of the court ...."conclusive" and "definitive" and "correct application of the law." and have vowed to defend the decision, even with their guns if necessary.

Am I the only one who perceives some logical disconnects in common 'conservative' rhetoric?

Nope. Your point is valid. I would, however, point out a couple of other facts for you to ponder:

1. The logical disconnect you refer to is not limited to conservatives.

2. Roe v. Wade is a legal decision with vastly more moral overtones than the SCOTUS decisions regarding ownership of firearms. The abortion debate is not really a debate, because the proponents and opponents cannot agree on the definition of when life begins. If you believe that life begins at conception, then abortion is murder. If you believe that life begins at birth, then abortion is morally equivalent to clipping your toenails.

str8jkt82

denver bill don't talk about $hit you don't understand the 2nd admendment is NOT giving the federal govt. the right to keep and bear arms but the ordinary average citizen .the national guard is a part of the federal govt !!! so SFTU!!yeah i can see it now the n.g. prptecting homes and property like they did during the l.a. riots and katrina .

Read my post again ......... slowly.

I guess he lost the argument about how it wasn't safe to try to shoot a skunk with a .45 handgun.

I would hope this would be grounds for divorce.

I bet the last thing out of her mouth before she pulled the trigger was "Die you stinkin' bastard!"

Harry, when I read the headline, I had the same idea. How do we know it was an accident ;-)

"Stinky shot: Texas woman aims for skunk, accidentally shoots husband"

It takes a lot of practice to line up those ricochet shots.

Right skunk! The other one was an innocent animal.

Folks, dont be too quick to judge, some critters in Texas could pass off for a grown man in the dark...like the State mascot, the good ol amadillo...some are known to hang out at the beer holes, with guns..

So Doc: In Texas you can shoot a gun, but you sure can't spell! Amarillo or Armadillo, pick a feature.

amaretto, it's amaretto, you know one of those armadillo flavored aperitifs.

Maybe the husband really smelled bad!

Let's see--lots of dumbness happening. First, skunks eat oodles of bugs, mice, etc.; that cause problems for us bipeds. Second, putting pet food dishes outside invites wild critter snackers. Bloody lucky, only an itty-bitty skunk showed up, not a bear or wild boar. Third, 7 kids in the house and they keep a loaded .45 handy by to deal with minor annoyances. Texans, what's not to love?

Montana Native turned New Englander

Malinda, you had me, until you reached the point about 7 kids in the house and keeping a loaded .45 at hand. I have several disagreements with your apparent dislike of that;

First off, how OLD are the 'kids'? Secondly, what, if any, training have the 'kids' had in firearms safety? Making a blanket statement without allowing for specific circumstances makes one sound like an absolutist ninny. If 'kids' are taught at an age appropriate level about guns, the presence of a gun will not present a danger to them.

I will readily agree that shooting a skunk on one's porch with a .45 is stupid. Heck, shooting a skunk there with a BB gun is stupid. I can also agree this fool woman is so stupid that she should not have access to ANY firearms without considerable education and training in firearms safety.

Malinda:

Bear or wild boar?!? You really are showing your ignorance. One doesn't exist in this part of the state, the other is nocturnal and VERY wary of humans.

Also, how did you jump to the conclusion that the gun was kept loaded? She could of loaded it right before shooting at the skunk. All in all, given that skunks are carriers of rabies, sometimes capable of passing it on without showing any symptoms, and this one had lost its fear of humans, shooting a problem skunk is not the problem. The only real mistake this woman made was not considering where the bullet was going if she missed or after it passed through the skunk.

Malinda-3622677 ....New England is the obvious place for you.

Parents in their early 50's? Youngest is probably at least 10.

All we know for sure is that at least one of them got skunked.

Maybe it wasn't "accidental" - the wife was just fed up with her husband saying one more time, "My ___— don't stink!"

Stray cats, raccoons and possums have just as much right to try and find food to survive as any other living creature. Skunks too. Would she have shot Pepe Le Pew? I think not.

Agree

1. I happen to like skunks

2. I feed my cats inside, the local possum likes my back porch

3. see also Blue collar comedy tour " i hate when animals chew on my deck"

We know their religious views as well, no doubt.

Hey Reality, I'll bet I can guess your IQ.

@ imnotlost (you just appear to be)

Looking at your avatar I'm guessing your IQ is in the single digits AND wait for it.....you're from Texas aren't you?

Careful there. With a name like Drano I wouldn't be picking on too many people.

Democrat, of course!

Rick-In Ohio we had a man with CCW who went to his barber. When he sat in the barber's chair, his gun fired shooting his barber in the a$$. More recently it was a 30 year old swinging his gun around to show it off to his family. He shot himself in the head and is dead.

It's easy to come up with articles about idiotic things people do with guns.

i wish for just 1 year some would keep score of Idiots compared to Self defense uses.

Any bets which one wins?

That's why Terry Kath doesn't play in Chicago anymore. If you don't know who I'm talking about, look him up. He played guitar in the band Chicago.

Key words there Rick--what you read about. By some estimates there are over 40 million gun owners in the US, if not more. If 40 million people were irresponsible with their firearms, trust me it would make the news. Like anything else the responsible people will likely never make the news. Sure the news makes it seem like an epidemic but it less than a tenth of a percent of the gun owning populace.

There was a guy here who shot himself in the leg. He and the family had driven to the grocery store to drop off a DVD at the redbox. Mom got out, he shifted in his seat and his .45 he had in his belt went off. Clipped his femoral artery and he was dead in less than 5 minutes. Mom and the kids got to watch.

@UMM

I understand the point you're making but in the end we hear about "Idiots with Guns" (I should host a TV show with that name) literally on a daily basis while it's incredibly uncommon to hear about anyone successfully using a gun in self defense. Even the Police force, on average, are inadequately trained with firearms. I'm not saying take everyone's guns away (but that would be ideal) but at least make it MUCH more difficult to obtain. It's not like a cellphone....by no means should everyone have access to it. Hell even the welfare people down the street from me have an Iphone (that's a completely different problem) but they shouldn't have equal access to firearms as they do with Angry Birds.

Who's Gun?

Howy61, your never too old, for a little gun control!! Just be careful with her it might go off and hit you in the belly, and wind up on your thigh!

To Bubba #12

"This is my rifle and this is my gun. This is for fighting and this is for fun"

US Army circa 1969

Thanks for the memories

And i thought the NYCPD officers were the only ones who shot bystanders...

while i agree that she had 5 kids too many, some people purposefully feed feral cats in order to trap and neuter them. it is called TNR. but i doubt the kind of person to shoot a skunk with a 45 would be the type to try to help feral cats.

Long live the trailer parks of TX. Yee Haw.

You never know !!!!!

She could have used the cat food for BAIT . Hoping for a larger animal to come and eat it. Road kill might be hard to get lately.

They learned that hunting deer.

Big time fun in Texas is putting out feed for deer, in essence training them to find food in this spot. Then the hunters set up chairs and wait for the deer to come and feed.....

@lg75230, yes indeed, there are decent people who participate in TNR. Thanks for bringing that into the picture.

Like yourself, I do not draw an image of that sort of decent person from a woman in Texas with 7 kids who plays with a 45 she clearly ought not have in a subdivision. How many of her neighbors ran for cover when Brainless Brenda opened fire?

@ drano

Now that would be illegal baiting. you have to take the feed station down first.

Not in Texas, you take the Stagg down first! OOPs

Jakatze #13

"Is it too late to give Texas back?"

Yes. The government's lack of border security has just about accomplished that which you asked.

Come on Cameron: What about the nine civilians who were shot while taking down the Empire State Bldg shooter? They were probably NRA Republicans too, right?

imnotlost - you do realize those 9 who were wounded or killed (other than the victim and the perp) were ALL shot by the cops.

"shot while taking down the Empire State Bldg shooter"

Now that's funny.

Guess you're the kind of person who just read headlines.

OK you guys. You know exactly what I meant so don't be snarky. Most of the time when I put a comment on these threads I get interrupted incessantly so I have to hurry. So move on!!!!

DRinNC

Exactly. I am surpised that they even have cats. Coyotes are smart and will come to dinner if food is left outside which they can easily find with their sense of smell. They love to eat cats too. So if you do not want to keep your cats, feed them outside and the cats will soon be food for others.

And relocate it to the Road near by.

"Aye, Captain! I'm giving 'er all she's got!"