Business Insider
A Colonel serving as the commanding officer of Security Battalion at Marine Corps Base Quantico, Va. was relieved Friday after he allegedly fired his pistol accidentally inside of his office, Hope Hodge Seck of Marine Corps Times reportsCiting “loss of confidence” stemming from the alleged shooting of his M9 pistol into his office floor, Maj. Gen. Juan Ayala relieved Col. Daren Margolin of command and he also faces military charges. The specific charge was not made public, but Article 134 is often used for “negligent discharges” — leading to possible penalties of jail time and/or loss of pay. Negligent discharges are somewhat common in Iraq and Afghanistan — the military’s public affairs site mentioned 126 being reported in just 2007 alone — but back stateside, where troops are not armed all the time, it’s certainly out of the ordinary. Margolin was in charge of Security Battalion, the unit made of fire and police personnel responsible for the protection of the base. The Marine Corps knows how to respond to negligent handling of firearms. They make no attempt to downplay it or white wash it. Negligence is just what it is, and it's inexcusable. Gun-rights fanatics could learn something from this.