Gun-toting hiker blasted through buttock in Blewett Pass

A 52-year-old man was preparing for a hike in Blewett Pass when he decided to move his 40-caliber Smith & Wesson from its safe, but uncomfortable holster to his unsafe but comfortable back pocket – it was a big mistake.

Darrel Elam’s pistol accidentally discharged. The bullet shot down his left buttock and left leg and stopped just above his knee. His injuries were not life threatening and he has since been released from hospital.

Now I am no firearms expert or anything, but carrying a loaded handgun loose in a pocket seems like a really, really stupid idea – and doing it at an ironically named location is just tempting fate. [Wenatchee World]