Kentucky State Rep. Leslie Combs (D) accidentally fired her semi-automatic handgun in the state capitol building Tuesday night just before Gov. Steve Beshear (D) gave his state of the state address, WHAS11 reported.
Combs was unloading her gun in the Capitol annex office when it went off. The bullet hit the floor and ricocheted toward a bookshelf, according to WHAS11.
Rep. Jeff Greer (D) was in the room at the time, but Combs said she was following safety procedure and that nobody was in harm’s way, WHAS11 reported. Nobody was injured.
“I thought it was totally clear,” Combs told WHAS11 Wednesday. “I am a gun owner. It happens.”
Combs told the Courier-Journal that she has a concealed carry permit, and that she often carries a gun with her in her purse.
Kentucky State Police Sgt. Jason Palmer told the Courier-Journal there was “no evidence of criminal acts.”
Combs would not show reporters where the gun went off, but said she was putting it away because “I don’t want to use it anymore,” according to WHAS11.
Combs said in a statement Wednesday that she carries a gun for her personal safety. She urged people to be careful when carrying guns.
“I urge everyone to be extremely cautious with their firearm,” she said in the statement. “I know from personal experience how easy it is to discharge a firearm accidentally.”
Greer did not responded to TPM request for comment.
