A READER CALLED THIS ADAM CLYMER STORY about Bob Barr “juvenile” and biased. I disagree.

Barr was handling a firearm at a party. It went off, though it’s not entirely clear who accidentally hit the trigger — Barr, or the host who handed it to him.

Clymer notes that they followed the most important safety rule, which involves making sure your weapon isn’t pointed in a dangerous direction, but violated the others. I think he’s right.

Personally, I wouldn’t bring out firearms for handling at a party anyway. Too many people around, too high a likelihood that someone has been drinking. But jeez, if you’re going to, you need to be sure they’re unloaded and safe — and the person being handed the weapon has that responsibility every bit as much as the person handing it to him. I heard Neal Boortz making these points on the radio yesterday, and he was absolutely right.