Muscat: A 20 year-old Omani sustained severe injuries while he was playing with a gun on Tuesday early morning in South Batinah governorate.
According to the Royal Oman Police (ROP), a group of friends were gathered near one of the beaches in Batinah and one of them brought a gun to “shoot dogs” in that area due to excessive barking. The gun was loaded with only one bullet.
Later, one of them shot himself in the chest by mistake as he was playing with it.
The injured man was taken to Rustaq hospital. An official at Rustaq hospital told Gulf News that the man’s condition is critical. An investigation is under way.
Statistics show that four Omani nationals were killed in 2014 with conventional weapons, compared to five in 2013.
As per the law, possessing conventional weapons without obtaining a license from the ROP is illegal and those violating the law could be jailed, and fined more than 100 Omani riyals.
Shooting in the air on celebratory occasions is prohibited and anyone found violating the law could be jailed to three months and fined 300 riyals as well as face confiscation of the gun.
Many Omani families own guns whether for decorative purposes, protection or for hunting.
More than 2,000 guns and conventional weapons were registered in the country 2014, according to the ROP.
