A man in Mitchell, South Dakota encountered non-life threatening injuries after he accidentally shot himself. The 34-year-old had fallen asleep on his back porch while holding a fully loaded, ready to fire handgun.

It’s common sense but sadly not always practiced - store your guns in a safe or locked cabinet when not in active use.

A man in Mitchell, South Dakota encountered non-life threatening injuries after he accidentally shot himself.

The 34-year-old had fallen asleep on his back porch around 2am while holding a loaded handgun.

A family member in the home turned on the porch light and opened the door. The gun holding man abruptly woke up, startled by the noise and light.

That’s when he accidentally pulled the trigger and shot himself in the midsection. He suffered minor injuries but managed to drive to the hospital.

The man told police he had just unloaded his truck after a hard day at work when he decided to sit down on his porch, however he quickly dozed off, putting himself and others in a potentially dangerous situation.

An investigator stated “Quite frankly, he was very fortunate. He was lucky it wasn’t anything more serious.” No criminal charges had yet been filed.