Wrong Shot When Trying To Expel A Bear, Two Brothers In The United States Died

United States black bear illustration. (Wikimedia Commons/Thomas Fuhrmann)

JAKARTA - A man in Oregon, United States has decided to commit suicide after accidentally shooting his brother while loading a gun to shoot a bear in their home, police say.

The man, who has not been named, called 911 emergency services to report the tragedy, but is believed to have pointed a gun at himself before police arrived.

Citing the BBC's February 11, the incident occurred on Tuesday last week in the Sunny Valley area of Josephine County, just north of the border with California.

None of the people involved in the incident underwent identification.

According to the Josephine County Sheriff's Office, the 911 caller said he had loaded his gun with the intent of shooting the bear. When police arrived at the house, they found both men dead, each with one gunshot wound.

The case is currently being investigated by the Oregon State sheriff's office and police. Their findings will be forwarded to the state medical examiner's office.

United States black bear illustration. (Wikimedia Commons/Thomas Fuhrmann)

The increase in gun ownership in the US has been accompanied by higher rates of death and injury, caused by accidental discharges.

Nearly 500 people die each year in unintentional shootings, according to data from the Educational Fund to Stop Gun Violence.

Last April, US President Joe Biden, accompanied by Attorney General Merrick Garland, announced limited measures to tackle gun violence in the United States.

This is the first step the White House has taken to curb mass shootings, bloodshed and suicide. This includes a Department of Justice plan to crack down on any type of self-made weapon capable of turning a pistol into a rifle, in violation of the National Firearms Act.

President Biden said he would ask the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (BATFE) to release an annual report on the firearms trade in the United States. It also makes it easier for states to adopt 'red flag' provisions to mark at-risk individuals who have guns.

"Today we are taking steps to confront not only an arms crisis, but what is truly a public health crisis. This is an epidemic, for God's sake, and must stop," said President Joe Biden.

However, the move has not been easy because the right to own guns is protected by the Second Amendment to the US Constitution, and efforts by states to limit who can buy guns or how they can carry them have been challenged in court by pro-gun lobby groups.

To note, about 25,000 black bears live in Oregon and homeowners are usually urged to avoid confrontation with them.