Man Discharges Rifle Inside University Housing

An employee at the University of Montana accidentally discharged a rifle while cleaning it at approximately 7 p.m. on Friday, November 22 in his University Villages apartment.

Vice President of Integrated Communications Peggy Kuhr said the unidentified man was charged early Saturday morning with discharging a firearm within the city limits.

"The man said he was cleaning a .308 rifle when it accidentally discharged," Kuhr said. "The Office of Public Safety responded immediately. The bullet went through the wall into an adjoining apartment, which was empty because the next-door neighbors were moving. No one was injured."

University policy restricts the possession and use of firearms on campus to law enforcement officers.

"For those residents in the University Villages, they are allowed to have firearms, but they have to be locked up, out of sight, and not,of course, accessible to children. The firearms must also be registered with the Office of Public Safety. This individual said the rifle belonged to his brother."