GROOM ACCIDENTALLY KILLS 3 WEDDING GUESTS

IN ACCIDENTAL SHOOTING A GROOM IN TURKEY
KILLS FATHER, 2 AUNTS, AND WOUNDED 6 OTHERS

ANKARA (CNN) - A groom accidentally killed three relatives at his wedding in Turkey when he fired into the air with an assault rifle in celebration, according to reports. Eight other people were wounded at the incident at the village of Akcagoze in Turkey’s southeastern province of Gaziantep. Three family members at a wedding in Turkey have been accidentally shot dead by the groom firing an AK-47 rifle in celebration. The groom, Tevfik Altin, lost control of his rifle, spraying the guests with bullets and killing his father and two aunts and injuring six others, according to CNN Turk. The groom unleashed a series of rapid aerial shots with an assult rifle to celebrate his nuptials, but quickly lost control of the weapon and accidentally shot his guests, the Anatolia news agency said. His father and two of his aunts died in hospital. It reported that Altin had been arrested after the incident in the village of Akcagoze in southeastern Turkey.

One family member, who did not give his name, told CNN: “It happened very quickly. We all tried to take cover and there was blood all over. We are all very sad right now.” The injured guests included three children aged 10, 12 and 16, according to CNN Turk. The Sehitkamil State hospital where some of the injured were brought confirmed it has one patient still in the hospital. Turks are notorious for breaking out into gunshots to celebrate weddings and sports victories, a practice that has caused many deaths and which authorities have so far failed to curb. Guns are often fired into the air in celebration in some parts of Turkey. According to the BBC, firing live rounds into the air “is commonplace as a celebration in parts of Turkey and has on many occasions led to deaths and injuries”. The practice of “happy firing” is certainly routine in the adjacent Middle East.


Guns are designed to end lives, not to give life, for which assault rifles and weddings do not really have anything in common and should not go together. At any moment something horrible happens and we may suffer due to a reckless act of human stupidity, therefore, ask for the mercy of Guru and the Supreme Lord to help us not to forget Him at any time.

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US?

Śrīmatī Kuntī said, “... even ordinary devotees who simply think of You are always immune to all kinds of material danger, and what to speak of ourselves, who are personally remembered by You. ... No one is Your favorite and no one is Your enemy. As the Supreme Personality of Godhead, You are equal to everyone, and everyone can take advantage of Your special protection. The fact is that although You are equal to everyone, You are especially inclined to the devotees who always think of You. The devotees are related to You by ties of love. As such, they cannot forget You even for a moment. You are present in everyone’s heart, but because the devotees always remember You, You respond accordingly. Although the mother has affection for all the children, she takes special care of the one who is fully dependent.”

Śrīla A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda :
“Krishna, The Supreme Personality of Godhead”
Chapter 58 - “Five Queens Married by Krishna”