14 DAY TRIAL // A NASCAR supporter has shot himself in the head at an NRA sponsored event in Texas on Saturday night.
The NY Post wrote that 42-year-old Kirk Franklin of Saginaw committed suicide before 10:30 p.m. in a pickup truck in the infield of the Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth.
The man was attending the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series NRA 500 with a group of friends and got into a heated verbal argument prior to taking his own life.
According to the Star-Telegram, he was pronounced dead at 10:48 p.m., before the end of the race. Police believe that the fight might have escalated due to alcohol consumption.
The incident has flared up discussions on gun control regulations, amid rising support for stricter background checks before acquiring weapons.
“Now consider what a self-inflicted gunshot wound, at one of their own events nonetheless, would do to hurt the NRA’s cause. It’d be a PR nightmare.
“And I don’t think anyone in their right mind would put shady cover-up tactics beyond the realm of possible actions for an organization that is working to allow felons and the mentally ill to legally purchase guns.
“NOTE: the NRA does not support background checks, which are the only way to screen those trying to buy weapons,” comments Jake O'Donnell of Sports Grid.
O'Donnell also mentioned the fact that, in the first phase of the investigation, the cause of the fan's death was classified as “self-inflicted” without further mention on how the suicide occurred.
“Considering you only hear the term 'self-inflicted' used in regards to gunshot wounds, things begin to seem suspicious.
“If you know it’s self-inflicted, why not just come out and say what inflicted the fatal damage? If it was a fall, say he fell. If he drank himself to death, say that. If it was a gun shot, well…you get the point,” O'Donnell adds.