That's Gotta Be Embarrassing: Montana School Superintendent Has A Negligent Discharge of A Musket in School.

The Detroit News: Superintendent accidentally fires gun during class

The superintendent of a rural Montana school district says he was showing students his black powder muzzleloader when he accidentally fired the weapon into a classroom wall during a history lesson.

Dwain Haggard, who used to be a Civil War re-enactor, was showing the gun to five students in Reed Point High School's American history class Friday when it fired.

No one was injured, and Haggard says he can't explain how the weapon was loaded.

He says he usually fires a cap during the demonstration, but this time there was a loud bang and the room filled with smoke.

The ball shot through the "o" in the word "North" on a wall map.

Perhaps it was a Confederate Musket then?

The only real way to tell if a civil war era musket is really loaded or not is to take it to a safe place, point it in a safe direction and pull the trigger. Just putting a rod down the barrel is not enough as you could possible miss the bullet.

Luckily no one was hurt as the Superintendent, while violating Rule #1, remembered the other rules of gun safety and kept it pointed in a safe direction on firing the "unloaded" gun.

Remember the Rules Of Gun Safety:

1. All guns are always loaded.
2. Never let the muzzle cover anything you are not willing to destroy.
3. Keep your finger off the trigger until your sights are on the target.
4. Be sure of your target and what is beyond it.