Who says guys can’t be bothered to stop and ask for directions? Or fix things when they break? Or read instruction manuals? Bunch of sexist blather, am I right? Case in point: here’s a guy (we don’t know his name, but roanoke.com wouldn’t lie) from Botetourt County, Virginia, who is such a safety-firster that he actually pulled over on his way home from the gun store to read the manual for his new Rock Island Armory 1911 . . .

Which probably means he was fondling his shiny new heater as he was driving. And he just couldn’t wait to get the gun home (let alone give it a good cleaning) before loading her up with some .45s.

A Botetourt County man accidentally shot himself Friday while reading the instruction manual for a gun he’d just purchased. The 28-year-old sustained injuries that were not believed to be life-threatening after shooting himself in the left leg with a .45-caliber Rock Island Armory 1911 pistol, county dispatchers and officials said.

County Sheriff’s Deputy T. Francis said – apparently with a straight face – that the new gun owner “was unfamiliar with the operations of the firearm.” For RIA’s sake, we’re hoping their manual clearly states that you shouldn’t put your finger on the trigger of your new gun and point it at your leg.

Thankfully, the injury wasn’t life threatening and the proud new gun owner should make a full recovery. To help keep his spirits up while he’s on the mend, he’ll be receiving a freshly minted IGOTD trophy in short order. And we can assure him that it comes with complete, illustrated instructions – which we know he’ll appreciate – detailing how to properly display it in such a way as to let everyone know about his singular achievement.