Ontario man shoots himself while making necklace out of bullet on Valentine’s Day

Police say a 50-year-old Oshawa, Ont. man suffered a leg wound after attempting to make a necklace out of a bullet on Valentine’s Day.

Durham Regional Police responded to a home in Oshawa just after 5 p.m. Tuesday, after a man allegedly “shot” himself in the leg while attempting to “pull apart” a bullet with vice grips.

The gunpowder inside the bullet caused it to explode and hit the man’s thigh, while several bullet casing fragments also struck his leg.

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Police said the man was trying to make a necklace with the bullet and didn’t realize the explosion could happen.

“If you go do some research on what’s in a bullet, it’s not something you want to make a necklace out of,” police spokesman Dave Selby said.

The unidentified man was taken to hospital and surgery was performed to remove the bullet and casing fragments from his leg. No charges were laid and the bullet was lawfully owned.

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Police are reminding residents not to try and “manipulate ammunition” in this way due to the risk of explosion.

“The reason why we put it out obviously is not in humour, it’s the public education piece here,” Selby said.

“Ammunition is live, it’s not a toy, and it should be dealt with carefully.”