THOUSAND OAKS : Father, 73, Wounded in Gun Safety Lesson

Helen Theis will never believe anyone who claims a gun is empty after watching her son accidentally shoot his father in the chest Wednesday night.

Mark E. Theis, 28, was demonstrating handgun safety in his parents’ Thousand Oaks residence when the weapon discharged, sending its 45-caliber slug ricocheting off a table, through a cookie tin and into John Joseph Theis’ chest just above the heart.

John Theis, 73, was released from Los Robles Medical Center on Thursday afternoon, the bullet still lodged in his shoulder but otherwise in good shape, his wife said.

“The doctor told him he should go out and buy a lottery ticket today,” Helen Theis said. “Christmas came early for us this year.”

Helen Theis said her son, while stopping by to visit, decided to take his handgun with him to the Canoga Park residence he shares with his girlfriend. His girlfriend protested, which prompted Mark Theis to offer a demonstration of handgun safety to her and his mother.

Mark Theis removed a bullet clip from the automatic pistol, inadvertently leaving a single slug in the chamber. It discharged as he was flipping one of the gun’s two safety mechanisms and struck his father, who was sitting across the room, Helen Theis said.

“We were shocked and we’re still in shock,” she said. “This just proves that any empty gun is not necessarily empty.”