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A woman accidentally shot herself in the face while camping Monday night in Tooele County.
The woman, 38, was camping with her boyfriend in Box Elder Canyon of the Stansbury Mountains west of Grantsville when the boyfriend tried to instruct her in firearms use, said Tooele County sheriff's Lt. Ron Johnson. The woman first tried shooting a BB gun and then moved to a .22-caliber rifle, Johnson said.
"He handed it to her, and she placed it between her legs," Johnson said. "When she went to stand, she grabbed it around the trigger guard. It discharged into her chin and exited through the bridge of her nose."
The boyfriend put socks in the woman's mouth to help stem the "profuse" bleeding and drove her to Grantsville to call for help, Johnson said. She was flown by helicopter to University Hospital and on Tuesday was in serious condition but recovering, Johnson said.
The woman was able to speak to deputies and confirmed she had accidentally shot herself, Johnson said.
The couple had been drinking, but investigators did not know whether they were drunk when the shooting occurred.