A man accidentally shot himself and his wife inside a Tennessee church Thursday while advocating the right to bring guns to church.

The individual was displaying a Ruger handgun to other churchgoers in the sanctuary about 50 miles south of Knoxville when he apparently forgot it was loaded, according to the Knoxville News Sentinel.

“I carry my handgun everywhere,” he said while removing the ammunition magazine and showing the firearm to other members of the church.

The man began to re-holster his weapon — but first put the magazine back into the firearm and loaded a round into the chamber, the local police chief told the paper.

Someone then asked to see the weapon. The man pulled the gun out of his holster and claimed it wasn’t loaded before pulling the trigger.

“Evidently he just forgot that he re-chambered the weapon,” the police chief said.

The gun fired and the bullet sliced the man’s hand before piercing his wife’s abdomen.

Both he and his wife, who are in their 80s, were taken to the University of Tennessee Medical Center, where they were expected to survive.