So, fun fact: Alexander Hamilton may have killed himself.
He supplied the dueling pistols for the duel with Burr, and a few things about them.
He had them custom made with a larger, more deadly bore.
He had modified the trigger to require a much lighter pull than most pistols would have required.
The musical (of incredibly dubious historical value) even makes note of this, he was seen fiddling with the trigger prior to the duel, and selected his pistol first.
Accounts on Hamilton firing in to the air differ, but what is consistent are accounts of Burr seeming pretty shocked when his gun went off. Accounts also pretty universally indicate that he tried to rush to Hamilton after he'd been shot to lend aid before being escorted away.
Anyway, that's not at all meant to refute your claim. Guns generally don't just "go off".
