A 19-year-old man who was handling a pistol while sitting in a vehicle in the driveway outside a relative's home Sunday night in Elmore County accidentally shot himself in the thigh, according to a sheriff's deputy.

A family member called 911 for help at 6:14 p.m., and the man was taken by air ambulance to St. Alphonsus Regional Medical Center in Boise for treatment. Elmore County Deputy Ray Page said the injury was not believed to be life-threatening; the bullet didn't appear to hit the femoral artery.

The man, who is an active duty airman at Mountain Home Air Force Base, was disassembling the gun when it went off. The muzzle was pointed at his lower torso.

"He was taking the slide off the weapon ... I don't know what he was trying to inspect, or look at," Page said. "He failed to unload it. It was just an accident that should not have happened."

Page said there was no indication that the incident was anything other than an accident.