phrasal verbs - Turn Equipment On

I have a question about the pattern "turn on " here:

Then he allegedly turned the body-building equipment on his 44 year-old wife, identified by sources as Feng Liang, and his elderly mother-in-law, Feng Kun Zaehng,77, the sources said.

I understand the phrase "*turn the gun on ", am not sure about "turn the equipment on ". Could the example be wrong?