I have seen some very concerning complacency among those who occasionally turn up at the trap range. The regulars I shoot with are all proper tight with their gear but every once in a while, a New York or CT license plate rolls in, older guy typically steps out and proceeds to sweep in every direction, litterally as though they've never even heard safe handling rules and don't even know how to run their equipment. Call for a bird, "click" "oh hey hang on a sec" "click". Swears at the gun like "it's" the stupid one. One of our guys walks over and reminds him that his own gun needs the safety switched off after every shot. Smh.
The first ND I ever saw someone do was at the trap range last year, put one right in the dirt. One of the out of state NY members...... gotta love that.
I am not without sin, I am always very safe and never want to have a mishap of any kind but while it wasn't a ND it was almost just as bad in my view. I had my Ruger 7-08 in the corner of my room for about 4 or 5 months after retiring it at the end of hunting season. My buddy walked over to it, picked it up, cycled the bolt and gave me an incredulous, chin hit the floor look and goes "BRO!" so I walked over toward him and he tilts the action toward me to show that he was extracting a live round with the safety off. To this day I know it was my own stupidity and complacency but I just couldn't believe I left a hot rifle safety off unsecured in the corner of my room.
I have always been very vigilant about unloading my gun before I get into my car after a hunt so as not to travel with a loaded firearm but I guess this must've been a late hunt and was off my game and just popped the mag out forgetting to extract the chambered cartridge. But I usually check it multiple times thereafter so still puzzled as to how I let that happen.
I had a game warden give me a $400 citation and had my gun confiscated until the fine was paid and couldn't hunt for a year because I was getting ready to walk into the woods with my gun (that I loaded after I exited the car) and the game warden popped out of nowhere before I was about to head into the woods and was still next to my car. As they were heading over to me in a very hurried fashion, I set the gun laid across the back seat and asked them what I could help them with, assuming they wanted to check my license but the warden said "I need to take this rifle and check it" so he grabbed it he cycled a round in and said "I'm here to cite you for traveling with a loaded rifle in your vehicle". Smh.
That was cute, I thought it was pretty lousy but in any case, it was a good reminder not to ever set my loaded gun anywhere near a vehicle........