My New Rule (Thanks To Eric F)

[ReadyontheRight]

How about the basic rule I grew up with of always emptying/removing the magazine and opening up the action before handing a gun to someone? Another rule we have is to empty/remove your magazine and open your chamber when coming upon someone in the woods or entering camp.

I always thought these should be 5th and 6th rules. If everyone FOLLOWED the 4 rules, they would not be needed, but still good safety.

 

[TimboKhan]

You know, I think I explained pretty clearly my feelings on this in my first post, but it made me think of something similar that really does get on my nerves in a big way. People not listening. Let me give an example:

Big group of us went shooting. My normal shooting buddy brought along a bunch of his college classmates who had never shot before. He told me that he envisioned us just sort of showing them the basics and then letting them plink away and have fun, which I was OK with. This buddy and I gave them the safety lecture, and we were off. One guy took one of my rifles and wanted to shoot at a post up on this hill, which was fine. I casually told him how to aim at it, because it was pretty far off and about 100 feet higher than where we were, and he started arguing with me. This guy had never shot a round in his life that I was aware of, and he was arguing with me. Moreover, he was shooting MY rifle, loaded with MY ammo and using up MY time. I let him prove himself wrong, then I took my gun and told my buddy that I didn't want him shooting my stuff. The rest of the group was fine, to the extent that a couple of the guys ended up becoming friends.

I am no expert firearms instructor, but I am perfectly capable of teaching someone the basics of shooting safely and well. Fact is, if that guy would have listened to me, I guarantee he would have at least gotten close to that post. I had plunked away at it myself for some time on previous trips, and I knew about what the holdover was to at least get close enough to get excited. Everyone of the other guys that tried it and listened to either me or my buddy was dropping them in on it, but that guy never did because he didn't want to listen. Maybe I didn't handle it the best way, but I was surprisingly and deeply annoyed at the guy.

What these two things have in common is simple respect. In terms of those guys handling my guns, there wasn't a problem. Even the guy that annoyed me acted in a safe enough manner. There were a couple of genuine mistakes made, but I can live with that. I mean, none of us were born perfect shooters, you know? The key is that they were all respectful of my stuff and were appreciative that I and my buddy were willing to supply ammo. Thats all this really boils down to. It's not even a trust issue to me. It's simple respect and common courtesy.

Safety issues aside, Treo, you should see how people treat electric guitars. You would be shocked to see how they will pick them up and just start absolutely wanging on them. Never figured out why that was, really, but I have had to tell people not to touch my guitar when they come over, and it isn't even particularly valuable. The worst is little kids. My nieces and nephews all learned pretty quick that Uncle Timmy's house and Papa's house are two entirely different places with entirely different rules of conduct. They can do what they want to Papas junk guitars, but Uncle Timmy's guitar is a "no touch" item.

 

[Kind of Blued]

I'd say my rule is:

Use my best judgement, if ANY doubt exists, keep the situation free from even the possibility of a negligent discharge.

i.e. Ammo and gun cannot simultaneously be hand by the individual until everything is clearly understood.

If you're teaching somebody new, acknowledge their intelligence verbally, let them know EVERYBODY makes mistakes, but mistakes here and now are not acceptable.

 

[Kind of Blued]

Another rule we have is to empty/remove your magazine and open your chamber when coming upon someone in the woods or entering camp.

So when you come upon someone in the woods, you unholster your weapon and make basically the same motion that you do when chambering a round in order to show no intent to harm them?

I see two HUGE problems with that.

 

[DWARREN123]

Your guns, do what you want.

 

[2nd 41]

My shooting buddies are welcome to handle my guns.
If I take a new shooter to the range I get a rental(and I pay the bill))
Years ago I handed a newly purchased Stainless Colt Python(unloaded) to a friend/neighbor...he dropped it. It was on a carpeted floor...no damage. That was the first & last time. One and done for handing out guns.

 

[1911 guy]

Depends.

Non-gun owners/shooters I don't trust with guns I actually need. They get to use the "extras" if they want to learn from me.

Gun owners/shooters can ask to seee/shoot anything but my carry gun.

There are only a few people who have shot my carry gun, all of whom I trust to know their way around a 1911.

Knuckleheads in general don't seem to like hanging around me. They get offended for some reason.

 

[Wheeler44]

I taught two new fellas to shoot Saturday. Well okay I got them started only 3-400 rounds. I would have had a hard time teaching them w/o handing the gun to them. I even loaded one and handed it one of them.....two different times.

I read Erikf's story, I sounded like a young guy bragging on his new toy to people that clearly didn't appreciate what guns are.(sorry Erikf but we all did dumb things when we were young) Erik learned a lesson.

I have exchanged loaded weapons at the informal range in the woods where we shoot with several fellas.

I wouldn't with "suspect individuals."

 

[Conqueror]

If I bring someone to the range, it's because I trust them to handle my guns (with supervision, in most cases).

If someone else at the range asks to "try" one of my guns, I simply observe him shooting his own guns first. If he is competent, a decent shot, and looks fairly well-versed in handling firearms, he can shoot mine. If he looks like an idiot, can't hit the paper, and makes me concerned for my well-being, he doesn't get to shoot mine.

I like my rule more than this blanket "no one touches my crap" rule.

 

[Jeff F]

Half the fun is passing them around and seeing who can shoot who's the best. We do it all the time in our small group of shooting Buddy's. Now handing someone I don't know well a firearm and some ammunition, I think not.

 

[Bennett Prescott]

I consider it my duty as a gun owner to introduce others to how to safely (and happily) handle and operate firearms, so that they are not a big scary unknown to be voted against, and so that my fellow firearm owners aren't looked at with concern or fear. The more I can associate guns with being a normal and reasonable (and hopefully better than that) thing for a person they know and trust to own, the better.

I don't own any really pricy guns, at most a $1,000 shotgun and a few $500-$700-ish pistols, but I take any opportunity to allow friends to use them. I'm planning on buying a higher end custom pistol or two, and while I wouldn't hand it to a new shooter their first time out, I wouldn't have any qualms about letting someone I've shot with before put some rounds through it.

I'm also not the type of person to have extraordinary expectations of my property... the guns are meant to shoot, a few extra dings here and there can be fixed, and I won't hold it against anyone.