Safety Violation Say Something Or MYOB

Would you point out the safety violation or keep you mouth shut

  • Yes I would point out the safety violation

    Votes: 50 61.0%

  • No I wouldn't involve myself. I'd keep my mouth shut

    Votes: 32 39.0%
  • Total voters
    82
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Say something. The life you save may be your own. I had the opportunity to train people world-wide when I was in the military- some of the best, and some of the worst. I never had anyone shot on any training event I was running. I am very thankful to train at a facility where there is zero tolerance for unsafe behavior, and every member is vetted. I have no desire to train with or around the 3 stooges.
 
I probably would have said "Don`t let common or logic slow you down in your unsafe act." Then I would have moved on.
 
As long as his unsafe practice was only endangering his self, then i would not say anything.

If his actions had led to the pointing of the weapon at me or mine i would have, in a non dramatic way, said something.

He was on his property, not a public range, not a training facility, and the world's leading expert was not there.

Don't worry about him - just you.

I can easily see many having a reaction not from a safety standpoint but rather "I need the world to know how much I know" point of view.
 
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Boomerang said:
I run a private range and club. It's automatic that I say something if I see it.
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For Strictly the sake of conversation - what if his job requirements enable him to see you doing something "wrong" on your property?

Your reaction?

Not disagreeing but just curious.
 
I think I said this in my opening post but I'm going to say it again. Apart from when I was in the Army when it was actually my duty to speak up I have never addressed a safety issue and not had the person react negatively.

I don't need to invite that into my life and I'm not going to. I'm not saying that the two-thirds of you who would have said something are wrong I am saying that I'm not going to unless I or my family are endangered.
 
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He may have just been pointing the muzzle at himself at that moment, but the next moment he could be pointing it at you, me, or anyone else. Heck yeah I'd say something, even if all he needs is a gentle reminder right then. People can get complacent and forgetful, it's part of being human, and sometimes need to be reminded. But if this is part of a pattern of behavior that continues despite correctional instruction, then he should not be handling firearms at all, and might be reported for brandishing the next time it happens.
 
Said something a few times when idiots decided to play with guns while a cease fire was called and I was down range. Worst one was 4-5 kids show up to my club and are decked out in tactical clothing, all so fat they couldnt run 30ft without dying, leg holsters, AR 15, etc. We all lined up to shoot pistol and when everyone was empty and I called clear and they agreed one decided he would do draw drills with his pistol while my GF was changing her target. His excuse was its empty and he's 40yards away.

OP-Your neighbor is a jackass and anytime someone argues with me about the whole its not loaded crap I will never be around them when they have a firearm.
 
patmccoy said:
Safety is everyone's responsibility all the time. I usually start with "Would you mind a suggestion?" I would also appreciatr someone pointing out any safety violation I may commit, because after 64 years around guns, it is not impossible for me to can have a lapse in concentration.
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So if you are speeding it is everyone's business to slow you down, or if you don't use your seat belt for the quarter mile trip to the gas station people should say something to you?
 
I last time I shown anyone the guns I owned I unloaded the gun(s), and displayed the empty firearms with their actions open before letting them handle them.
 
patmccoy said:
Safety is everyone's responsibility all the time.
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That concept is deeply flawed. Every one cannot be everyone else's nanny. Each situation is specific unto itself.
I am not stating what should be done in the case of the OP scenario - I am saying that I don't want to live in a nanny society ; Lord knows we are heading in that direction! Don't promote it.
 
If they are with me I would, otherwise I don’t go out of my way to get into other people business.

If you are driving down the road, would you shake your finger at everyone that’s speeding? How about telling a fat person at a restaurant they should forgo the steak and just eat the salad with a glass of water?
 
Someone as close as a neighbor, well, today he's endangering himself, but tomorrow maybe you or your kids.

I don't tolerate idiots well, I might have a word with him.

.
 
WrongHanded said:
Inside city limits, I'm pretty sure this is considered brandishing a deadly weapon.
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What would be? Pointing it at himself or showing it to someone?

I'd probably say something if I knew him. If not, I wouldn't. If I said something to every person I saw pointing guns at themselves I'd never do anything but correct people when I was at a gun show or gun shop.
 
If the dude isn't part of a class I'm running, I don't really have any kind of authority but I would probably poke fun at him a bit.

Something to the effect of "that really startled me, I thought that guy had you at gun point! Surely there can be no other reason to point a firearm at your chest!"

Or perhaps "get a load of this guy getting you to point a gun at yourself! It's ok we all slip up and just point guns at our chests every once in a while!"

You really have to know your audience, but

Sometimes just giving a friend a bad time illustrates your point while you maintain the relationship and still adjust the behavior.
 
MutinousDoug said:
I was introduced to firearms in about 1960. Then I spent 18 months in the US Army, 1969/70, almost 11 months of which was in the infantry in RVN and Cambodia. Later shot "Bullseye/conventional pistol" for 7-8 years in the 80's and NRA High Power until last year. I read this entire thread and don't remember hearing the term/acronym: "RDS".
Any of you experts feel like enlightening me?
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Red Dot sight
 
I take the adage “the behavior you don’t consistently speak or act against is the behavior you condone.”

To me, it’s as simple as that. Period.

Put another way, someone is always looking at you too. Someone may even be trying to be like you. They may be forming their beliefs based on how you act even if they only ever see one instance of how you act, and you would never even know. Make every action be one you’d be proud they emulate.
 
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patmccoy said:
Safety is everyone's responsibility all the time.
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What happened to personal accountability? Every adult's personal safety is their own personal responsibility. This isn't a job site, it's life.

whm1974 said:
For those of you who would say or do anything, there is the possibility that you will become a Social Pariah for failure to prevent another person death. And also the large amount of guilt you will be racked by...
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There are different types of social interactions in the world based on your community. If I lived in a place where I was expected to act like I work in a day care center all the time, I would leave that area as that community is not one I want to be a part of. Will I stop a person from accidentally walking in front of a car they don't see coming? Of course. Will I interject myself into a situation where a grown adult who is fully capable of making their own decisions and regulating their own behavior is botching things up with both eyes open? Not if it isn't a threat to me or my own. It's on them. Preventing an accident and preventing poor behavior are not the same thing, and poor behavior that resulted in injury or death would inspireno sense of guilt in me.




I've seen a few comments that someone would basically tell the offending individual they are an idiot. Do as you will, but that isn't typically a good way to get someone to listen. A kind word can go a lot farther than a snide comment.

As for the folks who say they would intervene, while the sentiment is nice, and I applaud your sense of civic duty, please consider the intelligence level of someone doing what the OP described. He was pointing a lethal weapon at his own chest. There is a reason someone came up with the saying "You can't fix stupid." Someone doing what the OP described is very unlikely to listen, or to understand the severity of what they are doing. You can't fix stupid, all you can do is hope it doesn't take out any bystanders when it finally pegs out.
 
If you are that stupid(point a gun at yourself) then may be we don't need him. I say Cull the herd
 
My next door neighbor would not do something that stupid, but if he did, yes, I would say something.

My PITA neighbor across the street would probably cry if he saw a gun, much less point it at himself, but if he did, I would just go back in my house and let him proceed.
 
230RN said:
Some people just can not grasp the concept of "treat them as if they were loaded" and come back with, "but it's not loaded, I just checked it."
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that's precisely why we say "all guns are always loaded" instead of "treat them as if they were loaded"

Trunk Monkey said:
I think I said this in my opening post but I'm going to say it again. Apart from when I was in the Army when it was actually my duty to speak up I have never addressed a safety issue and not had the person react negatively.

I don't need to invite that into my life and I'm not going to. I'm not saying that the two-thirds of you who would have said something are wrong I am saying that I'm not going to unless I or my family are endangered.
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i would draw the line in a different spot. instead of "my family", it'd be chance of success.

what we're essentially doing is making a judgement call in the situation about whether or not the person is teachable. if they're pointing a gun at themselves blatantly (as opposed to say, sweeping their hand or foot when they draw) then they're probably not teachable. maybe after a 15 min lecture with a long list of examples of people who thought the gun was empty but still shot themselves or their kid or TV, etc, but you're prob not going to get that much opportunity.

there are a couple of approaches to minimizing the negative reaction. one was mentioned above, "you're making me nervous, i wouldn't want anything to happen to you". another is associating bad behavior with a bad demographic. for example, in safety briefings at my matches, sometimes i would say something to the effect of "seeing someone with their finger on the trigger when their sights aren't on the target is a sign they're not a shooter or competent or safe. think about it: every time you see a politician or hollywood actor holding a gun, they've got their finger on the trigger so you can tell right away they know $^@$% all about guns and you shouldn't listen to anything they say. by contrast, if you see someone holding a gun with their finger up on the frame, even if they're a gun bunny, you know at least they've been taught some safety". by making it a social thing "if you do that, you're not one of us", non-compliance was extremely rare. in fact, i can only remember one incident, and she was a cop
 
The other weekend, the neighbors behind-ish (staggered) us were having one of their loud parties because they want to infect all their friends I guess. I looked, there's almost no noise ordinances so I just have to live with their mayhem.

Wife told me to go outside. They are passing around to the drunken folks an airgun, shooting at a target taped to a tree in their furthest back yard. Yes, between us. I and another neighbor are downrange of a terrible backstop.

They saw me on the deck, waved, I said "NO. No. " and I forget what exactly but none of that. You are shooting at us and it's not allowed in the city anyway.

So, I generally grumble, gripe online, and glare, but do not talk to people if I can avoid it. But I guess that answers: at least for safety issues involving me, I will apparently speak up to people I don't really know.


ETA: Bullets are supersonic. If someone wants to play with a knife or axe or chainsaw out of range of me or my family, drive on. Who cares. But as a few have pointed out, even unsafe behavior pointed elsewhere can be unsafe behavior pointing at me without notice. Bullets even go /through/ things, so a neighbor unsafe in his yard is probably unsafe in his house, etc. A reminder was needed.

It's too bad everyone interprets the big-boy-rules and personal-responsibility as "I can do whatever I want, you can't tell me otherwise."
 
bearcreek said:
What would be? Pointing it at himself or showing it to someone?
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Just pointing it around and about in public (even on his own front lawn). I'm sure there's more to it from a legal stand point, but if a neighbor called it in as him "waving a gun around", it'd be a pretty sticky situation. And likely one he'd want to avoid.
 
In this particular scenario, fortunately, I know my neighbors well enough to know how they might take that advice or at least, how make it come out in a way to them where it would not sound like I was insulting or criticizing them in front of other folks. Then there is the one "poop for brains" on the corner, where I wouldn't say anything at all, unless he pointed the gun at someone else and then I would call the cops. As for other forms of unsafe firearm practices, I too do not believe in baby sitting, BUT............anytime it involved a disregard to other folk's safety, I would most likely say something, unless in doing so, I put myself at risk.
 
Taliv remarked, "that's precisely why we say 'all guns are always loaded' instead of 'treat them as if they were loaded.' "

Agreed, but I was trying to keep the concept itself clear. As a a matter of fact, I usually use "all guns are always loaded" myself.

Terry, 230RN

Edited to correct quote marks.
 
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