How do you recover?

[dmazur]

I do a lot of dry-firing. No ND's (yet).

I like to unload the gun I plan to dry-fire and put the magazine in another room, such as on a kitchen counter when I'm in the living room.

Then the procedure is to get up and walk to that room and insert the magazine before the gun goes back in the safe.

I still check the chamber every time I pick it up before beginning a "session", which can last a few minutes at a time.

So far the magazine hasn't been able to transport itself from the kitchen...

 

[ObsidianOne]

No, it wasn't a "mistake". It was negligence.

Trying to relieve someone of the personal responsibility of an incident that could have resulted in a fatality doesn't do anyone any good.

You became complacent and as a result a negligent discharge occurred that could have injured or killed someone.

Take it as seriously as it was. Amend your behavior based on this failure. Put controls in place to prevent this recurring.

Either never practice dry firing ever again OR put some other controls in place so that a negligent discharge won't ever occur again or that it won't go where you don't want it to go.

You can get a 5 gallon bucket of sand and only dry fire into it. This will prevent a negligent discharge from ever escaping the house.

You and follow a protocol of sticking your little finger into the chamber as well as visually checking it before dry firing without a magazine.

By taking personal responsibility for the incident and then establishing controls to prevent it from happening you can "move on".

When you crash your car into another car because you were texting, is it a car accident or a car negligence?
He didn't mean to, thus it's an accident. I'm not saying there wasn't some negligence involved, however, I don't think he should be scared of his own firearms to the point that he is over thinking everything and thus making another mistake.
I agree that arrogance breeds contempt, but it's better to just keep oneself aware, rather than paranoid.

I think you're being just a tad bit harsh.

Bucket of sand is a good idea, and so is using your finger, though I like my odds using a plastic Bic pen

 

[wrs840]

When you crash your car into another car because you were texting, is it a car accident or a car negligence?

Negligence. Almost everything labeled an "accident" is a predictable event that is the direct result of someone screwing-up.

It's not harsh to ask people to try hard to not screw-up. I ask this of myself constantly.

 

[mr.trooper]

This is why you just DON'T mess with guns when you're not using them or cleaning them.

You said yourself that you had 'tested' the trigger many times due to some perceived inconsistency. WHY? What purpose did that serve? It obviously didn't do anything for you, or your wouldn't have needed to keep doing it.

Here is how I would get over it - this worked for a relative of mine who had a similar ND - STOP handling guns when they are not necessary. If you carry, then you put it in your pocket/holster when you get dressed in the AM, and leave it alone until you set it on the dresser at night. Leave the gun alone until the next AM. If you feel the need to have a gun close by when you're home, then keep it secured in a holster, no handling necessary.

 

[al123]

Will always be learning

I was at the range with a rented SA/DA revolver when after aiming at the shooting target, I pulled the hammer back to SA. After pressing the trigger ever so slightly, the weapon fired unexpectedly. It hit close to where I was aiming, but I was startled. The trigger was much more sensitive than other SAs I've shot.

For me if I discharge a firearm in a way that I didn't expect, I need to review carefully what I'm doing regardless if something went badly awry. I've always treated setting a revolver to SA as the same as pulling the trigger. What I learned from this, is with an unfamiliar firearm to be especially vigilant and do not make assumptions.

 

[Loosedhorse]

Which is exactly why you've already had one and will have a good chance of having another.

You have no idea what you are talking about, because you are talking about me. Someone you don't know.

But I guess we all appreciate your revealing yourself as willing to comment about someone about whom you are ignorant.

You believe that you have done everything possible and it can't happen to you.

Wrong again.

Unfortunately, the real world is anxious to prove you wrong.

Bring it on.

I believe it's inevitable

I hope you're wrong, but enjoy it when it happens. And your 40 year experience has almost proved you wrong--they are preventable after all, aren't they?

 

[Kilgor]

The same way you'd get over a non-fatality auto accident. Just be more careful from now on and say thank you to the man upstairs.