I witnessed an accidental discharge at the match yesterday

[ATLDave]

If a firearm goes off because the frigger is pulled, that is not an accident, and cannot be an accidental discharge, because the firearm performed exactly as designed.

People have car accidents all the time in which the car performed exactly as designed. Accident does not imply product defect.

And that's all I've got to say about that.

 

[Hoser]

It doesnt really matter. A round left a gun that was unintentional. Lets learn from it, take the warning and quit arguing semantics.

Well put.

 

[twofifty]

unintentional but foreseeable

At the square range I notice a lot of fellows sitting at benches who adjust the position of their rifle on it's rest while their finger is fully engaged in the trigger guard. When the rifle is shoved back and forth it is amazing how seldom they go off - maybe it's the lawyered up trigger pulls.

Please don't ask how I know what can happen from this habitual negligence....

p.s. my ND hit my target (not that this makes this event any less negligent).

 

[GLOOB]

Make sure that your basic safety & marksmanship & gun handling skills are reasonably well developed before you attempt to shoot IPSC/USPSA or IDPA type matches.

Safety is a major concern. Some people get way too nervous at their first few matches and forget about keeping their finger off the trigger unless on target and ready to fire, and keeping the muzzle pointed in a safe direction at all times.

It's just a matter of priorities. After a long hiatus from shooting, I ended up firing my first rounds in a decade in an IDPA match... out of a gun I'd never fired before. Simply because where I lived at the time, that was the most convenient way for me to get trigger time.

No problem, because I knew why I was there. To have fun and shoot safely, not to win. Saw some other newb racing to show clear... I guess he thought that was part of your time, lol. He also got called for trigger, twice. Me, I just took my time and had fun. I did everything slowly and deliberately, and I still placed in the top 3 in the stage with the smallest targets!

 

[Bovice]

At the square range I notice a lot of fellows sitting at benches who adjust the position of their rifle on it's rest while their finger is fully engaged in the trigger guard. When the rifle is shoved back and forth it is amazing how seldom they go off - maybe it's the lawyered up trigger pulls.

Please don't ask how I know what can happen from this habitual negligence....

p.s. my ND hit my target (not that this makes this event any less negligent).

You want judge Judy up your booty? You betta LAWYER UP!

I've always heard that there are no accidental discharges, rather they are negligent. However, I also hear that all guns are mechanical devices which have an ability to malfunction by their very nature, because nothing is perfect. So which is it?

The problem is we are so bent on shame and punishment.

 

[45_auto]

If a firearm goes off because the frigger is pulled, that is not an accident, and cannot be an accidental discharge, because the firearm performed exactly as designed.

Ever heard of "accidental acceleration" where the driver presses the accelerator instead of the brake? I usually end up writing an "accident report" involving it several times a year, most commonly among older drivers.

"If a car moves forward because the accelerator is pressed, that is not an accident, and cannot be accidental acceleration, because the car performed exactly as designed."

That makes as much sense (and is just as incorrect) as your statement about accidental discharge.

 

[tarakian]

How about we just call it an Unintentional Discharge? That should cover everything.

 

[Hoser]

Or maybe even premature...

 

[crazyjennyblack]

Yeah, I like "unintentional." That can get us past the bickering.

 

[otasan56]

I shot the ground once with my G17 during a match. No harm, no foul.