I'm in the hospital because I made a near-fatal error

[Poper]

My father was one of the most conscientious people about firearms safety I have had the privilege to know.
While he was still living, whenever I visited his home I would take the time to clean each of his guns in his gun cabinet. (Yes, that was LONG before the days of the ubiquitous gun safe.) One such visit, I was about to clean the 12 ga. pump shotgun I had given him a few years before and when I cycled the action and out popped a live round! I was so surprised, I almost filled my britches!
I suppose it is possible my brother or one of my brother's friends had used the gun since my dad had, but the point remains: The gun in your hands is loaded until you clear it and the action remains open.

 

[BKS]

Glad you are home. Sorry this happened to you. On the bright side, the surgery crew did a pretty good job of matching your tattoos back up.
Best Wishes for a full recovery.

 

[Bearcat1982]

Glad you are home. Sorry this happened to you. On the bright side, the surgery crew did a pretty good job of matching your tattoos back up.
Best Wishes for a full recovery.

Thank you. They made a point to tell me they would take care of them as well after I woke up from the initial surgery. Next level surgeons. Owe them and EMT my life.

 

[Bearcat1982]

Outta a 4 inch bear cat I estimate the bullet traveled at least 15 inches through soft tissue. Passed the FBI ballistic gel test...

 

[Valkman]

Man I am so glad you are home and on the mend. I understand the scare of a ND, I had one long ago. I went to clean my S&W M41 .22 pistol and had left a round in the chamber. We always loaded and shot 5 rounds at this range and we shot Bullseye at 25 yards. Somehow I shot 4 rounds or loaded 6 because I went to take the pistol down, pointed it to my left and pulled the trigger. BANG! Holy crap it was loud. I kept waiting for police to show up as this was in an apartment but nothing happened. I found the bullet out in my patio. It scared me so bad I am anal about checking firearms ever since and am determined that it doesn't happen again.

 

[Bearcat1982]

Man I am so glad you are home and on the mend. I understand the scare of a ND, I had one long ago. I went to clean my S&W M41 .22 pistol and had left a round in the chamber. We always loaded and shot 5 rounds at this range and we shot Bullseye at 25 yards. Somehow I shot 4 rounds or loaded 6 because I went to take the pistol down, pointed it to my left and pulled the trigger. BANG! Holy crap it was loud. I kept waiting for police to show up as this was in an apartment but nothing happened. I found the bullet out in my patio. It scared me so bad I am anal about checking firearms ever since and am determined that it doesn't happen again.

glad you only had a scare my friend. Today a friend relayed a story from one of his friends to me. A muzzle loader this year that had been left loaded from the previous season fortunately pointed in a safe direction. Long story, short... boom. Couldn't believe he didn't unload it at camp. Always careful and meticulous with his muzzleloader. His favorite hunting firearm. Im also glad he also only got a scare. I don't know him well but what I do know is he's a responsible guy, that people speak highly of. I can't say Im not a wee bit jealous of you guys, I sure would have learned the same lesson had I shot the couch or door jam JK. thanks for sharing Valkman.

 

[21H40]

It's been a little while. How goes the recovery? Been out to shoot again?

 

[.38 Special]

Sorry, but I don't understand how anyone can excuse pulling the trigger on a firearm that hasn't been properly cleared. With over 40 years of handling firearms in a professional, military, and personal capacity, I have yet to pull the trigger and have a gun go off accidentally. I don't think I am especially smart or intelligent. But perhaps me and my friends and family are more intelligent/competent compared to most people since none of us has had an ND.

I understand why people would give you grief for saying something like that on a thread like this, but I think I pretty much agree with it. Universally heeding even one of the four rules should keep most accidents from happening. Personally, I am a slave to the very first rule: assume all guns are loaded. Unless the thing is in pieces on my work bench, I know for a fact that every gun is loaded, and so I treat it that way. If I pull a trigger I assume the gun will fire. So far that by itself has kept me from perforating anything especially important to me.

 

[PCFlorida]

I understand why people would give you grief for saying something like that on a thread like this, but I think I pretty much agree with it. Universally heeding even one of the four rules should keep most accidents from happening. Personally, I am a slave to the very first rule: assume all guns are loaded. Unless the thing is in pieces on my work bench, I know for a fact that every gun is loaded, and so I treat it that way. If I pull a trigger I assume the gun will fire. So far that by itself has kept me from perforating anything especially important to me.

That was the way my father taught me as well. And I guess that was the way the Navy taught him as well, he was in the South Pacific during WWII.

 

[Bearcat1982]

It's been a little while. How goes the recovery? Been out to shoot again?

hey,
yeah its going well. Im back to work, gym, running around with my kids. And I've been out shooting as well. There was a fleeting moment in the hospital that I thought I might not want to. But I shot a mink that got into my duck coupe a couple weeks after I got home. Wasn't for a few minutes after I thought to myself about it, and I was happy it didn't bother me. I can tell you any unsafe gun handling in movies bothers me, I focus on it. wouldn't have expected that. And emotions hit at times. But life is good and I am happy to be here. And again I appreciate this forum and this conversation. Talking about it helped me out greatly.

 

[JCooperfan1911]

I send my love towards you. GOD heals. It’s is HE who we worship.

 

[Bearcat1982]

I understand why people would give you grief for saying something like that on a thread like this, but I think I pretty much agree with it. Universally heeding even one of the four rules should keep most accidents from happening. Personally, I am a slave to the very first rule: assume all guns are loaded. Unless the thing is in pieces on my work bench, I know for a fact that every gun is loaded, and so I treat it that way. If I pull a trigger I assume the gun will fire. So far that by itself has kept me from perforating anything especially important to me.

stick to it as I wouldn't want this to happen to anyone. Dying was by far the worst thing that has happened to me. Now that's a bit of hyperbole, but not far off. I heard my last breaths in the ambulance squeeze out the words "help me" to a stranger that was in fact saving my life. I never would have thought this would have happen to me nor did my friends and family. But embarrassing as it is, it did because of a perfect storm of lapse of judgment and circumstance. All of which was my own fault and completely avoidable.

 

[old lady new shooter]

hey,
yeah its going well. Im back to work, gym, running around with my kids. And I've been out shooting as well. There was a fleeting moment in the hospital that I thought I might not want to. But I shot a mink that got into my duck coupe a couple weeks after I got home. Wasn't for a few minutes after I thought to myself about it, and I was happy it didn't bother me. I can tell you any unsafe gun handling in movies bothers me, I focus on it. wouldn't have expected that. And emotions hit at times. But life is good and I am happy to be here. And again I appreciate this forum and this conversation. Talking about it helped me out greatly.

Thanks so much for sharing this good news with us.

 

[.38 Special]

stick to it as I wouldn't want this to happen to anyone. Dying was by far the worst thing that has happened to me. Now that's a bit hyperbole, but not far off. I heard my last breaths in the ambulance squeeze out the words "help me" to a stranger that was in fact saving my life. I never would have thought this would have happen to me nor did my friends and family. But embarrassing as it is, it did because of a perfect storm of lapse of judgment and circumstance. All of which was my own fault and completely avoidable.

Very well said.

I understand that my comments toe the line and I hope they are not over it. I absolutely do not mean any disrespect, nor to imply that I am somehow your superior. I am grateful to you for posting your experience and am very glad that you are on the mend!

 

[Bearcat1982]

Very well said.

I understand that my comments toe the line and I hope they are not over it. I absolutely do not mean any disrespect, nor to imply that I am somehow your superior. I am grateful to you for posting your experience and am very glad that you are on the mend!

No its good, I wasn't offended, the facts are the facts.

 

[DustyGmt]

I'm really paranoid about a ND or AD. I get a sick feeling in my gut when I'm pocket carrying a .380 and even though I know it's a long hard DAO trigger pull, it makes me ill when I'm sitting in a position where I know the gun is not pointed in a safe direction and found myself moving my position alot and scooting around constantly so as not to flag people with it, so now, more often than not I carry IWB and every time I walk out of the house a round is chambered and gun goes in the holster, as soon as it comes out I empty the chamber, point in a safe direction and release the striker (leaving the trigger in the most rearward position) and that's how all my Glocks stay until I leave the house again.

@Bearcat1982 I'm glad you've mended and have a new lease on life. Praise God for your recovery. I would never say it couldn't happen to me, I'm almost clinically paranoid that it will, so I've got that going for me....

I left my 7-08 loaded sitting in the corner of my bedroom for a good six months when I discovered that I didn't shuck it out after a really tiring haul out of the woods and had a serious lapse in judgement. Before then, I didn't think it could happen and it was a less hard way to learn a lesson....