Is a gun always loaded?

Is a gun always loaded?


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Loaded and unloaded is a binary code. 1 or 0, on or off, yes or no.

We can treat a gun as if it is always loaded but in reality it is one or the other. Stating every gun is loaded is purely a fallacious ponens arguement. And yes I am an NRA instructor... and yes I understand the principles of safe gun handling.

The poll says "Is a gun always loaded". Nothing about treating or principles associated with such. And logically I cannot say a loaded gun is unloaded or an unloaded gun is loaded. Just keep it pointed in a safe direction and treat all firearms with respect less you wish to learn an unloaded gun is loaded in an unfavorable manner.

:)
 
From Pages 8-10 of
The Modern Technique of the Pistol,
by Greg Morrison, Gunsite Press, Paulden, Arizona, ISBN 0-9621342-3-6, Library of Congress Number 91-72644, $40
RULE I: ALL GUNS ARE ALWAYS LOADED

There are no exceptions. Do not pretend that this is true. Some people and organizations take this rule and weaken it; e.g. "Treat all guns as if they were loaded." Unfortunately, the "as if" compromises the directness of the statement by implying that they are unloaded, but we will treat them as though they are loaded. No good! Safety rules must be worded forcefully so that they are never treated lightly or reduced to partial compliance.

All guns are always loaded - period!

This must be your mind-set. If someone hands you a firearm and says, "Don't worry, it's not loaded," you do not dare believe him. You need not be impolite, but check it yourself. Remember, there are no accidents, only negligent acts. Check it. Do not let yourself fall prey to a situation where you might feel compelled to squeal, "I didn't know it was loaded!"

In 2003, there were more than 101,000 accident fatalities in the U.S. Less than 1%, 700 fatalities were firearms related.
That folks, is 700 deaths too many.

A gun is always loaded. No ifs and buts. The word Loaded is not in quotation marks. It is not a question of semantics, logic,
common sense.

Once we introduce exceptions to this most basic tenet of gun handlng, we run the risk of causing tragedy.
 
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Well, I am just going to have to disagree. Believing an empty gun is loaded can get killed just as quick.

Logic is no good here Titan! There is no such thing as clearing your firearm before completing X task.

You still stationed at Fort Hood buddy?
 
RULE I: ALL GUNS ARE ALWAYS LOADED

Simply quoting someone who's got an opinion doesn't make it law, or correct. Had that author said, "In most cases, it's smart to treat all guns as loaded at all times," He'd be much more credible and sensible. But he'd introduce conditionality that make most folks uncomfortable.

As Javelin said, it's a simple either/or condition, verified by examination. This is not like Schroedinger's Cat - we can actually look and see.

How the heck else are we going to clean the weapon or practice dry firing it?
 
I don't always treat a gun like it is loaded. It's not practical to do so. For example, when I field strip some of my guns you have to pull the trigger to do so. Do I point it at my head and pull the trigger? Of course not. But I do pull the trigger inside my house which I wouldn't do with a loaded gun. Therefore I do treat it different than I would a gun that was loaded.
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Sure that goes without saying. I just finished teaching a hunter ed class that ended last night. During the Guns and ammo session we had two tables full of guns and the students were allowed to come up and ask questions on them. The students did great the problem was some of the adults just picked them up and started swinging them around and checking them out. We do this and watch for a reason. I saw a gun pointed at least 12 times at another person. Only one person checked the chamber before messing with them. We just finished preaching this 15 minutes prior. No one was trying to be careless they just had trust that since we were instructors they must be unloaded and almost no one bothered to check.:( We have to instill this in our heads that complacent handeling of a firearm is not acceptable.
 
Is a gun always loaded

YES !!!!! , I have a friend that took apart a cheepo .22 to make it safe. It required the cylinder pin to be removed to load and unload. Well , I'll be dammed if he didnt drop the loaded cylinder on a table (on the .22 rimfire case) and it fired hitting him in the eye. So all guns even if partally taken apart can be dangerous. Be safe and treat all guns as loaded. We that know and uses guns, need to teach gun safety always.
 
I have a gun in my lap right now.. lets see.. taking out the mag... no rounds in there.. racking back the slide, what do you know.. no rounds in there either... does that mean I am going to point it at my head? HELL NO!!!!! is it loaded... well... obviously not... but I will treat it as though it is, as that is the safe and appropriate thing to do.. simple.
 
I'm still waiting for the "yes" group to tell me how they disassemble their Glocks or XDs or any number of other guns that have to have the trigger pulled in order to take apart.

No good! Safety rules must be worded forcefully so that they are never treated lightly or reduced to partial compliance.
I'm sorry, but if we need to believe a fantasy in order to handle our guns safely, we do not need to own guns. You're either going to handle the gun safely or not. You won't be scared into safety by believing you have a magical gun that never runs out of bullets and cannot be unloaded.

As I said before, I agree that guns should be treated as if they're loaded. However, there ARE exceptions whether people want to admit the fact or not. If there really truly were no exceptions the only place you could take your Glock apart would be at the range.

I think it's interesting that according to the majority opinion, we have a rule of firearm safety that has no basis in reality. It's pure fantasy, to the point that 55 people at this point have picked an answer in a poll that is obviously 100% false. I'm not saying this to disparage everyone who chose that option. I just find it interesting from an academic standpoint that this rule is so firmly believed that it actually destroys all logic from its adherents. I'm not necessarily saying that's a bad thing, especially with something that is as important as firearm safety.
 
As Javelin said, it's a simple either/or condition, verified by examination. This is not like Schroedinger's Cat - we can actually look and see.

How the heck else are we going to clean the weapon or practice dry firing it?

No one ever said it is not oaky to dry fire your gun or to clean it. Yes I use snap caps. The point is when I use them I am still not pointing it at something that for some god awful reason I am wrong is going to get killed or destroyed. I aim at a spot on the wall but not the spot on wall with my kids on the other side. I aim at a outside wall towards the creek but I am still aware of where that gun is being aimed wether I have checked it 10 times.
 
Loaded or Not?

:)Most all of these post are right on track. Always PERSONALY check a firearm that you handle, and confirm that there are no rounds in it. The easy quote to remember for me is: "Never point a gun at something that you do not intend to shoot":)
 
I would never buy a used gun or clean a gun without inspecting the bore. This often involves pointing the gun in your face.

There are circumstances in which a competent gun owner must be confident of the ability to clear and unload a firearm, open the action, visually and manually check the chamber, and then behave safely in a way that would be unsafe if the gun were loaded.

I always say "always loaded" but I know it isn't always true.

Tinpig
 
Titan 6 -

"Well, I am just going to have to disagree. Believing an empty gun is loaded can get killed just as quick."

Absolutely.

Which is why several of my guns are kept loaded, at hand.

Now as to the "Number of Angels Dancing on the Head of a Pin" arguments

Which are already starting to surface (this is an interesting thread!):

If you posit that people will, across the globe, keep guns,

Then some of them will be loaded.

For that is the sole purpose of a gun.

I don't check my splitting maul to see if it is loaded,

Although it, too, is a potentially lethal weapon.

So, if you dig into something generally known as the

"Theory of Constraints", the general constraint to a firearm is whether

It is loaded or not, assuming the firearm is mechanically functional.

So, the first thing you check is the presence or absence of the constraint,

Whether you are shooting it or cleaning it.

Its that simple.

isher
 
Treat as loaded at all times, even (within practical limits) when cleaning or dry-firing. Make that your automatic assumption.

My revolver has been sitting here on my desk for weeks since I last fired it, and no one else touches it. I dry-fire it here in my room, but EVERY time I prepare to dry-fire, I check it first. Some people might think that's crazy; I KNOW it's empty, but I still check anyway. I don't check it to confirm the obvious, though, I check it to reinforce the safety procedure.

My Saiga is in the basement, with the top cover, recoil spring and bolt carrier removed (as well as the furniture) but I still observe muzzle discipline when handling it -- for the same reason, to reinforce the safety procedure.
 
No one ever said it is not oaky to dry fire your gun or to clean it.
Actually, a large number of people have said that. Whether they intended to say that or not, that's what their words meant. Remember, it's never *just* semantics. Until humans become telepathic the only thing telling us what someone is trying to say is what they say.
Yes I use snap caps. The point is when I use them I am still not pointing it at something that for some god awful reason I am wrong is going to get killed or destroyed.
An excellent idea, I do the same thing. However, I most certainly would not point the gun at any of my walls and pull the trigger if it were loaded!
 
Some people might think that's crazy; I KNOW it's empty, but I still check anyway. I don't check it to confirm the obvious, though, I check it to reinforce the safety procedure.

I think it is crazy not to check it and assume that when it is laying unsecure that no one touched it.
 
I can think of an easy way to answer this question... do you have a gun in your home that you know has no live rounds in it? I do.. looking down the barrel now...the reciever end, always treat as loaded...:D
 
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