ny32182
Member
I think it takes a lot of "guts" to admit a big mistake like this on a forum of gun owners; hopefully it will serve to remind the rest of us of what can go wrong if we are complacent.
I'll throw this out there: this is a good example of why I don't like the constant "chamber checking, press checking, squeeze checking, finger checking, slide checking..." every time you holster the gun, put the gun in the safe, take the gun out of the safe, put the gun in your glove box... and on and on that people do. There is no point. It is counter productive. Develop a SIMPLE set of handling rules for defensive firearms, follow them without exception, and then you won't have to wonder what condition the gun is in and there will be no need for the constant checking. Every time you "check" (i.e. futz with the mechanism) there is a slight chance of something going wrong. The less "checking" going on, the less opportunity there is for accidents to occur. It did take me a little while to come to this conclusion, but I am there now:
1) Defensive pistol: I use one; the G19. It is always loaded, because I load it after I clean it, put it in the holster, and that is it. The next time it comes out of the holster is when I want to shoot it at the range. I don't need to check it again. All my other pistols are unloaded and in the safe at all times. My defensive pistol is loaded at all times. No exceptions, no wondering, no checking 40 times a day.
2) IF I used an AR15 as a "house gun", first, I would use one, not two (???... are you going to be "dual wielding" here? This isn't Left for Dead on PC). Two guns is twice as many to keep track of. One is more than enough. Once again, I would pick a condition to keep it in; either chambered with the safety on, or not chambered with the safety off and mag inserted... and then, I would not futz with it. I would know what condition it is in, and the only time I would touch it normally would be to put it in or out of the safe if you want to do that while you are gone during the day.
3) Pulling the trigger to confirm it is unloaded works fine on the range, but as you just discovered, you REALLY don't want to figure out it is loaded by pulling the trigger at home and putting a round through the ceiling.
As far as the drywall and ceiling, just go to Home Depot and ask for spackle and popcorn paint; those are easy. What you need to figure out is whether any of it made it out through the roof, and if so, that is by far your biggest structural concern with the house.
I'll throw this out there: this is a good example of why I don't like the constant "chamber checking, press checking, squeeze checking, finger checking, slide checking..." every time you holster the gun, put the gun in the safe, take the gun out of the safe, put the gun in your glove box... and on and on that people do. There is no point. It is counter productive. Develop a SIMPLE set of handling rules for defensive firearms, follow them without exception, and then you won't have to wonder what condition the gun is in and there will be no need for the constant checking. Every time you "check" (i.e. futz with the mechanism) there is a slight chance of something going wrong. The less "checking" going on, the less opportunity there is for accidents to occur. It did take me a little while to come to this conclusion, but I am there now:
1) Defensive pistol: I use one; the G19. It is always loaded, because I load it after I clean it, put it in the holster, and that is it. The next time it comes out of the holster is when I want to shoot it at the range. I don't need to check it again. All my other pistols are unloaded and in the safe at all times. My defensive pistol is loaded at all times. No exceptions, no wondering, no checking 40 times a day.
2) IF I used an AR15 as a "house gun", first, I would use one, not two (???... are you going to be "dual wielding" here? This isn't Left for Dead on PC). Two guns is twice as many to keep track of. One is more than enough. Once again, I would pick a condition to keep it in; either chambered with the safety on, or not chambered with the safety off and mag inserted... and then, I would not futz with it. I would know what condition it is in, and the only time I would touch it normally would be to put it in or out of the safe if you want to do that while you are gone during the day.
3) Pulling the trigger to confirm it is unloaded works fine on the range, but as you just discovered, you REALLY don't want to figure out it is loaded by pulling the trigger at home and putting a round through the ceiling.
As far as the drywall and ceiling, just go to Home Depot and ask for spackle and popcorn paint; those are easy. What you need to figure out is whether any of it made it out through the roof, and if so, that is by far your biggest structural concern with the house.
