My Stupid Mistake

[colorado_handgunner]

So, when I get home from work today the first thing I do (like I do every day) is get the Springfield out of the safe and set it on the night stand (no CC permit yet, need to know about job transfer, and no kids in the house).

I have a small handgun safe on the floor, so I squat down and reach in grasping the gun. My finger finds what feels like the rolled edge of the trigger guard (XD owners know what I am talking about) an I lay my finger on it like usual. As I pull the gun out of the safe I see and feel at the same time that it is not the trigger guard, but the Trigger! Needless to say my finger flew right back off and swearing ensued.

The gun was pointed into the safe the whole time (and no round in the chamber) but what if there had been? Even pointed into the safe a 40 S&W would have done a nasty ricochet back out, I think (non-padded safe walls). Needless to say I was pretty upset with myself.

The thing I learned from this is always be aware of where you grasp a gun, especially when you can not see it to pick it up. It also served to reinforce the big four. Now I have posted my "I am a story".

 

[Martyk]

There, there, there... glad you got that off your chest?

a. Keep you trigger finger straight
b. If you are the only person who has access to your gun and safe, you will know whether you keep a round in the chamber or not.
c. If you do store it chambered, Safety on.

Plus, I don't think the XD has a hair line target trigger. it requires some pull and travel doesn't it?

 

[chris in va]

Plus the XD has a grip safety. You really have to get a positive grip going to disengage it. One of the main reasons why I sold mine...

 

[Doodler]

The ONLY safety my XD has is the backstrap/grip thing, and my finger.

 

[Kind of Blued]

Use the grip safety to your advantage. I keep my bedside guns in holsters, but even with the trigger guard covered, and the manual safety on, I still grip the pistol BELOW the grip safety when pulling it out of the pistol safe, with my pinky finger hanging off the bottom of the grip. Am I being overly-cautious? Yes. Am I going to change my behavior because the extra safety procedures are unneccesary? Not unless it's an emergency.

These precautions, along with my de-programmed reaction of trying to catch things that I drop give me a pretty good chance of avoiding accidents.

Don't be afraid to start from the beginning, pretending you're an absolute idiot in order to develop a foolproof plan. It'll pay off, even if you have to pretend you're not smart enough to use your better judgement 100% of the time which, unfortunately, is true for most of us. Complacency and everything...

I'm glad it didn't turn out any worse. Stay safe!