Nail Gun Control

[Mark_from_Iowa]

I ran across an interesting story today and figured maybe somebody here at THR would be interested.

Here's an article from the latest issue of Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, a CDC publication that details trends in the medical field.

http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5614a2.htm

This particular article deals with the increasing incidence of nail gun related injuries among both construction workers and consumers.

Speed, ease of use, and ready availability have made pneumatic nail guns a common tool used in work settings such as residential construction and wood-product fabrication. In addition, the tools are now readily available to consumers, extending to the public what had been primarily a potential work-related hazard.

So what makes this gun-related? In the editorial note section of the article, they discuss the issue of nail guns in a way that bears a striking resemblence to a Brady Campaign op-ed on firearms. Just substitute "assault weapon" or "hi-cap handgun" for "nail gun". Examples (emphasis mine):

Nail guns in the consumer and commercial markets differ, but similar models are available in both markets.

Read: LEO vs civilian weaponry...

The most common type of firing mechanism is the dual-action contact-trip trigger, which requires that the manual trigger and nose contact element both be depressed for a nail to be discharged. When users depress the manual trigger, they can rapidly fire a nail (i.e., "bounce nail") each time the nail-gun nose contacts the work material, speeding up production. Trigger locks and other user modifications that keep the trigger constantly depressed or that disable the nose contact switch have been used to make rapid nailing easier, but this counteracts the safety features of the dual-action contact-trip mechanism.

Read:cop-killer hi-cap magazines, "automatic assault weapons"...

The International Staple, Nail, and Tool Association adopted a voluntary ANSI standard recommending that manufacturers install sequential-trip triggers on certain types of nail guns before distribution, beginning in May 2003 (5); however, under the standard, contact-trip triggers can continue to be sold with nail guns or as an option.

Read:"gun show loophole", mandatory trigger locks, magazine restrictions...

Therefore, distribution of new nail guns with sequential-trip triggers and availability in home hardware centers of kits to convert contact-trip triggers to sequential-trip triggers might help reduce the use of the more hazardous tools. Moreover, additional training material on nail-gun safety to supplement product information included with the tools should be provided at the point of sale or rental to further influence safe nail-gun use among consumers and workers.

Read:"stricter licensing", AWB, etc...


I should make it clear that I'm not ripping on the CDC here. I just think that this type of mentality (saving people from themselves) tends to cross the line when it is mixed with politics.

I doubt that any serious group is going to lobby for bans on nail guns, or call for nail gun registration. However, if the subject is changed to a hot-button issue (ie firearms), the same type public health reasoning can be turned into calls for those very things.

Anyway, just my observation. Take it or leave it.

PS: If you're looking for customized injury/death reports involving firearms, the CDC's WISQARS site is a great tool: http://www.cdc.gov/ncipc/wisqars

 

[TallPine]

FWIW, I got bitched at on a job because I wouldn't hold the trigger down and just use the contact switch

 

[MilsurpShooter]

Safety courses on proper trigger discipline for nail guns are a must

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ARsZvAAnmAY

Watch as the cameraman falls victim to a ND

 

[Mr White]

You know its coming, The NNA (National Nailgun Act) and the NCA (Nailgun Control Act) of 07.

Better buy up all the FA Porter Cables, Paslodes, Sencos and Bostiches you can now, because once the Pelosi Posse gets hold of this report and passes the NCA of 07, there will be no more transferrable nailguns allowed on the civilian market.

May as well buy up all the ammo, er, uh, nails you can now,because they'll start trying to tax that out of reach of most civilians as well.

 

[heypete]

One must be careful with nailguns and regular guns.

The things that scare me are the cartridge-fired concrete nail drivers. I think Remington makes them. If a device can put a big honkin' nail through several inches of concrete, it will definitely have my full and undivided attention while in use.

The basic rules of gun safety apply to nailgun safety, and essentially boil down to "don't be a knucklehead".

 

[Wheeler44]

So many of our young people don't have a mentor to teach proper tool handling to them. They show up at a work site with little if any tool training. They are handed one of many potentially harmful pieces of equipment or tools and expected to produce product profitably in a low bid (reverse auction) setting. Parents, please work hard to instill common sense to your youngsters.

 

[Mr White]

I used to work in a tool rental store. We rented the .22 powered nailguns. We required everyone who rented one to read this long safety booklet and take a test. You don't pass the test, you don't rent the tool. They were pretty safe if you used them properly, but they could mess you up if you didn't. We refused to rent them to anyone under 25, because we were in a college town and that kept us from renting them to college kids, who were not known for their responsibility or concern for safety.

 

[PennsyPlinker]

A few years ago, a local guy cut his arm off with a power miter box saw. Deciding he could not take the pain, he tried to end his life with a nail gun by shooting himself in the head three or four times. He survived. It was a big deal in the local papers for a while, and I think it even made national news.

 

[Gifted]

Get a list of some nail guns, by the model number and such, and have a Congress critter add them to the ban list. Make sure they don't tell just what kind of gun they are. See what people think when the ban-ers pass it along.

 

[go_bang]

I just read about this problem this morning. Check out the X-ray on this article:

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/serv...lgun0412/BNStory/specialScienceandHealth/home

Okay, I'm confused. How on earth do you unknowingly drive a 4 inch spike into your head? Note that the X-ray is from his dentist. So I guess he shot himself and then thought he had a toothache? I'll bet his dentist got a kick out of that one when the film came out.

At any rate, I am not surprised that a population that on the whole has not been properly trained in firearm safety would be a threat to themselves and others with other gun-type devices.

 

[PennsyPlinker]

I got a kick out of the first line of that article:

The number of nail-gun injuries among consumers has spiked dramatically...

 

[Thain]

When nailguns are outlawed... only outlaws will have high quality decking around their pools.

Actually, back when the very first Quake came out, I expected to see Tipper Gore in an Ace Hardware, with a Black & Decker in one hand and giant blow ups of screen shots from the game on hand. Screamign about the children...