What most of you are casually brushing to the side are stories of NEGLIGENCE !! Who wants that person in their home carrying a loaded weapon [ around your children ] not me. There is a huge difference between an A.D. and a NELIGENT discharge..........HUGE !!!!
Re-reading through this thread, I do not see anyone "casually brushing to the side" stories of NDs. Yes, they're serious. But I submit that oftentimes, even among folks who live with guns and especially perhaps, those who use them as part of their chosen profession, i.e., law enforcement and military, occasionally, despite the best training and the most rigorous of range supervision, NDs will inevitably occur.
They should be seriously dealt with in most communities, and in most communities (e.g., law enforcement agencies, military, gun clubs) they will be seriously dealt with. But, regardless, they'll still happen. And it's NOT necessarily the neophyte shooter or the local "moron" that they happen to. See, sometimes even those who spend the most time around guns become the most complacent -- we
know it can't happen to us ... But, one day, for whatever reason -- fatigue, haste, adrenalin, preoccupation with something else -- the brain misses a connection, one vital step that one's brain normally has locked in ... then, BAM.
I do not think Jeff Cooper "casually brushed aside" his own ND. And he was man enough to admit happened to him -- and he was a man of no small ego.
At any rate, those who use guns for a living, and those who frequent ranges, are normally far better at policing the gun/shooting community that society overall is at dealing with all of those knuckleheads on our roadways who should not be operating motor vehicles out there around our families. I'm far more outraged about bad drivers, who constitute a significantly higher proportion of our population than morons at the range.
Babalouie, I totally agree with what you say here:
But a negligent discharge of a firearm must have a greater response than "we raised our eyebrows", no offense to the original poster. The point I am making is that, because firearms are so deadly, social convention ie looking the other way or being overly gracious cannot take precedent over future safety. The very nature of the "accident" shows that someone needs additional training and has indeed placed everyone at the range at risk. This incident should have had an immediate response, investigation and debriefing. I regret my use of the word "idiot" in my first post and in fact do not think that way. I do not believe the person should be shamed but should be held accountable. The idea of a "debrief" is appropriate to the level of accountability and would be a sufficient learning tool for all involved.
