jad0110
Member
First off, no one got hurt. Thank God.
And it was NOT me.
... again, thank God.
I was out shooting at an indoor range today with someone I've known for quite some time. Lets just say that his gun handling skills, from a safety perspective, are so-so. Not terrible, but not good either. Yes, I am working with him on it. On the plus side, he is very good about keeping his booger hook off the bang switch. He is good with muzzle control, until just after he checks to be sure the gun is unloaded (which he does good with as well), at which point his muzzle control goes out the window, often sweeping everyone in the room. When I or someone else tells him to watch it (the muzzle), he often responds with the classic line that usually immediately preceeds a ND: "But it is unloaded"! :banghead: Dude, the 4 rules overlap for a reason.
Fortunately, this time the muzzle was pointed in a relatively safe (if not the best) direction: down range (indoors), but pointing up at a 45 degree angle.
On shot # 2 or 3 from his Hi-Standard 22 LR, the trigger did not properly reset, according to him (later determined to be operator error). Immediately, he began fiddling with the trigger with predictable results: a Negligent Discharge. Now the indoor range as a new .22" diameter hole in the ceiling, about 7 yds downrange. As I said, at least he didn't point it at anyone.
I later asked him what mistakes he made, his response was:
1. That he became distracted (by the malfunction)
2. He did not unload the weapon prior to attempting to diagnose and repair the problem
Yep, that'll definitely do it.
He was a little shaken up, and he ego was definitely knocked down a peg or three. All good things.
Anyway, I just wanted to post this as a lesson for all. I imagine I am not the only one who has seen a goober at the range fidgeting with a malfunctioning weapon without clearing it first.
Stay safe, and remember the 4 rules:
RULE I: ALL GUNS ARE ALWAYS LOADED
RULE II: NEVER LET THE MUZZLE COVER ANYTHING YOU ARE NOT WILLING TO DESTROY
RULE III: KEEP YOUR FINGER OFF THE TRIGGER UNTIL YOUR SIGHTS ARE ON THE TARGET
RULE IV: BE SURE OF YOUR TARGET AND WHAT IS BEYOND/AROUND IT
And it was NOT me.
... again, thank God.I was out shooting at an indoor range today with someone I've known for quite some time. Lets just say that his gun handling skills, from a safety perspective, are so-so. Not terrible, but not good either. Yes, I am working with him on it. On the plus side, he is very good about keeping his booger hook off the bang switch. He is good with muzzle control, until just after he checks to be sure the gun is unloaded (which he does good with as well), at which point his muzzle control goes out the window, often sweeping everyone in the room. When I or someone else tells him to watch it (the muzzle), he often responds with the classic line that usually immediately preceeds a ND: "But it is unloaded"! :banghead: Dude, the 4 rules overlap for a reason.
Fortunately, this time the muzzle was pointed in a relatively safe (if not the best) direction: down range (indoors), but pointing up at a 45 degree angle.
On shot # 2 or 3 from his Hi-Standard 22 LR, the trigger did not properly reset, according to him (later determined to be operator error). Immediately, he began fiddling with the trigger with predictable results: a Negligent Discharge. Now the indoor range as a new .22" diameter hole in the ceiling, about 7 yds downrange. As I said, at least he didn't point it at anyone.
I later asked him what mistakes he made, his response was:
1. That he became distracted (by the malfunction)
2. He did not unload the weapon prior to attempting to diagnose and repair the problem
Yep, that'll definitely do it.
He was a little shaken up, and he ego was definitely knocked down a peg or three. All good things.
Anyway, I just wanted to post this as a lesson for all. I imagine I am not the only one who has seen a goober at the range fidgeting with a malfunctioning weapon without clearing it first.
Stay safe, and remember the 4 rules:
RULE I: ALL GUNS ARE ALWAYS LOADED
RULE II: NEVER LET THE MUZZLE COVER ANYTHING YOU ARE NOT WILLING TO DESTROY
RULE III: KEEP YOUR FINGER OFF THE TRIGGER UNTIL YOUR SIGHTS ARE ON THE TARGET
RULE IV: BE SURE OF YOUR TARGET AND WHAT IS BEYOND/AROUND IT
