Unsafe roommate

[Marnoot]

So I'm introducing this girl to shooting this Saturday. I like to go over safety rules before going shooting with someone new to it as it's hard to converse while actually at the range. She was at my apartment tonight, so I decided to do it then. I had my guns out, so she could get familiar with them, etc., and was going over things with her. My roommate was in the room, and he's not the least anti-gun; and I wasn't worried about him handling my guns. He's from rural Wyoming so I assumed(as always, a bad idea) he'd been around guns and understands the basic rules of safety.
I had my back to him, and turned around to put a gun back in its case, and found myself more or less staring down the barrel of my 9mm CZ P-01. I told him to cut it the hell out and point it somewhere else. He decided he'd try to be funny and in short order started pointing it in my general direction again, and looked down the barrel himself, all with his finger in the trigger guard to make matters worse. At this point I tried to grab it from him, he pulled it away so I slugged him hard in the arm to loosen his grip and got it from him.

He didn't seem to get it, "What's the big deal? It's not loaded." I told him you never assume a gun isn't loaded, and never point it at something/someone you don't want to shoot. He told me I was really paranoid, and he didn't see anything wrong with it, "I mean come on, it's unloaded." What is it with some people? I just can't seem to make him understand how unsafe that is. Is it possible for people like this to overcome their flippant attitudes without getting hurt or hurting someone else through their idiocy?

 

[Dionysusigma]

It's times like that when I'm glad I've got snap caps for the AK painted just like Wolf ammo, but with the base and primer painted bright red.

Next time (if luck should ever be so bad as to have that happen again), take the gun away and clandestinely load a painted-up snap cap into the gun. Clear the weapon in plain view of the offending party, and then let loose for real.

As for the whole "What's the big deal? It's not loaded" way of thinking, those're just famous last words.

 

[seed]

I'm guessing that the chick you were introducing to shooting was cute, if not down-right hot. This brings out strange behavior in us males (i.e. your roommate), until we learn that we just look like idiots to the females we thought we were impressing/amusing. This realization usually doesn't come until at least the late-twenties and slowly we subside from performing this sort of behavior.

Just another guess (and I could be wrong on all accounts, but what I am writing about is still universal): your roommate does not usually handle guns in your presence and was most likely in your room because of the female. He decided to try to be funny and when you got pissed, he didn't want to look like a total idiot to the chick and got a bit defensive about his appearance by trying to paint you as some sort of all-too-serious fun cop.

My advice: ease it over with your roommate when no one else is around (certainly not the girl) and explain the rules. Be cool at first. But if he just acts flippant and or gets defensive, then lay down the law...however harsh you want it to be. And DO NOT BUDGE. Then walk away and remember to always lock up your stuff whenever you leave (but don't make a big production about that part). If he breaks your rules and or messes with your stuff, well then it is time to get a new roommate (obviously). As with anything when dealing with roommates: be tolerant as much as you can, but when they cross the line, be as firm as you have to be... Good luck........with the girl, I mean .

seed.

 

[twoblink]

"What's the big deal? It's not loaded."

He meant his brain is not loaded right??

Tell him, is he 100% sure it's not loaded? If so, ask him to let you point it at his head and pull the trigger..

Tell him there's a game that tests that theory, it's called Russian Roulette..

 

[molonlabe]

The last time someone pointed a gun at me fooling around I punched them out. I was 14. It hasn't happen since but I believe my response would still be the same. The graveyards are filled with people shot with unloaded guns.

 

[whm1974]

This is why I will not have a roommate. Mention to your roomate that most gunowners keep a loaded gun or two within reach. Those that live in the middle of nowhere or in high crime area are more likely to do this.

It might be a good idea to keep your guns locked up for now on. In some states if your roommate had a ND with YOUR gun. you could get some jail time and/or lose your gun rights.

-Bill

 

[Majic]

Next time only have one handgun out at a time. That way you won't have to try to keep your eyes on two people.
You and your roomate need to sit down and have a serious talk or someone should consider a new roomate. If he just don't get it and plays now what about later?

 

[DevilDog]

Next time only have one handgun out at a time.

I think this is good advice when you are introducing someone to firearms. Not only for safety reasons, but also to avoid sensory overload of your new "student" and to avoid a bad first impression. Many people only know what they have seen in news and movies, which send a message that more than one gun is an arsenal and therefore the owner is a militia-nut-case waiting to go postal.

I think this advice applies when you take someone shooting for the first time - leave the "extras" cased up and only have one firearm out at a time.

If you have other firearms out, they can be a distraction. A newb may be thinking that one of those firearms sitting to the side looks more fun to shoot while you are trying to teach them something important.

 

[Justin]

Your roommate is an idiot. Move out at the first available opportunity before he inadvertently puts a hole in you.

 

[geojap]

I hate to say it but I think I would punch someone in the face if they ever pointed a gun (unloaded or loaded) at me because they were being cute. It's never happened to me, thank goodness. But I realize that some people are ignorant of firearm safety and immature, so I've thought of that possibility. Since you always consider a gun loaded (and it really may be when you aren't expecting it) my life would be hanging by a thread at that moment. That would be of the utmost seriousness to me and I would want to impress that upon them.

 

[Ktulu]

"I mean come on, it's unloaded." What is it with some people?

I had a similar discussion with someone who was handling one of my pistols. He inadvertently pointed it in my direction and I told him to not point it at me. He said, "it's not loaded." When I tried to explain he said he didn't want to be lectured. I explained that that's fine he didn't need to handle my guns anymore.

I think what people don't get about the "it's always loaded" thing is that one NEEDS to think it's always loaded else we become complacent. Once we become complacent accidents can happen.

 

[Zundfolge]

"What's the big deal? It's not loaded."

Almost every neglegent discharge is with a firearm that is "not loaded".

There's a lot of dead people who where shot with guns that where "not loaded".




Seems to me the only thing you can be sure is not loaded is your rommie's head.

 

[halvey]

I'd be concerned he was around your guns at all. Get a safe if you don't have one.

 

[Bainx]

I would have taken it away from him and beat him half to death with it!

 

[stealthmode]

you should of punched him. you could of made a mistake and had a round in the chamber (by accident it can happen to anybody not saying you arent safe) and been killed.

 

[Standing Wolf]

Your roommate is an idiot. Move out at the first available opportunity before he inadvertently puts a hole in you.

I'll second that. The room mate sounds like a negligent discharge looking for a time and place.

 

[magsnubby]

"What's the big deal?"....as i'm smacking him up beside the head with a baseball bat.

 

[sumpnz]

Are you the leaseholder on the apartment, or is he (or are both your names on the lease)? If you're the lease holder, kick him the hell out. You can always find another roomie (maybe even the woman if things work out). If he's the lease holder, find another place ASAP. If you're both on the lease, try to find some way that doesn't cost an arm and a leg to get either him or yourself off the lease. Whoever is removed moves out.

If he's your friend and you don't want to loose the friendship, which kicking him out, or up and moving out yourself would probably cause, make sure he understands your POV and agrees to NEVER violate the basic safety rules again. If he's not willing to do that, he's not truely your friend.

 

[Burt Blade]

Heads up. He is an idiot. He will do it again. He will screw around with your guns when you are not there, or when you are.

He is a fatal accident waiting to happen, to you or someone you care about. I recommend new living arrangements. Pronto.

Me, personally? I would have thrown the dork off the range, then and there.

 

[sumpnz]

Burt, I think they were at the apartment, not the range.

 

[rock jock]

Moron alert! Moron alert!

 

[Mulliga]

Simple solution - keep all your guns loaded, all the time. Make sure he's aware of the fact. This kind of conditioning works better than a simple lecture IMHO.

I have a bunch of gun-neutral friends, and they keep asking me, "Is this (insert EBR here) loaded?" With loaded magazines in all my guns, I can always say the same thing, "Yes - my guns are ALWAYS loaded, so treat them as such."

 

[Marnoot]

Thanks for your replies. My guns are all safely locked away, so I'm not too worried about him getting into them when I'm at work. And when I leave for a weekend here or there to visit my parents or whatever, I take them with me. He's not really a friend of mine, just a random roommate in some random college housing. Sadly, he's far from the worst roommate I've had at college.
Thankfully, I just signed a contract at a place across town that I'll be moving to in a month; I'll be living with my brother and his friend, with whom I know there will be no trouble. Just have to wait out the month! Still planning the range trip for Saturday with the girl, & I'll be going over safety rules again as that got interrupted by this incident yesterday. She's not anti-gun, but lounges around the fence on the subject. Hopefully I can pull her farther to our side! Either way, I've never had a bad day at the range with a girl.

 

[sumpnz]

College housing! They let you have guns there?!

 

[SunBear]

Even though you're leaving you might save his or someone else's life by giving him a copy of "The Big Four Gun Rules" printed off the internet somewhere (perhaps the NRA site). Then maybe he would realize that it's not your paranoia but something followed by all serious, knowledgable shooters. Happy trails.

We are Homeland Security.