What's The Etiquette On This?

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Treo

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Got home from church today and as we were walking into the house DW asked me to grab her pistol out of the car.

I went back out grabbed it, walked into the house and handed it to her and she put it in her carry purse and went to fix lunch.

So, my question is this, it never occured to me to clear the weapon before handing it to her because we both knew it was loaded and it was going to stay loaded.

So was that the proper way to do that?

Is there any point in clearing a weapon that you know you're going to turn right back around and chamber?
 
Is there any point in clearing a weapon that you know you're going to turn right back around and chamber?
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Logically, no. However, in terms of drilling home to a subconscious training level, yes. If you train yourself ALWAYS to follow the safe mode, you are less likely to violate that training when it matters.

I've seen threads on THR describing how LEOs who train on the range by double-tap followed by magazine drop to practice reload end up doing the same thing in the field.

craig
 
I would hand it to the person without clearing it. If I was receiving the gun under those circumstances I would nevertheless do a press check to ascertain there was round chambered and I would drop and inspect the magazine.

If for some reason the person was unable to take the gun I would secure it as the law in my jurisdiction requires.
 
I would not have cleared it. Just check if there was an external safety that it was on and handed it to her with me holding it by the slide, muzzle down, handgrip facing her with a statement of "it's still loaded" before she reached for it. All of our guns have loaded chamber indicators, so that is how I would know it was still chambered.
 
would not have cleared it. Just check if there was an external safety that it was on and handed it to her with me holding it by the slide, muzzle down, handgrip facing her with a statement of "it's still loaded" before she reached for it. All of our guns have loaded chamber indicators, so that is how I would know it was still chambered.
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not all guns have safetys... also a chamber indacator like any other mechanical device can fail.
 
If you're not going to clear it, put it down and let the other pick it up
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That seems like a very sensible answer

Just check if there was an external safety that it was on
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CZ-82 in DA mode safety's there but not in use.

with a statement of "it's still loaded" before she reached for it.
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This is DW's EDC the only time it's ever unloaded is when it's being cleaned or reloaded at the range.

The reason I mention this is because our muscle memory is set to Both our EDC & my BUG are always loade and in DA mode. It would be out of the norm (and probably screw us up real bad) for any of the not to be loaded.

Which is actually kind of a good thing because it just becomes normal to you (me) to assume that any gun I touch is in a ready to fire condition.
 
Might be a little different between husband and wife -

Might be a little different between husband and wife - in the normal course of events I would have checked any firearm I handle and I expect anyone I hand a firearm to will check it.
 
Is there any point in clearing a weapon that you know you're going to turn right back around and chamber?
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I think there is a good reason to do so. It is called training. I keep all of my auto's in a certain condition. My son has been trained to do so as well. But when I pick up a firearm, I always go through the drill. (Eject magazine, rack slide, insert magazine...)

When I will give my wife a pistol, in front of her, I go through the drill, hand her the gun, tell her the condition, and then I expect her to go through the drill again.

For a stranger that I might show my gun to, it never has a magazine and the drill is performed in front of them. I don't really care if they clear the weapon because most people don't have the skills or discipline which is why I am responsible for handing them an empty gun.
 
a lot of the rules around shooting is to prevent people from treating a gun like it is unloaded only to learn the real real real hard way that it actually WAS loaded.

I'd have done the standard 'Finger off trigger' and 'Extreme care where the muzzle is pointed' and that's that
 
I realize this is a semi-auto discussion. In that vein, at the change of watch (Coast Guard Cutter, in port), the watch stander going off duty ALWAYS handed off the 1911 with mag out, and slide back. Also, it was mandatory to carry on watch with empty mag, no round in the pipe, loaded mags (2) in webbing pouch. Even so, on another cutter (Minnitonka) one watch stander killed the other during transfer - go figure! I use revolvers exclusively, and always open the cylinder and show the other party, if it is intended to remain loaded, or unload it in front of the other party, if an unknown gun handling ability. Getting "too casual" is asking for a mistake. If I hand off to my wife, I just flip the cylinder open, show her, then hand off grip first. I realize that a revolver will not stop the Russian Army, but they sure do have a lot of "safe" to them.
sailortoo
 
Safety serves a purpose, however, when its between two competant gun handlers, and the weapon is going to stay loaded anyway, a simple check of its condition and a verbal "its still loaded" is well within the lines of safety.

No need to get ridiculous, unloading it, handing the other person the gun and ammo, only for them to turn right around and reload it.
 
The two least known rules of gun handling are:

"Guns load themselves." and

"Guns unload themselves."

If a gun has been out of my control (even for a VERY short while), and I am about to store it, clean it, or dry-fire with it, I NEED to clear it, because it may be loaded.

If a gun has been out of my control, and I am about to carry it, I NEED to check it, because it may be unloaded.

Some of us have experienced ADs, so we know what it's like to NEED the gun to be unloaded when we pulled the trigger, but it was loaded. (Hopefully in these cases, good muzzle discipline saved the day.)

I don't know how many of us have experienced holding an unloaded gun when we NEEDED it to be loaded (to stop a lethal force attack)--perhaps because not a lot of those folks get to tell us about it afterward.

No loaded gun should be unsecured, unless you're getting ready to shoot. Secured guns do not need to be cleared. A holster covering the trigger is the minimum of "secured."

Whenever you unsecure a firearm (except in an emergency), you need to check its status, and then load or unload depending on its status and what you're planning next. (For example, when putting on a carry weapon, you need to check that it's loaded.)

Treo--if that gun in the car was loaded and out of its holster: why? If it was in a holster, you don't need to clear it, but SHE needs to check that it's loaded before putting it in her purse.

So endeth the lesson.
 
The best training and line of thought any gun owner can have is "'Its loaded, unless you know otherwise", and handle as such. I would have handed it to her just like you did because you both knew it was loaded. There would have been more chance of a AD by unloading and reloading it than the way you did. I will unload a firearm before I reach it to someone that I'm not sure about their handling skills, but if I know them and trust their skills, I will hand it to them and say it's loaded.
 
Its always understand between my girlfriend and I, and my shooting buddies that all guns are always loaded. I do that because thats the only way to look at a gun, and plus if I pick up a gun I know its loaded. Works great for self defense situations.
 
You are husband and wife. You live together, you are one.

Communication is key. The fact that you both apparently carry the same weapon concealed helps.

If everyone TREATS EVERY GUN AS IF IT WERE LOADED, there should be no problems at all.
 
I taught my Wife to shoot.
I've have no problem with handing Her, or a few close shooting friends, loaded guns, and have, usually with a comment such as,
There's a round in the chamber, the safety is ON/OFF, etc.
 
Ditto on M2 Carbines comments. There are a few people I will hand a loaded gun to, with the comment, "it's loaded". I will also tell them if there is one in the chamber or not. I expect them to check me on that of course, the same as I would them.

Everybody else gets an unloaded gun, double checked by me before handing it to them.
 
If you're not going to clear it, put it down and let the other pick it up.

My only addition to this would be to say, "It's loaded."
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I agree with these 2 statements.My philosophy is to never hand a loaded gun directly to any other person.
And even though in your case,
DW certainly is extremely competent,out of habit,I'd also add the loaded reminder.:)
 
Treo--if that gun in the car was loaded and out of its holster: why? If it was in a holster, you don't need to clear it,
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DW belives that carrying a gun in church is a distraction so she doesn't. The gun was secured in a lockbox ,designed for that purpose, in the car during church.

Communication is key. The fact that you both apparently carry the same weapon concealed helps
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Same type not the same weapon. CZ-82 V. CZ-75B both in DA mode
 
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