I pulled myself off of the range today - Page 2

vitesse9 · December 22, 2004, 12:26 PM

that's why we follow basic gun safety. I have a lot of guns, and I keep some of them loaded. Therefore, I assume that all of them are loaded all of the time.

As for the other rules, they only work if you follow them all the time. This problem was carelessness (something we've all done, so I'm not giving anyone a hard time), is that all the gun rules in the world won't prevent carelessness, and as humans, we are going to be careless from time-to-time.

My attempt at preventing my carelessness from causing an accident is to be absolutely consistent in what I do. In my house, certain guns stay loaded for HD and other guns are NEVER loaded. While I treat them all as if they're loaded, I never get into a "did I unload the SKS or not" thing. It's always unloaded when I'm not shooting it.

As for the range, I try to follow the same routine. All guns pointed downrange, all the time. no loaded gun unless it's in my hand and ready to fire etc. . . it has become like second nature.

I'm not perfect and I have certainly been careless with my guns, but following basic gun safety rules and staying consistent with what I do helps mitigate my imperfection.

38splfan · December 24, 2004, 07:44 AM

Anytime that something unsafe happens, it is good to stop for a moment and look at the situation, considering all of the events. It may or may not require leaving the range, but you do what is right for you. If you felt it neccessary, then I commend you for your safety conciousness.
For me, it would definitely require a moment to calm and collect myself, and maybe go back over the rules of safe firearms handling (kept in my guncase with other paperwork involving my firearms). We all need refreshers from time to time.
As long as you learn from it and do your damnedest not to do it again, it will be okay.

BTW, I would only be scared if you were NOT concerned about it.

abelew · December 24, 2004, 05:08 PM

Thorzaine.......whilest the clerk was probably being overly anal about you pointing a stripped lower (if I correctly read your post) and pulling the trigger, then yea, he was being kinda..........that said.......I woulda hollared at you for a different reason. Dropping the hammer when the slide isn't present is likely to crack the frame on the lower, as its most likely made of aluminum....

That said, I do not have kids, and I have my gun for protection in my nightstand, tis always loaded unless being transported to the range.

tommy_gunn · December 27, 2004, 04:53 PM

In a pawn shop near my town, in another military town of Jacksonville, NC, I was looking at their collection of pistols. The guy behind the counter set up all of the guns, EVERY one pointing right at me. I almost had a cow. I had to quickly step out of the way to look at them. When I puth them back, I turned them away from me. I think my buddy flagged himself, though, I pointed it out to him and he said that they weren't loaded. I do not like to get into arguments with him, because he never listens to me, I could be 100% right and he 100%wrong, as was the case with our discussion of caliber vs. mm but he still wouldn't listen. but I believe that if you don't give a weapon respect when it isn't loaded (and you know it) that is the first compromise, with every compromise leads to more and more compromise, and next thing you are flagging EVERYONE with a known loaded weapon.

USMC range safety rules:
treat every weapon as if it were loaded.
do not point the weapon at anything you do not intend to shoot.
keep your finger straight and off the trigger until you are ready to fire.
keep the weapon on safe until you intend to fire.

If you do all 4, nothing un-intentional will get shot.

it wasn's supposed to be this long.

spacemanspiff · December 30, 2004, 08:28 PM

you want to talk about 'lack of range safety'? ohhh man. this kid i took to the range, was putting my walther p22 back in the box so we could head to the pistol range (was on the .22lr range at the time), and this fly was buzzing his head so he starts swatting at it, with the p22 still in his hand!

i was speechless. and he caught himself, "hey, i'm holding a pistol in my hand waving it around, arent i?" i'm like 'uhhh, yeah, you wanna stop?'

oh and this other time, another shooter tried running downrange while it was still hot. a few minutes later, he tried picking up a pistol to load up while the range was cold.

Nnobby45 · January 11, 2005, 02:25 AM

Well, that was one way to handle the situation. Personally, I believe in ending a training session on a positive note. A mental lapse like that could have been corrected and perhaps you could have left the range feeling a little less down. If we aren't talking about a single mental lapse, and we just aren't with it that day, then I would agree that leaving the range would be a good idea.

Years ago outside of Las Vegas west of town on Red Rock Rd., it was common to drive out, park and go shooting in the Desert. Well, one day a fellow drove up with his wife and tried to coax her into shooting his '06. She didn't want to, but at last relented and decided to give it a try. I was standing behind the "firing line" on her right, and her husband was behind her. She aimed the rifle to shoot, but suddenly lowered the rifle, and with the safety off and her finger still on the trigger, turned clear around (to her right) to address her husband and said, "I can't." I'll never forget that '06 pointed right at me. Neither one of them had a clue. I was much younger in the mid 60's, and said nothing. One of the closest calls I ever had--- and I'd just returned from Viet Nam having served with the 1st Inf. Div.

December 22, 2004, 12:26 PM	#26
vitesse9 Senior Member Join Date: November 9, 2004 Posts: 340	We've all had moments like this, that's why we follow basic gun safety. I have a lot of guns, and I keep some of them loaded. Therefore, I assume that all of them are loaded all of the time. As for the other rules, they only work if you follow them all the time. This problem was carelessness (something we've all done, so I'm not giving anyone a hard time), is that all the gun rules in the world won't prevent carelessness, and as humans, we are going to be careless from time-to-time. My attempt at preventing my carelessness from causing an accident is to be absolutely consistent in what I do. In my house, certain guns stay loaded for HD and other guns are NEVER loaded. While I treat them all as if they're loaded, I never get into a "did I unload the SKS or not" thing. It's always unloaded when I'm not shooting it. As for the range, I try to follow the same routine. All guns pointed downrange, all the time. no loaded gun unless it's in my hand and ready to fire etc. . . it has become like second nature. I'm not perfect and I have certainly been careless with my guns, but following basic gun safety rules and staying consistent with what I do helps mitigate my imperfection.

December 24, 2004, 07:44 AM	#27
38splfan Senior Member Join Date: November 19, 2004 Location: Ft. Lewis/Tacoma, WA. Posts: 1,034	In response to the post that started the thread. Anytime that something unsafe happens, it is good to stop for a moment and look at the situation, considering all of the events. It may or may not require leaving the range, but you do what is right for you. If you felt it neccessary, then I commend you for your safety conciousness. For me, it would definitely require a moment to calm and collect myself, and maybe go back over the rules of safe firearms handling (kept in my guncase with other paperwork involving my firearms). We all need refreshers from time to time. As long as you learn from it and do your damnedest not to do it again, it will be okay. BTW, I would only be scared if you were NOT concerned about it. __________________ "I won't be wronged, I won't be insulted, and I won't be laid a hand on. I don't do these things to others and I expect the same from them." - John Wayne

December 24, 2004, 05:08 PM	#28
abelew Senior Member Join Date: November 29, 2004 Location: Florida Posts: 778	Thorzaine.......whilest the clerk was probably being overly anal about you pointing a stripped lower (if I correctly read your post) and pulling the trigger, then yea, he was being kinda..........that said.......I woulda hollared at you for a different reason. Dropping the hammer when the slide isn't present is likely to crack the frame on the lower, as its most likely made of aluminum.... That said, I do not have kids, and I have my gun for protection in my nightstand, tis always loaded unless being transported to the range. __________________ "Where the choice is between only violence and cowardice, I would advise violence." ~ Mohatma Gandhi Last edited by abelew; December 24, 2004 at 05:48 PM.

December 27, 2004, 04:53 PM	#29
tommy_gunn Junior Member Join Date: December 19, 2004 Location: Havelock, NC Posts: 3	In a semi-local pawn shop In a pawn shop near my town, in another military town of Jacksonville, NC, I was looking at their collection of pistols. The guy behind the counter set up all of the guns, EVERY one pointing right at me. I almost had a cow. I had to quickly step out of the way to look at them. When I puth them back, I turned them away from me. I think my buddy flagged himself, though, I pointed it out to him and he said that they weren't loaded. I do not like to get into arguments with him, because he never listens to me, I could be 100% right and he 100%wrong, as was the case with our discussion of caliber vs. mm but he still wouldn't listen. but I believe that if you don't give a weapon respect when it isn't loaded (and you know it) that is the first compromise, with every compromise leads to more and more compromise, and next thing you are flagging EVERYONE with a known loaded weapon. USMC range safety rules: treat every weapon as if it were loaded. do not point the weapon at anything you do not intend to shoot. keep your finger straight and off the trigger until you are ready to fire. keep the weapon on safe until you intend to fire. If you do all 4, nothing un-intentional will get shot. it wasn's supposed to be this long.

December 30, 2004, 08:28 PM	#30
spacemanspiff Senior Member Join Date: January 16, 2002 Location: alaska Posts: 3,498	you want to talk about 'lack of range safety'? ohhh man. this kid i took to the range, was putting my walther p22 back in the box so we could head to the pistol range (was on the .22lr range at the time), and this fly was buzzing his head so he starts swatting at it, with the p22 still in his hand! i was speechless. and he caught himself, "hey, i'm holding a pistol in my hand waving it around, arent i?" i'm like 'uhhh, yeah, you wanna stop?' oh and this other time, another shooter tried running downrange while it was still hot. a few minutes later, he tried picking up a pistol to load up while the range was cold. __________________ "Every man alone is sincere; at the entrance of a second person hypocrisy begins." - Ralph Waldo Emerson "People demand freedom of speech as a compensation for the freedom of thought which they seldom use." - Soren Kierkegaard

January 11, 2005, 02:25 AM	#31
Nnobby45 Senior Member Join Date: November 20, 2004 Posts: 3,150	Mjrw Well, that was one way to handle the situation. Personally, I believe in ending a training session on a positive note. A mental lapse like that could have been corrected and perhaps you could have left the range feeling a little less down. If we aren't talking about a single mental lapse, and we just aren't with it that day, then I would agree that leaving the range would be a good idea. Years ago outside of Las Vegas west of town on Red Rock Rd., it was common to drive out, park and go shooting in the Desert. Well, one day a fellow drove up with his wife and tried to coax her into shooting his '06. She didn't want to, but at last relented and decided to give it a try. I was standing behind the "firing line" on her right, and her husband was behind her. She aimed the rifle to shoot, but suddenly lowered the rifle, and with the safety off and her finger still on the trigger, turned clear around (to her right) to address her husband and said, "I can't." I'll never forget that '06 pointed right at me. Neither one of them had a clue. I was much younger in the mid 60's, and said nothing. One of the closest calls I ever had--- and I'd just returned from Viet Nam having served with the 1st Inf. Div.