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July 22, 2010, 10:53 PM | #1 |
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I did something terrible. Now what?
I did the worst thing (besides accidentaly shooting some one) possible a gun owner can do. I assumed a gun in my safe was unloaded and shot through my house. Thankfully no one was hurt the round loged in a post outside my house. This happed awhile back now and I've still been thinking about what the Sheriff said to me " you have no idea how lucky you are" . Now I find the joy i used to have shooting and collecting guns gone. All i think about when i open my safe is that feeling as that .45 colt was sailing through the drywall of my home. Now as a new father it has just become a constant dreaded thought. I welcome the feed-back of how stupid I am and now what do I quit shooting,hunting and collecting or is there some way past this point where I can share with my son the love I have for guns or are we fishermen?
Last edited by STLshooter; July 22, 2010 at 11:04 PM. |
July 22, 2010, 11:06 PM | #2 |
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Sounds like you are already aware of the magnitude of your mistake. No sense in continuing to beat that horse.
I suspect the best course of action is twofold. First: Go take some safety and training classes. It will be good to learn and it will help you get your handling confidence back. Second: AFTER you've taken the courses don't be afraid to "take a break" from guns for a while. You've got a lot to process even if some time has passed. If it's really bothering you after that then seek some professional counseling, there's no shame in that.
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July 22, 2010, 11:06 PM | #3 |
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OK. This might be a minority opinion, but I believe that of the "four rules", the "safe muzzle direction" rule is the most important. If you get that right, the worst that will happen is an annoyance like you experienced, and not a tragedy.
What you need to do from here is one or both of two things: 1) A lot of training, practice and gun handling so that you get safe handling down COLD... and/or... 2) Switch to a type of gun less likely to AD/ND for a while. Statistically, the safest kind of handgun is a standard DA revolver, esp. with a transfer bar ignition. If you had only one handgun, the Ruger GP100 in 357Mag or the equivalent L-Frame S&W could do literally anything and in my opinion it's the safest class of gun out there. Pick it up, look at it sideways, you can tell if it's loaded or not at a glance (looking for the rim edges behind the cylinder). Swinging the cylinder out poses no risk at all, and tells you absolutely positively whether it's loaded or not. When the NYPD switched from S&W DA revolvers (mostly model 10s with the rims viewable same as a GP100 or S&W L-Frame) to the Glocks, their ND/AD rate went up significantly and converting the Glocks to heavier trigger pulls didn't help much. The only class of handgun that might even be safer is a Ruger New Model single action with a transfer bar safety, for reasons I won't get into in detail. And there hasn't been a lot of professional study of the matter because they're not usually pressed into defensive service. Overall, look, you've learned a valuable lesson. You can move on from this if you'll let yourself.
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July 22, 2010, 11:07 PM | #4 |
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It happens. you are not the first and wont be the last. The incident has taught you a lesson that no money can buy! Now utilize the new found knowledge and go forward. I've seen it happen to pros. It just takes a second. But now you will take another second and all will be safe and unloaded. even tho you will always treat them very very loaded. Glad everyone is okay.
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July 22, 2010, 11:14 PM | #5 |
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Don't beat yourself up too much. Be happy that no one was hurt. Learn from it and move on. I bet that you'll be better for our hobby now that this has happened to you. And I'll also bet your son will learn from it as well. Always with guns SAFETY FIRST! I've trained my kids and now there training their kids. Life goes on. Good luck and welcome to reality!
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July 22, 2010, 11:15 PM | #6 | |
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Quote:
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July 22, 2010, 11:34 PM | #7 |
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Get a bright yellow empty chamber flag (Sinclair International) for each gun and store them with the flag inserted. Then you will always know for sure if one is empty or not just by looking at it. Since they're plastic you can cut them down to fit a pistol. Or, use el cheapo clear plastic aquarium tubing and run it down the barrel and out the chamber.
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July 22, 2010, 11:45 PM | #8 |
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Chamber flags, an excellent suggestion, there are many kinds out there such as these... http://www.mfgservs.com/chamber_flags.php
Also if you are a "Do it yourself" type like me you can make some nice ones like this...http://www.targettalk.org/viewtopic.php?p=86323
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July 22, 2010, 11:51 PM | #9 |
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Accidents happen. Years ago I was a union ironworker. A co-worker accidentally dropped a tool 10 floors and killed the oiler on the crane on the ground below. He didn't quit doing ironwork and believe me he felt really bad about it.
Just go back to the fundamentals of always assuming a gun is loaded until you check it and make it safe. |
July 22, 2010, 11:56 PM | #10 |
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It seems you already understand the ramifications of your mistake and you've learned a valuable lesson. Never assume a gun is unloaded.
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July 23, 2010, 12:07 AM | #11 |
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All guns in my safe are unloaded, except one.
That one is always kept in the same place in the safe and has a red sticker on the magazine base as a visual reminder that it's loaded. That said, if I do pick up any other gun out of my safe, the first thing I do is either rack the slide, pop the cylinder, or otherwise open the action to ensure that it is unloaded.
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July 23, 2010, 12:16 AM | #12 |
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I keep my carry gun loaded, in its holster, either on me or in its designated spot on my desk. (No children or animals live here.) My husband does the same with his carry gun. The home defense shotgun is loaded, but not chambered (would need to pump it), and is kept in its rack in a back closet. Other guns are kept unloaded and in their cases, locked up, except when we are at the range and using them.
If children are visiting, the shotgun is unloaded and locked up with the other guns. The carry guns are worn on us, where curious hands won't find them. Obviously, we would have to modify this significantly if we ever have kids. |
July 23, 2010, 12:27 AM | #13 |
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I believe the first rule of safety is:
Treat every gun as if it were loaded! |
July 23, 2010, 03:29 AM | #14 |
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"Near misses" are things we study in the workplace, too. Accidental power-up but nobody in the machine? Did somebody violate lockout? This is very similar to gun safety. You can ignore safety rules 100 times and get away with it, but it only takes once to kill someone.
First of all, I think the manufacturer's (and their attorneys) are doing everyone a disservice by including 15 or 21 or 30 Safety Rules in their owner's manuals. The Four Rules are hard enough to remember, and there's only 4 of them! I follow a "fifth" rule, which is kind of related to Rule One (all guns are loaded) and it's what I call "gun store protocol" - All guns have their actions opened before handing to another person, or for any other reason. (Like cleaning, dry-firing, etc.) I then look closely and verify that it is unloaded. I don't care how many times someone says I'm being paranoid, it's what I do. Every time. I also expect the person to do the same before handing it back to me, and I instruct them to do so. If it happens to be a defense gun (CCW or in a quick access safe), the magazine is first removed, then the chambered round is ejected and action locked open. (And I retain the magazine...) What if you just set it down for a minute? Tough. Clear it again. How about if you put it back in the safe and nobody could have loaded it? Same. Clear it again. Every time you pick it up, clear it first. For some reason, this "clearing" procedure just doesn't seem to be emphasized. It's like the Four Rules cover everything. Well, they do, except for one of the most common things we do with guns - clean them or show them off. So whether you think of it as Rule Five or not, I still think it's a good practice. As long as you do it every time, it should give you some security. (And for dry-firing, any magazines or ammo are put in another room before the dry-firing session. The idea is to make it difficult to load the gun... ) Hang in there...
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.30-06 Springfield: 100 yrs + and still going strong Last edited by dmazur; July 23, 2010 at 03:38 AM. |
July 23, 2010, 05:31 AM | #15 |
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something terrible
i was taught to treat all guns as loaded. as i grew older i decided no more pretense. if i take one out of the safe i dont have to look for ammo. no kids at this point which will change as grand daughter gets older. some things will change but the guns in the safe ARE loaded and will stay that way.
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July 23, 2010, 05:57 AM | #16 |
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Like they said, learn from it.
Early on in my "collecting" I bought a Randall 1911. I used it as a bedroom drawer gun, cocked and locked. One day I was going to switch out the ammunition and flipped down the safety to rack the slide. It went off. No, my finger was nowhere near the trigger, faulty sear and I later found out it was a known problem with the Randalls. Missed my dogs head by a foot or so and shot through a dresser into the wall. So I was doing the right thing, it was pointing in a safe direction but still ...it went off. I didn't touch a 1911 for 10 years. Still have the dresser, knotty pine, has one more knot than it did and I still look at it from time to time. Last edited by TX15; July 23, 2010 at 09:59 AM. |
July 23, 2010, 05:58 AM | #17 | ||
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Assume all guns are loaded. Always.
Quote:
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July 23, 2010, 06:26 AM | #18 |
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You have taught yourself the best lesson, although done the hard way.
I see no need to state all the safety rules. You’ll know those from now on. Don’t try to forget it but don’t dwell on it. |
July 23, 2010, 07:11 AM | #19 |
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To Jim March: I'm curious as to why you specified S&W L models (I am not personally familiar with this model). I own several J and K frame Smith's and agree that a quality double action revolver can do it all and be safe as well. I own several autos but if I ever had to limit myself to a single gun it would probably be my S&W Model 19, a nickel plated K frame, 4 inch barrel 357mag. I bought it new 25 years ago as a home defense gun and still think of it as the ultimate all around handgun.
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July 23, 2010, 07:34 AM | #20 | |
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???
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July 23, 2010, 08:19 AM | #21 |
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To the OP:
I agree with a good number of the other posters, don't beat yourself up over it. Learn the lesson and modify your procedures to prevent it from happening. I think getting into the habit of using chamber flags is the best suggestion. They're cheap, buy a dozen or however many you need and put one in every gun you own, make that your first indicator, and it will serve as a reminder to always check. A second suggestion is storing your ammunition in a completely separate area from your guns. Always, without fail. Question I have is, when the gun fired, why did it fire in the direction it did? Was it because you were using good muzzle discipline, or was it because that's just where it happened to be pointed? Did it fire because you racked the slide and then dropped the mag? Or you dropped the mag and didn't rack the slide? If you drop the mag, then work the action 2-3 times, then visually inspect the chamber, you should be good to go. And finally, I would suggest learning that clearing procedure and then practicing it. Starting from opening up the safe to retrieving the pistol to clearing it to putting it back with the flag and closing the safe. Do that five times a day for a week or two and I think you'll ingrain the habit. |
July 23, 2010, 08:52 AM | #22 |
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rules to live by.
Glad your ok.
My father told me this simple rule. You should always assume that: Every Gun Is Always Loaded Read it. learn it. live it. My 1st welding teacher backed it up with "Everything in this shop is always hot". I figured if those 2 could come up with rules so similar, I better heed both at all times.
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July 23, 2010, 09:40 AM | #23 |
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Lesson learned, get over it and get on with it.
I have alota guns and !/2 of them are loaded. Always have been, always will be. When me or my family want or need a gun right now, we are not about to have to dig up the ammo and load it. An empty gun is of no more use than a spoon. |
July 23, 2010, 11:04 AM | #24 |
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To the OP:
Did you make a mistake? Yes. Was anyone injured? No. Will you carry this lesson with you for the rest of your life? Yes. I've been ingrained with the safety precautions we practice at work. The rule is very simple: When taking or relinquishing possession of any firearm: drop the magazine and lock the slide to the rear. Then push-pull to ensure the weapon is clear. You "push" the firearm away from you in a safe direction and look in the chamber of the weapon to ensure you see no brass in the chamber. Then you "pull" the weapon in next to your stomach (while keeping it pointed in a safe direction) and look down the magazine well. Then you repeat these steps. These safety checks can be adapted to any type of firearm. Check every gun twice when you put it down and twice when you pick it up again.
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July 23, 2010, 11:11 AM | #25 |
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Learn from your mistake and move on. Do a thread search for "ND" and you'll see many experienced and normally safe gun owners have done the same.
And if you should decide that gun ownership is not for you, I'll give you 100 bucks for the collection.
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