Where/How do you show your firearms?

[TX_QtPi]

Police: Navy SEAL accidentally shoots self

Long story short, the guy in the article above was trying to impress a girl he met at the club by showing off his gun, ends up POINTING IT AT HIS HEAD and well... you can read the rest...

I know big thing here is that alcohol had a lot to do with it.
But I have found n on the not all too rare occasion while at one of the LGS looking at potential buys or "just browsing" and I look up to see someone pointing a gun in someone's, sometimes my, direction trying to get a feel for it.

I have asked to see or hold guns before and usually point down at the floor or at one of the "target walls" the gun shop has set up.

I have a few shooter friends and always drop/clear/check& re-check before handing a gun to someone... most of them re-check when they take it... and living inside the city we don't point it in any direction other than down ( live in a house with no downstairs, so no downstairs neighbor) NEVER AT OUR HEAD mind you...

so what do you do when you show a gun when you are at home?
If you have company over or a friend and want to show your new piece?

[federali]

I generally don't show guns in mixed company. I'll occasionally show a gun to someone in my workshop, where my guns are kept. But then, only if they have expressed an interest. Guns are presented with action open and pointed in a safe direction. Guests are instructed to never put their finger on the trigger unless they intend to shoot.

[SamNavy]

No matter who it is, the cirumstances, the time of day, the reason, the level of experience, whatever... if I hand someody a gun for any reason, I will remove magazine, lock back slide, open cylinder, engage safety, check breech, and completely clear the weapon before I hand it to them by the barrel with the gun pointed away from us and at the ground.

The only reason I can see for not following this simple bit of overcautiousness is if you're experiencing a problem with the weapon that you can't fix. In that case, you should set it down pointed away and allow them to pick it up rather than handing it to them. Of course opinions will differ, and there are always circumstances that prudence or common sense will dictate a change in your procedure, but I've never shot myself or anybody else following my little habits.

I always see people handing loaded and chambered weapons back and forth to each other at the range taking turns shooting... it's only a matter of time.

If it's somebody unfamiliar with firearms, I'll review the 3-cardinal rules, and I'll explain everything I'm doing with the gun and why it's important. Then I'll hand it to them and give whatever explanation is appropriate. But I try to do this in a way that isn't imtimidating to them or is going to make them any more nervous than they probably already are. A persons first gun-handling experience can be the one that wins them over or scares them away forever.

Some people aren't near as cautious as I am, but some people also shoot themselves in the head showing off for some random piece of tail.

[kraigwy]

Mocho BS to impress ladies has no place in the firearms field.

[markj]

Well I would never show a gun in this manner. Usually I make sure it is unloaded before I do anything else with it.

Last time I "showed off" to a gal, I found myself and my dirt bike in the creek.

[KenL]

I have no reason to "show off" my guns. If someone is interested in seeing them, I will show them in the basement workshop where the gun safe is, as has been said before. Most everyone that I know knows that I am a hunter/shooter, yet no one has asked to see my weapons. That is just fine with me.

[nate45]

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

I think its clear that pointing a firearm at your own head and pulling the trigger is a violation of the rules of firearms safety.

Drunk, sober, impressing women, etc notwithstanding.

[KC Rob]

Macho BS to impress ladies has no place in the firearms field.

Ditto that, and might I add alcohol is another no-no when handling firearms.

I had a buddy that had a few drinks before going out to dinner with his wife. The babysitter showed up and my buddy decided to show her (read show off) where his handgun was stashed "in case she needed it". This is a bad idea sober, let alone after knocking a few back, I would never tell another person, especially an untrained person, where my guns are and to grab one in case of trouble. He pulls his Beretta 92 down from the top of the closet, with a loaded mag, and goes to cycle the slide to show her it is unloaded, and reflexively tightens his hand which is on the grip including his trigger finger which he had drunkenly rested on the trigger. BANG! There was one in the chamber. Thankfully he had it pointed down towards his bed. The bullet went through the bed, through the floor, hit the top of his wife's china hutch, exited out the side of the hutch (didn't break any china or the glass in the hutch doors or he would probably not be alive today, his wife would have killed him.) and lodged in the hardwood floor. With his ears ringing and his face bright red with embarrassment, he unloaded the gun and put it back in his closet with out saying another word.

[TeamSinglestack]

Safe it (if applicable), remove ammo/mags, clear it and lock slide/open cylinder, show clear to person, person acknowledges clear, takes firearm.

[kinggabby]

#1 I only would show a gun to someone I know and trust. #2( Semi) If and when I show it I remove magazine,lock slide open and check visually it is empty.#3 I would hand the gun over grip first with muzzle pointed towards the floor. If revolver I open cylinder remove bullets count the number of bullets in hand ( counting to seven can be hard ) with cylinder open I hold the frame and hand it grip first and muzzle pointed to the ground .I knew assume the gun is unloaded.

[m&p45acp10+1]

I will say that heavy drinking, and handling guns is a very potentaly deadly combonation. I know first hand it nearly cost me my life once.

http://thefiringline.com/forums/showthread.php?t=358302

[Sparks1957]

Gosh, booze makes people do the stupidest things... glad I got free of it 19+ years ago, it would have certainly killed me by now.

[kinggabby]

Gosh, booze makes people do the stupidest things...

Get married ....have kids...and now putting guns to the head

[Stevie-Ray]

Safe it (if applicable), remove ammo/mags, clear it and lock slide/open cylinder, show clear to person, person acknowledges clear, takes firearm.

^This, as far as whatever gun I'm carrying, even though I can count on one hand the times I've done it throughout my life. And, the vast majority of what's in my safe has never been seen by even my best friends or family.

[Don P]

You can see it when I go to the range with it. You don't need to know what, how many, and where I keep them. best way to keep what you have because as they say, loose lips sink ships, and in my signature, 3 can keep a secret if 2 are dead

[orionengnr]

I'll show you my gun at the range, after I clear it.

[TX_QtPi]

Sorry Guys, I did a post n run, had to get to work. In my case, I've gone out with a couple guys and they were surprised at a woman carrying and asked if they could see mine.

My mindset, however, is I never SHOW OFF a gun, I have few friends who are shooters and that I trust that if it came up I'd let them take a look for an opinion or if they were to tell me they are considering purchasing one similar to one I have. If it's the later case I'll usually invite down to the range to let them really get the feel for it.

Now, on a normal basis I have always had it drilled into my head to NEVER hand someone a loaded weapon. I don't even do this at the range like it was mentioned here of people doing.

I usually drop (clip/cylinder), clear (slide or again cylinder), check and recheck and then yes hand it over facing down by the muzzle...

I saw a friend's boyfriend a shoot himself in the hand once as his way "showing" me his gun was not loaded.

I told him he needed to be more careful handling his gun, he told me to calm down dropped the clip and pointed it at his hand pulling the trigger.

It was surreal as he said, "see Cyn, it's not loaded.." and then BANG. It was in a small cabin so the sound was deafening and my ears were ringing... took a couple seconds to hear him cursing in pain.

I'm just glad he didn't point it at his head, it could have been worse. and BTW, he was 2 years out from the army and had a master marksman (or something like that)patch he had earned... =o/

m&p45acp10+1
I will say that heavy drinking, and handling guns is a very potentaly deadly combonation. I know first hand it nearly cost me my life once.

http://thefiringline.com/forums/showthread.php?t=358302

^^^ Wow, thanks for sharing, eye opening experience at how easy it is for something like this to happen.

[JohnKSa]

When I'm carrying concealed, my rule is that I will not draw my gun unless I'm taking it off for the day or there's a pressing need to draw. It's just so much simpler that way.

There are too many things that can go wrong when you pull out a loaded gun someplace other than a shooting range. For one thing, in any kind of a social setting, it's usually pretty difficult to exercise muzzle control--finding a safe place to point the muzzle isn't always easy.

If it's really necessary, then it's worth the risk. If it's not necessary then why do it?