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View Poll Results: Have you ever accidently discharged your handgun?
Yes, I did. 236 29.80%
No, never. 556 70.20%
Voters: 792. You may not vote on this poll

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Old February 10, 2009, 05:43 AM   #101
jesus5150
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Oh man, my biggest regret...

When I was 13 I was all amped up on Mt.Dew and Coffee and i convinced my dad to bust out the scoped 22. We shot off of the balcony for an hour and then he said, "Ok it's time to go in, bud." I begged him for one more mag and he gave in. I loaded 16 rounds in and shot them all off... I Thought. Below us my mother had come outside to let the dogs out and was standing 20 yards in front of me and probably ten yard to the left. I got done and my dad asked if it was clear. Instead of pulling the lever back and doing a Physical and Visual inspection, I (In my A.D.D. Adolescent brain) just yanked the trigger again, totally sure that i would hear a *Click* instead I heard a Big bang and my mom Screamed.. The round hit Directly next to her and spit dirt up on her. Had she been 6 yards to the right i'd have hit her... My Dad "SINCERELY Reminded me" how important gun safety was. I get chills and a sick feeling in my stomach when i think about it... I literally have sweaty palms right now... Gosh that would suck.
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Old February 10, 2009, 06:54 AM   #102
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We almost did. I was on a live LAW range when a group came off and joined the others dry firing at various things with their empty tubes. One guy was sighting on a bus that just pulled in but couldn't get the thing to "click" so he asked one of the range folks (AI's) to help. The AI said, "here's the problem, you aren't taking the safety off"...then said "this thing feels heavy." Yep, live LAW still in the tube...his line AI thought he'd fired when the guy next to him shot and sent him off the range. True story...

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Old February 10, 2009, 08:53 AM   #103
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If you ride motorcycles you'll always hear the inevitable crap phrase that there's two kinds of riders... those that have been down, and those that will go down. That's a load of crap, much like AD/ND's.

Yes, they are prevalent, when you consider that a lifetime of shooting and gun handling amounts to 30, 50 or 90 years of gun handling for many people. There's certainly a very good chance in all that monumental expanse of time that you'll drop your guard and you'll be part of the AD/ND club. But to say that if you never have had one, you will-- is simply ignorant. The odds and percentages are there, it can happen to anyone. But to say that it will happen is ludicrous.

With that out of the way, I'm ready to admit that I've got 30-plus years of truly stupid decisions, ignorant antics and general idiocy to which I can personally lay claim. I've even made a couple really poor decisions with regards to guns & shooting, but I've never had an AD/ND. And I remain ever vigilant, but I won't accept any moronic rationale that includes the phrase, "either you have had one, or you will".

I've done remarkable dumb things in cars, I've have bumbled around with tools and hurt myself, and I've had more home fires than some might actually believe. A couple of them were even my fault. I've made dumb decisions with people, in school, at work, and the list is endless.

I give credit to anyone on here that admits to and details their AD/ND experiences. But I've never had one. A little luck, perhaps, but it's more personal vigilance than it is luck. And the vigilance comes with practice. It's a cognizant thought process to clear a weapon, to be aware of the muzzle and the trigger, to do and re-do and to be very deliberate and specific with these actions.
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Old February 10, 2009, 09:30 AM   #104
hogdogs
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Actual ACCIDENTAL DISCHARGE...
Old .22 Ruger revolver on loan to me for a couple weeks or a month that decided to "wear out" something to do with the indexing mech. I pulled the trigger pointing at a target and it failed to fire. Waited a few seconds and set it on the picnic table at which time it went off... It spun around and spooked all of us and all were glad I layed it down pointing towards the shooting area.
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Old February 11, 2009, 07:29 PM   #105
Ian0351
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Yes, and directly through idiocy. I was riding in a friend's car after drinking (mistake #1), and for some reason found the .357 my buddy keeps in the back seat (mistake #2) with the hammer back, SA style. I went to drop the hammer, and it slipped out of my thumb (mistake #3-alot more pressure than the 92FS I was used to) and I shot myself in the leg... at least I had the muzzle down, it just grazed me and required no medical attention. On that day I remembered everything the DIs and PMIs in boot taught us and I have since never handled a weapon while intoxicated.
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Old February 11, 2009, 07:39 PM   #106
OttoJara
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I voted yes, but after reading some of the posts and thinking it over, it was more of a malfunction then an accident. I had purchased a used Taurus .38 at a gun show about 20 years ago, and while cycling it single action the hammer fell firing the round in the chamber. My finger wasn't on the trigger, so I knew something was wrong. I sold the gun soon after telling the buyer about the defect and taking a decent loss on the pistol.
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Old February 11, 2009, 07:43 PM   #107
dalegribble
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yep. twice. my bad. no one hurt. shot a hole in the floor of my truck trying to rack a round while driving. shot a hole in the roof of my house grabing an empty gun for cleaning. my mistakes, no excuses, **** does happen. i should have stupid stamped on my forehead. nothing in the last 30 years, i hope i have learned something. there i said it and i'm glad, let the healing begin.
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Old February 13, 2009, 10:04 PM   #108
Hunter Dan
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there are two kinds of people that will accidently discharge a gun, those that have and those that will!! I've had two! one was when i was 14 cleaning a raven 25 and put the mag.in and racked a round and it went off ,sceard the crap out of me and the other was a dog steping on a shot gun wile duck hunting
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Old February 14, 2009, 03:12 AM   #109
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Thank the Lord and my Drill Instructors

I have not had a ND to this day. I hope to pass on the weapon safety rules instilled in me at bootcamp to my family, friends, and all others who happen to handle firearms around me. I try to be as cautious and aware of my surroundings as possible when I handle firearms LOADED OR NOT to prevent coming back to this thread to report my first ND. I also can't pass up the opportunity to display the officer in the video on Youtube who made this mistake.
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Old February 14, 2009, 03:15 AM   #110
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50 yrs. and NEVER.
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Old February 15, 2009, 11:01 AM   #111
BerettaBuckeye
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I don't know if this qualifies as an AD or an ND but many years back I touched off a 10mm Silvertip while asleep. Yep . I always kept a Glock 20 in my nightstand drawer, condition 3. I went to sleep as usual and woke up with a "smoking gun" in my hand, ears ringing and a .40 cal sized hole in the wall. I guess you could call that a Nocturnal Discharge .....or maybe that's not the correct term either. Still scares me to this day though
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Old February 20, 2009, 01:43 AM   #112
Firepower!
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Sevens, I am kind of lost here reading your post. You admit to putting house on fire on number of occassions. However, you state you vigilance has prevented AD/ND? I would think that putting house on fire is rather more difficult or lets has lesser probability than AD/ND if you handle guns all the time.
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Old February 20, 2009, 02:23 AM   #113
.351winchester
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I had a Heritage Rough Rider .22 LR/Mag. One day shooting cans, I picked up the targets and started walking back towards the house. Absent mindedly I was thumbing the hammer on a held back trigger, for whatever dumb young punk reason, at my head, suicide style. After a couple clicks on known empties, I just happened to point downward at the snow on the ground. BOOM! The Maxi Mag+V reverberated thru the woods.

Lets just say I've been extremely safety concious ever since
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Old February 20, 2009, 02:48 AM   #114
annielulu
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Yep, 2 at the outdoor range when I had just started shooting. Just me and a friend there, pointed in a safe direction. Got careless, lost count of fired shots.

From that day onward, over 3 years ago, never had another one. I make a mental note whenever I pick up a firearm. I have trained my brain to stop and think right before I pick up a firearm or holster or unholster. I do it mentally every time.
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Old February 20, 2009, 05:34 PM   #115
Daugherty16
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Teaching can Keep you Young

Never had a AD, ND, or UD.

I have introduced several young men and adults to shooting, including my (now) 19 year old son, 3 of his friends, 4 of my friends, my wife, etc. I have always insisted they sit through my preparatory safety course (No, not licensed instructor yet but anal about safety rules fur firearms) because the basic 4 have to be 100% memorized and safe handling of the particular firearm have to be demonstrated to my satisfaction before i'll ever hand over a gun to anyone. I have always been safety conscious, but i think the teaching has helped keep the rules fresh for me too.

Introduce someone new to shooting this week!
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Old February 20, 2009, 06:43 PM   #116
JohnPaul
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Yup, almost shot my friend too

When I was 16 I picked up an "unloaded" 22 rifle that was in the trunk of my dads car, It fired even though I "didnt touch the trigger". It shot a hole out the side of the car and missed my friends balls by about 10 inches. I have been doubly afraid of "unloaded guns" ever since. On a side note, twice in the last 2 weeks I have had a handgun pointed at me at my local indoor range. The first guy was trying to show his kid how his new gun functioned, but he was having trouble with it himself, he ignored me when I gestured to him. The second guy walked up to me becase he didnt know how to "load the gun", he meant release the slide, he'd never fired an auto loader before. The mag was loaded, the safty was off and he had his finger on the trigger as he walked up to me. I happily helped him out and then asked if he would keep the gun in his lane and come get me if he needed help again. He gave me a dirty look and didnt talk to me again -
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Old February 21, 2009, 04:09 AM   #117
Ian0351
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wow

that last post scares the crap out of me... I shoot at a well known unofficial 'range' that consists of a gravel pit on state owned land that pretty much everybody and their brother plinks on... but at least most folks know how to load their weapons!!!
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Old February 21, 2009, 06:10 AM   #118
Firepower!
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Ian, what are your basic four rules?
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Old February 21, 2009, 06:55 AM   #119
THEZACHARIAS
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I have never done it myself, but have seen it a number of times from people not familiar with their firearms. Most recently, some genius decided that instead of using the incredibly advanced and amazing (and apparently confusing) decocking feature on his M9, he would ride the hammer forward with his thumb and nearly blow his foot off, demonstrating again why the M9 needs to be replaced by something idiot proof.
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Old February 21, 2009, 07:00 AM   #120
Firepower!
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I doubt there can be anything that is idiot proof.

An idoit always finds a way to be an idiot, after all.
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Old February 21, 2009, 03:19 PM   #121
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I voted "no," but after reading these posts I'm not so sure. I've never had a dangerous discharge, but I have on two occasions that I remember fired an accidental double-tap downrange. If you consider that I was pointing the gun in a safe direction and I did have my finger on the trigger because I did intend to fire it in that direction and I did intend to launch a bullet at the target, then maybe they weren't actually accidental, but they were unintended.

This thread is sobering.
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Old February 21, 2009, 05:19 PM   #122
Ian0351
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Firepower...

the same as everybody else's I suppose... the ol' treat, never, keep, keep mantra. Also, except for DA revolvers I carry/store my weapons in condition three until I am ready to engage targets... just like they taught me at Camp Pendleton as a lowly recruit.
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Old February 21, 2009, 05:35 PM   #123
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I have never accidently discharged a handgun with the exception of aiming at the target and the trigger "accidently" going off on target.
I am that careful with a handgun. They deserve every bit of attention to detail when it comes to safety.
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Old February 23, 2009, 10:52 AM   #124
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Look at the ceiling, next time you're at the range

Next time you're at the range, look up in your booth and see the ceiling pockmarked with bullet holes starting just a few feet in front of your station. So no surprise we have now 5 pages of these mishaps, but coming from avid shooters, this is pretty sobering. Our passion is inherently a dangerous one; we can do our part to make it safer - remind a friend about the safety rules, teach your kids the rules well before they're old enough to handle a gun, and always practice the rules yourself.
Good shooting.
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Old February 23, 2009, 11:01 PM   #125
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Quote:
Sevens, I am kind of lost here reading your post. You admit to putting house on fire on number of occassions. However, you state you vigilance has prevented AD/ND? I would think that putting house on fire is rather more difficult or lets has lesser probability than AD/ND if you handle guns all the time.
I have never "put the house on fire". I had two different grease fires on my stove that I certainly accept all blame for, and I had a clothes dryer light up and scorch a wall that I will also claim responsibility for, given the that exhaust had backed up and that is definitely my responsibility. I will not claim any responsibility for the lightning that struck my building and burned a hole in the roof, and the gas heater that caught a laundry basket on fire had absolutely nothing to do with me.

No, I've never tossed lit matches at a coffee can half full of gasoline while drinking moonshine in my underwear in the living room.

And no, I've never had an AD/ND, and I've never popped a cap in a dream state and woke up with a hole in the wall.

And yes, I handle guns all the time. Multiple times daily.
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Attention Brass rats and other reloaders: I really need .327 Federal Magnum brass, no lot size too small. Tell me what caliber you need and I'll see what I have to swap. PM me and we'll discuss.
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