I broke the 1st rule of firearm safety today

[joekoug]

I met a guy from this board to sell a pistol today. We were sitting in his car in a parking lot and I was showing him the pistol. I pulled it out of my bag, and racked the slide to quintuple check that it was unloaded before handing it to him. The muzzle was pointed in his direction.

He said, "Hey don't point that thing at me!" To which I muttered, "Oh $#*%, sorry."

I have been shooting most of my life, I take other folks out to the range and teach them how to safely shoot. I couldn't believe I made that kind of a boneheaded mistake.

I know the gun was empty because I had broken it down not half an hour before and cleaned it. It was in my possession the whole time so I know someone else could not have loaded it. But it was still a huge mistake none the less.

Have any of you broken any of the rules of firearm safety lately? This just goes to show that the fundamentals need to be gone over again and again. AND AGAIN AND AGAIN. I'm still shaking my head, I have never done that before.

Joe

 

[Scutter01]

Lucky for both of you that nothing bad happened. Now that you've had this experience, what will you do to avoid a repeat?

 

[Kirk Freeman]

Now that you've had this experience, what will you do to avoid a repeat?

Listen to Kirk and not coonfinger guns.

People always want to show and finger their guns. Don't.

Eez gon, eez not safe.

Here is your penance:

gun training, firearms training | Gunsite Academy

 

[SteveL]

I met a guy from this board to sell a pistol today. We were sitting in his car in a parking lot and I was showing him the pistol. I pulled it out of my bag, and racked the slide to quintuple check that it was unloaded before handing it to him. The muzzle was pointed in his direction.

He said, "Hey don't point that thing at me!" To which I muttered, "Oh $#*%, sorry."

I have been shooting most of my life, I take other folks out to the range and teach them how to safely shoot. I couldn't believe I made that kind of a boneheaded mistake.

I know the gun was empty because I had broken it down not half an hour before and cleaned it. It was in my possession the whole time so I know someone else could not have loaded it. But it was still a huge mistake none the less.

Have any of you broken any of the rules of firearm safety lately? This just goes to show that the fundamentals need to be gone over again and again. AND AGAIN AND AGAIN. I'm still shaking my head, I have never done that before.

Joe

Note to self: Do Not Buy from this guy....smiles.

Steve L

 

[Mackey]

Man, I can't get over how freely people are able to post their mistakes here. You've got to know you're going to get a talking to. ... I'm guessing that you're feeling bad and just want to take your flogging. Here you go:
BAD GUN GUY.

Look, I don't like being covered by a muzzle, but I wouldn't have even blinked if this happened to me. I may have taken the gun by the muzzle and pushed it away from me as I took the gun from you, but that's it.

It's not that big of a deal.

 

[loki.fish]

Listen to Kirk and not coonfinger guns.

People always want to show and finger their guns. Don't.

Eez gon, eez not safe.

Here is your penance:

gun training, firearms training | Gunsite Academy

He was the potential seller of said firearm, part of buying a firearm is to show and handle it. Or do you buy used guns without checking them over?

As to the OP, we're human, we're prone to making a mistake or two. Something I've heard quite often in the gun community is:
"It's not a matter of if you have a ND/AD, it's a matter of when"
Should make you a bit more conscientious (I think it's the word I'm looking for) now

 

[joekoug]

I'm just sharing this because I absolutely CAN NOT believe I did it. I'm nobody special, but like most of you, I have been around firearms for many years and know what I'm doing.

I'm just pointing out that I made a mistake, and that it could have been (almost) anybody. I know some of the people on this forum are god-like and never EVER make mistakes. Even though I have taken many classes and have done plenty of training, I goofed up. I plan on taking an NRA refresher course, not that I think I need to, but because I think we all need to be reminded from time to time of the things that we know we know, but take for granted.

 

[Kirk Freeman]

"It's not a matter of if you have a ND/AD, it's a matter of when"

Everytime, every single time, you handle a gun you should anticipate it discharging. The gun's only got one job.

The Four Rules light is always on--at the gun show, in the car selling your gun, in the parking lot of the range, at the range, waving guns around Broad Ripple, in the classroom, every frickin' where.

And now . . . we are going to watch THE video.

"But, Kirk, we've seen the video."

Oh, no, apparently not. You're going to watch it over and over and over.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o6Y7LIJm5gI

 

[Mackey]

He was the potential seller of said firearm, part of buying a firearm is to show and handle it. Or do you buy used guns without checking them over?

As to the OP, we're human, we're prone to making a mistake or two. Something I've heard quite often in the gun community is:
"It's not a matter of if you have a ND/AD, it's a matter of when"
Should make you a bit more conscientious (I think it's the word I'm looking for) now

Good points except please do not be critical of Mr. Freeman. This was obviously an irresistable opportunity to use the term:
coonfinger

Regardless of what his point is, the term " coonfinger " is a trump card and always wins. I'm not sure what it means. But here's a picture of a coon about to finger some food:

 

[loki.fish]

Everytime, every single time, you handle a gun you should anticipate it discharging. The gun's only got one job.

The Four Rules light is always on--at the gun show, in the car selling your gun, in the parking lot of the range, at the range, waving guns around Broad Ripple, in the classroom, every frickin' where.

And now . . . we are going to watch THE video.

"But, Kirk, we've seen the video."

Oh, no, apparently not. You're going to watch it over and over and over.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o6Y7LIJm5gI

We're humans, not robots. No matter how much training/practicing you do, for anything, ANYTHING, there's no guarantee that you will always perform flawlessly.

Not saying it's an excuse to not follow the rules, but as Alexander Pope once said, "To err is human, to forgive is divine."

 

[Kirk Freeman]

No matter how much training/practicing you do, for anything, ANYTHING, there's no guarantee that you will always perform flawlessly.

That's why we train until we cannot get it wrong.

That's why we yell and scream about safety, but if we do not people become lazy and think that where they are (the parking lot, the basement, the gun store) that the rules do not apply to them.

Not saying it's an excuse to not follow the rules, but as Alexander Pope once said, "To err is human, to forgive is divine."

I'm all about forgiveness and need it to be certain.

However, foregiveness does not put the bullet back in the barrel. Only continual awareness will protect us.

 

[Kirk Freeman]

Regardless of what his point is, the term " coonfinger " is a trump card and always wins. I'm not sure what it means.

Go to the gun shop or the gun show this weekend. Watch them with the guns, they turn and twist them like a raccoon washing an apple slice. Absolutely zero muzzle discipline.

Don't do that crap. The gun's only got one job and that's to go bang.

 

[lovemachine]

Listen to Kirk and not coonfinger guns.

People always want to show and finger their guns. Don't.

Eez gon, eez not safe.

Here is your penance:

gun training, firearms training | Gunsite Academy

What if I wanted to train with your buddy rhino instead?

 

[bwframe]

Isn't there a psychological term for those who "fess up" so that others may tell them "Aw, it's OK..." or "The last time I did that,..."?

...Something I've heard quite often in the gun community is:
"It's not a matter of if you have a ND/AD, it's a matter of when"

^^^ Isn't this that same manner of thinking?

 

[joekoug]

Isn't there a psychological term for those who "fess up" so that others may tell them "Aw, it's OK..." or "The last time I did that,..."?


^^^ Isn't this that same manner of thinking?

I didn't post to ask a bunch of strangers who I don't know for forgiveness or to be told it's OK. The fact of the matter is it was absolutely NOT OK. I'm just sharing my screw-up to point out that even with experience and training, you can make a mistake, and it could be a potentially lethal mistake so pound those rules into your head every day, even after you think you know them.

 

[Fullmag]

"It's not a matter of if you have a ND/AD, it's a matter of when"

100% true. Rule #1 The gun is always loaded. It only takes one time.

 

[bwframe]

That's why we train until we cannot get it wrong.

That's why we yell and scream about safety, but if we do not people become lazy and think that where they are (the parking lot, the basement, the gun store) that the rules do not apply to them.

I'm all about forgiveness and need it to be certain.

However, forgiveness does not put the bullet back in the barrel. Only continual awareness will protect us.

This ^^^

 

[netsecurity]

I am picturing this occurring because you sat in the passenger seat, racked the slide back with your left thumb facing back, so that your right thumb would be free to lock the slide. Is that right? I find this by far the easiest way to lock the slide, but have always been uncomfortable with the muzzle pointing left, instead of down. I don't know of any other way to reliably lock the slide, so I'd like to hear some alternative suggestions. After all the rule is that you should lock the slide back empty before handing a gun to someone. It sounds to me like the intentions were right at least, and this was not a noob mistake.

 

[joekoug]

I am picturing this occurring because you sat in the passenger seat, racked the slide back with your left thumb facing back, so that your right thumb would be free to lock the slide. Is that right? I find this by far the easiest way to lock the slide, but have always been uncomfortable with the muzzle pointing left, instead of down. I don't know of any other way to reliably lock the slide, so I'd like to hear some alternative suggestions. After all the rule is that you should lock the slide back empty before handing a gun to someone. It sounds to me like the intentions were right at least, and this was not a noob mistake.

This is exactly how it happened.

 

[netsecurity]

Can anyone suggest a safer way to lock the slide back? Are there any pistol trainers here who would say never to turn the gun sideways to lock the slide?