Remember The Four Rules of Weapons Safety. Or: Stop Shooting Your Damned Houses, People!

joej · 1 year

There was an OSHA site that graphed injuries vs. woodworkers' experience/time. Things like loss of fingers, degloving incidents, etc.

New woodworkers = quite low, nervous folks who don't cut corners
Older woodworkers = quite low, confident folks who don't cut corners

and

middle woodworkers = highest incidents ... they are the comfortable folks who think they can cut corners (stand in danger zones, not use push-sticks, move while blade still spinning) -- COMPLACENT

Mastercutlet · 1 year

How will I get karma if I don't shoot my house?

black27696 · 1 year

If I pick my gun up, I clear it. I'll probably rack the slide a few times while holding it.

If I set it down, and pick it back up...I clear it again....

storelogix · 1 year

With 54,000 subscribers now, even if 99% of us were perfect, intelligent gun owners, that still leave 540 idiots out there ready to make us look bad.

That being said, I was waiting for this type of post. Lot's of ND's lately, and while all of them appear to be relatively harmless, it's probably because the redditor that killed someone hasn't had a chance to submit his story for karma because he is in jail.

ionceheardthat · 1 year

Every time I read this I wonder if NDs are really this common. I mean, I figured /r/guns were the competent gun owners in the world. Any time I am handling my firearms I am constantly racking them and making sure they are safe... I figured everyone did that but I guess not.

presidentender · 1 year

How about "firearms safety." Because there's no such thing as trigger discipline with, say, a katana.

gsfgf · 1 year

But my house was on my property after dark!

cexshun · 1 year

Simple. Instead of rewarding their stupidity with upvotes, our members grow a pair and tell them exactly how stupid they are.

No more "it happens to everyone eventually". It doesn't. No "glad nobody was hurt, what caused it, did you call the cops, lawyer up". Our response should be 1 thing, "Go back to /k/".

wretcheddawn · 1 year

And try to keep in mind when you are showing your guns to someone less experienced: They havent had weapons safety drilled into them like you(may) have. So YOU have to be careful that they dont do something stupid.

Converse of "always assume all guns are loaded": "always assume everyone else is an idiot who will point the gun at someone & play with the trigger when you hand it to them".

Unless you are at the range and have instructed the person that the gun is loaded and how to use it, never hand anyone a loaded firearm. Always check it before handing it to somebody. I'm amazed at how many times people handed me loaded guns or pulled out the magazine with a round in the chamber. Don't hand people loaded guns.

wolfy1324 · 1 year

My home is my castle and I'll shoot in it if I want!

UnusQuodAudaciter · 1 year

In the Marine Corps, the diddy is Treat, Never, Keep, Keep, Be.

Treat every weapon as if it is loaded. Never point your weapon at anything you don't intend to shoot. Keep your finger straight and off the trigger until you're ready to fire. Keep your weapon on safe until you intent to fire. Be aware of what lies beyond your target.

FirearmConcierge · 1 year

Well technically, the NRA vehemently refuses to use the "W" word and there are only three rules - not four, because your first NRA rule takes care of your fourth supplemental rule.

TGBambino · 1 year

All that being said, I still want people to post about their NDs or almost NDs because I think it's a great way to keep reminding people of the importance of gun safety. After I read a few of these I evaluated my own gun handling practices and realized there was a few places I needed to work on. Really keep it coming guys!

graffiti81 · 1 year

The closest I've ever come to accidentally discharging my rifle was at a 3-position match and I was doing terribly offhand. I smacked the bolt forward on my 52D and it vibrated the trigger enough to set it off. Thank god it just went harmlessly into the backstop. I got control of my anger very quickly after that.

uninsane · 1 year

Safe gun handling means developing HABITS that transcend thought and to which there are NEVER exceptions. When I take a look at a gun in a shop I clear it myself when the sales person gives it to me and show him that the gun is clear when I hand it back. Clearing a gun should happen every single time without exception unless the gun must be loaded for self defense or because you're about to shoot it in the lane at the range. It should be rooted in our brain stems. This is a case where everyone needs to be OCD.

Sharpspoonful · 1 year

As I posted earlier:

Seriously. The four ~~rifle range~~ safety rules are:

Treat every weapon as if it were loaded.

Keep your finger straight and off the trigger until you intend to fire.

Never point your weapon at anything you don’t intend to shoot.

Keep your weapon on safe until you intend to fire.

This isn't something to just look at when shooting. It should become hardwired into every gun owners mind, even when at home, or showing off his prized possession. I haven't ever had an ND, and dont plan to because of the aforementioned rules. There is another, unwritten rule, to add to this, which is:

Always be aware of what lies beyond your target.

DERP. Just remember what firearms were originally made to do: Kill other things. Have that respect for them, and you will not have ND problems.

alittletooquiet · 1 year

Wow. Thank you. I just recently discovered /r/guns, and I was beginning to think I'd stumbled into the wrong place.

smokeyjones666 · 1 year

I don't understand why it is so difficult for some people to keep their ammo separate from their gun when they are handling it in an inappropriate setting. If your finger is touching the trigger on your gun and you are not in an appropriate place to fire it, your ammo should be nowhere near your gun. You should be absolutely sure your gun is not loaded. When you are handling a firearm you are ultimately responsible for everything that happens with it and if a projectile leaves the barrel of that gun whatever happens as a result of it is completely on you.

Whether it was stupidity, carelessness, poor maintenance, poor design, or whatever else you can use to deflect the blame; the point is if everyone followed the four rules all the time, gun accidents that end in tragedy would disappear from the headlines. When discharges do happen they would happen into a backstop, a bucket of sand, or the ground - regardless of cause - because you are the one who put the cartridge in the chamber of that gun, and you are the one in control of where that gun was pointed.

If you are carrying a weapon with a cartridge chambered, it is up to you to purchase a quality gun that is free of defects, ensure that it is safe and functional, and perform all of your chambering and unchambering in a safe direction. If you don't clean and inspect - or have inspected - the components of your firearm on a regular basis and that neglect causes a discharge, that is your fault. If you cheapen out, buy a saturday-night special, and it's manufacturing defects cause it to discharge and hurt someone - that is your fault too.

I don't know what's so hard about treating guns as if they are always loaded. Most of the accidents I read about happen because "I thought it wasn't loaded!", or "I thought I had the safety on!" The safety's between your ears, dammit - use it!

TL;DR: There are no mulligans in this game, use your brains dammit!

pestilence · 1 year

What if they live under a berm and they are willing to destroy their wall?

somedaypilot · 1 year

Remember- there may be such a thing as accidental discharges, but they are always also a negligent discharge. Someone at some level was negligent in their responsibilities to cause that ND.

smokeyjones666 · 1 year

Just once I'd like to see one of these AD/NDs happen in an actual safe direction, like downrange, or in a bucket of sand. I had a shotgun AD on me once, it failed to fire when I pulled the trigger and then it fired when I cycled the slide. It scared the crap out of me but I had it pointed in a safe direction downrange, and no people or houses were harmed.

I attributed the malfunction to poor maintenance on the part of my friend who owned the shotgun, a very clear example of why we should be careful with every firearm we handle.

sempersexi · 1 year

This post reminds me of that kid in elementary school that has to have the last word to show off how superior he is. There were three posts, all educational. No need to brow beat. The reason those people did them was to help educate. I imagine they feel stupid already. You have just stated what everyone else has stated.

Stay safe

edit: spelling

storelogix · 1 year

[deleted]

Wiebelhaus · 1 year

I concur, good post and thanks for the reminder, you can never have enough reminders. One thing I find odd about recent posts, is that after an ND the first order of bid'ness is to notify the internets that your a dipshit lol.

jay_sugman · 1 year

Shit happens even to experienced individuals, I know, but I have concerns about the new guys/gals who are interested in guns and pick one up without mentoring and training.

Reading Reddit does not make you an expert on guns. Inexperienced individuals should do their best to connect with other local shooters for mentorship. Checking with their state shooting association or local club is a good start.

20 years later, I'm still grateful for my older and wiser shooting friends who I continue to learn from.

chip1592 · 1 year

Its not a weapon. Its a personal firearm.

coaxfun · 1 year

If your finger is on the trigger, then it wasn't an ND. Let me say that again... IF YOU PULLED THE TRIGGER, IT'S NOT AN ACCIDENT, IT'S JUST STUPID.

These things almost never happen if you keep you god damned finger off the trigger unless you intend to fire.

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