Gun safety rant...

[DarkRose]

Excuse typos, my phone keypad is starting to have issues...

So today I was just looking around at a local pawn shop... and a uniformed guardsman comes in, and heads back to the gun counter where I was browsing. He asks if they have an SR40, and after its handed to him (chamber not checked by either party), he stands there asking the guy behind the counter a couple questions, while looking at the gun, pointing it directly to his (the customers) right. Guess what side I was standing on?
After maybe a minute of him not realizing, I pointedly stepped back and around to the other side of him. At that point he looked a little embarrased, and quickly handed the gun back, where the counter guy THEN checked the chamber before putting it back in the case...
I heard the guardsman say he was looking for it as a first handgun, as he'd only ever shot a handgun to qualify on a duty weapon. But still, don't they teach basic safety in basic???

 

[Fixer]

I was sure from the title this had to be Kirk's post

Amazing how 4 simple rules can not be remembered!
Seriously!

 

[Iroquois]

My son was Army reserves, so he attended regular bootcamp. 3 days was all he got on the range.
Not much time for safety. I have a different perspective though. As the proprietor of the store,
the sales man had primary responsibility to clear the gun. In fact I would have handed to him
with the slide open so he didn't have an excuse not to check. Then his pointing a gun at you could
have been dealt with politely as bad etiquette.

 

[Mackey]

He should be court martialed, drawn and quartered, guillotine and his head stuck on a stick right in the very place where this happened as a memorial and a warning. HOW DARE HE!!!

 

[downzero]

My son was Army reserves, so he attended regular bootcamp. 3 days was all he got on the range.
Not much time for safety.

Nonsense! BRM is an entire phase of BCT and lasts for AT LEAST two weeks.

And OP, I was never issued a handgun in my entire 3 years in the military. Not even once. Basic safety, yes. Handgun-specific safety, no.

 

[Miketodd]

And OP, I was never issued a handgun in my entire 3 years in the military. Not even once. Basic safety, yes. Handgun-specific safety, no.

But isn't "Basic" safety "Don't point the muzzle of a firearm at anything that you do not intend to destroy?". My grandfather was in the army during Korea and I remember learning how to shoot with him. EVERY time we go shooting, that is the first thing he says. Even though I am experienced with firearms, he still reminds us every time.

 

[EvilBlackGun]

My LGS ...

... has a large black circle painted on the ceiling. THAT is the only safe place to point the muzzle! EBG

 

[Sylvain]

It has to become a lifestyle, many people were taught the 4 rules once but dont follow them or only do it when they remember.

I have seen new shooters during training that keep placing their finger on the trigger, you have to remind them all the time and it's only when you do that they will put their finger on the side of the weapon.Until you need to tell them again 2 minutes later because their finger moved back to the trigger.

If you dont follow those rules EVERY SINGLE TIME you handle a gun, you are NOT a safe gun handler.
It just takes one mistake, one day, to kill someone by accident.

 

[Iroquois]

Nonsense! BRM is an entire phase of BCT and lasts for AT LEAST two weeks.

And OP, I was never issued a handgun in my entire 3 years in the military. Not even once. Basic safety, yes. Handgun-specific safety, no.

All I know is what he told me. I wasn't surprised though, the Army was still recovering
from Clintonization. Before he went 'down range ' he had 3 months combat readiness
training and lots of training with the M4.

 

[bigtex]

No surprised at all. I'm always seeing all kinds of people violating Gun Safey Rules.

 

[TheRude1]

I may be wrong but no amount of training can fix stupid ?

 

[IndyDave1776]

He should be court martialed, drawn and quartered, guillotine and his head stuck on a stick right in the very place where this happened as a memorial and a warning. HOW DARE HE!!!

You're slipping. You forgot to have him keel hauled!

 

[Sylvain]

I may be wrong but no amount of training can fix stupid ?

That's a good question.Im affraid I dont have the answer.
I would like to think that the answer is "yes" but im affraid it could be "no".



The thing is that stupid people are too stupid to pursue good training by themselves, and in most casses you cant force them to train unless you are talking about some kind of required training (military and such).

 

[RyanV]

There are all types in the guard/reserve. Some units have very little exposure to any type of weapons systems, maybe once a year to qualify with a rifle. Why was he in uniform on a Tuesday? I do understand the lax gun safety at many gun shops though, when I am shopping I always check the chamber for a round and sometimes get an odd look from the gun shop employee for it. I'm not saying it is the right thing but I would venture to say that there are a lot of guys that don't check the chamber when they are handed a gun at a gun store.

 

[Tamara]

He should be court martialed, drawn and quartered, guillotine and his head stuck on a stick right in the very place where this happened as a memorial and a warning. HOW DARE HE!!!

No, but he should have had some guy in a Smokey The Bear hat get all up in his face and scream "^&%$ IT, YOU'D BEST START WATCHING WHERE YOU #$%^ POINT THAT $%#^ WEAPON OR I WILL MAKE YOUR MISERY MY MISSION IN LIFE! DO YOU UNDERSTAND ME, YOU $%^& LITTLE PUSBAG? NOW BEAT YOUR FACE!"

Sometimes young soldiers can get a little lax in their gunhandling skillz if they don't receive reminders like that.

 

[DarkRose]

There are all types in the guard/reserve. Some units have very little exposure to any type of weapons systems, maybe once a year to qualify with a rifle. Why was he in uniform on a Tuesday? I do understand the lax gun safety at many gun shops though, when I am shopping I always check the chamber for a round and sometimes get an odd look from the gun shop employee for it. I'm not saying it is the right thing but I would venture to say that there are a lot of guys that don't check the chamber when they are handed a gun at a gun store.

As for being in uniform, that's not uncommon around here... we're about 20 minutes from a processing center and National Guard base (Camp Atterbury), so seeing men and women in uniform at any given time isn't unusual...

 

[Tamara]

...I would venture to say that there are a lot of guys that don't check the chamber when they are handed a gun at a gun store.

Which leads to the further question of why did the gun store employee not check the chamber and hand it to him with the action open? I mean, that's just good firearms etiquette.

(Although asking for "etiquette" from someone who may not be able to either spell or define it is apparently considered a bit much these days. )

 

[RyanV]

As for being in uniform, that's not uncommon around here... we're about 20 minutes from a processing center and National Guard base (Camp Atterbury), so seeing men and women in uniform at any given time isn't unusual...

Oh ok, I just hate seeing guys go into places in uniform looking for handouts/discounts just because they are in uniform. I am in the NG and see guys do this all the time, pisses me off to no end because the ones that walk around in uniform looking for freebies are usually the turds.

 

[RyanV]

Which leads to the further question of why did the gun store employee not check the chamber and hand it to him with the action open? I mean, that's just good firearms etiquette.

(Although asking for "etiquette" from someone who may not be able to either spell or define it is apparently considered a bit much these days. )

That is a good question, I am of the same opinion that you are that even though the firearm has been sitting in a case, unloaded, for a week doesn't mean you can't do the common courtesy of checking the chamber before you hand it to someone.

On the flip side I do have a problem with places that have gun locks, trigger locks, and zip ties as safety devices on their guns and refuse to take them off for you to handle them. How are you supposed to get a feel for the trigger if you can't even put the gun into battery/put your finger in the trigger guard?

 

[printcraft]

....
So today I was just looking around at a local pawn shop... and a uniformed guardsman comes in, and heads back to the gun counter where I was browsing. He asks if they have an SR40, and after its handed to him (chamber not checked by either party), he stands there asking the guy behind the counter a couple questions, while looking at the gun, pointing it directly to his (the customers) right. Guess what side I was standing on?
After maybe a minute of him not realizing, I pointedly stepped back and around to the other side of him. At that point he looked a little embarrased, and quickly handed the gun back, where the counter guy THEN checked the chamber before putting it back in the case...
I heard the guardsman say he was looking for it as a first handgun, as he'd only ever shot a handgun to qualify on a duty weapon. But still, don't they teach basic safety in basic???

Had this been a Glock you would have no reason to worry.
They can't possibly go off when you don't want them to.
You can even throw those suckers on the ground, down the stairs, off a house,
even hit it with a hammer while loaded with the barrel pointing who knows where and it is perfectly safe.