What I saw at today's Bloomington In Gun show: AKA who flagged me??

[tcecil88]

The closest gun show to me is the Sharonville, Ohio show. It used to be pretty good with alot of older military rifles and decent prices. Now it is lots of cheap chinese stuff and cheap knife booths. There is still alot of ammo booths but prices have been going up and up. I have not been in a few months because they have cancelled a bunch cause of the Covids.
Lots of people flagging other people at the shows, but it is virtually impossible not to flag someone at some point when you are handling a gun off the bench.

 

[1nderbeard]

I think my best one was flipping the guy off that had the AR pointed at me playing with the optic. He marched over to the Ingo booth ready to get loud. That was one of the best ones I remember.

The guy was covering you with the crosshairs on a scope?! That deserves at minimum what you gave him. Probably needs to get the butt whooping he never got as a kid.

 

[thelefthand]

First gun safety rule, and primary in my mind, Treat ALL guns like they are loaded. Therefore being mindful of where the muzzle is pointing should be a priority but sadly most people are either ignorant of that rule or stupid.

First rule of gun safety is don't point said gun at anything you don't intend to destroy. Treating a gun "like it's loaded" doesn't really draw attention to the idea of muzzle awareness like it should, even when you know the gun is actually loaded. I actually hate that rule. It's pretty much useless in that it doesn't do anything for the person who doesn't know how to safely handle a firearm (regardless of whether they think they do or not), and yet people treat it like it's the only thing that separates life from death. Every year, people are accidently shot and killed with guns that are known to be loaded. Sometimes this even happens when the "known loaded gun" is being handled by someone who's "experienced". Then there's the fact that you have to squeeze the trigger on some handguns in order to remove the slide.... There have been more than a few ADs tied to that one... Treating all guns like they are loaded does very little, if anything to promote firearm safety. Don't point a gun towards anything you don't intend to destroy.

Yielding the soapbox to someone else now...

 

[Meathead2011]

I dont know how many times I have to remind my wife to get your finger out of the trigger guard to just get the response it's not loaded she learning tho everytime she holds it she points her finger at me just to make sure I see it

 

[bwframe]

First rule of gun safety is don't point said gun at anything you don't intend to destroy. Treating a gun "like it's loaded" doesn't really draw attention to the idea of muzzle awareness like it should, even when you know the gun is actually loaded. I actually hate that rule. It's pretty much useless in that it doesn't do anything for the person who doesn't know how to safely handle a firearm (regardless of whether they think they do or not), and yet people treat it like it's the only thing that separates life from death. Every year, people are accidently shot and killed with guns that are known to be loaded. Sometimes this even happens when the "known loaded gun" is being handled by someone who's "experienced". Then there's the fact that you have to squeeze the trigger on some handguns in order to remove the slide.... There have been more than a few ADs tied to that one... Treating all guns like they are loaded does very little, if anything to promote firearm safety. Don't point a gun towards anything you don't intend to destroy.

Yielding the soapbox to someone else now...

Right . Not the only one here "smarter" than Col Cooper and millions of followers of THE Four Rules.

 

[Trapper Jim]

It is not the four rules but getting the student to practice the four rules ....all the time....forever. The conventional delivery of this content is the weakness.... self appointed, blue gun, (yawn) get the certificate kind of training is the breakdown.

 

[DFacres]

I saw the Gun Show signs too, but the last time I went to the one in Bloomington was about 3 yrs ago. It seemed so small & not well
attended by venders that I haven’t been back. I assumed in the current political climate, prices would be outlandish.

 

[sgthud]

You can teach the rules of gun safety and most will follow. There is ignorance and stupidity; we can teach the ignorant, but unfortunately, we can not fix stupidity.

 

[Trapper Jim]

You can teach the rules of gun safety and most will follow. There is ignorance and stupidity; we can teach the ignorant, but unfortunately, we can not fix stupidity.

For successful teaching there must be learning. That learning needs to be lived, practiced and tested. There are many people that have got a drivers license That break rules, are careless and crash cars. They were taught but didn't apply their learning. I get students all the time, Military, police, citizens, competitors, and NRA Graduates, Cletus Clown Covert College, and other "taught" shooters that break some of the four rules all the time. Just sayin. And you are right.... it's hard to fix stupid.

 

[ECS686]

For successful teaching there must be learning. That learning needs to be lived, practiced and tested. There are many people that have got a drivers license That break rules, are careless and crash cars. They were taught but didn't apply their learning. I get students all the time, Military, police, citizens, competitors, and NRA Graduates, Cletus Clown Covert College, and other "taught" shooters that break some of the four rules all the time. Just sayin. And you are right.... it's hard to fix stupid.

I'll say I have observed myself (and everyone else in the room) have been flagged a fair amount by folks while claiming (and that work at gun stores and Im not the one asking to see the gun) they don't need any training, Uncle Sugar gave the all they needed in Vietnam" Also while demonstrating 50 year old antiquated handheld light techniques. (sweeping everyone a second time) I'm like a lots changed since Kent state there fella while shaking my head leaving.

 

[NHT3]

First rule of gun safety is don't point said gun at anything you don't intend to destroy. Treating a gun "like it's loaded" doesn't really draw attention to the idea of muzzle awareness like it should, even when you know the gun is actually loaded. I actually hate that rule. It's pretty much useless in that it doesn't do anything for the person who doesn't know how to safely handle a firearm (regardless of whether they think they do or not), and yet people treat it like it's the only thing that separates life from death. Every year, people are accidently shot and killed with guns that are known to be loaded. Sometimes this even happens when the "known loaded gun" is being handled by someone who's "experienced". Then there's the fact that you have to squeeze the trigger on some handguns in order to remove the slide.... There have been more than a few ADs tied to that one... Treating all guns like they are loaded does very little, if anything to promote firearm safety. Don't point a gun towards anything you don't intend to destroy.

Yielding the soapbox to someone else now...

I've found that keeping things simple for novices works very well IF they pay attention and aren't stupid. if you treat it like it's loaded all the other rules fall into place. ( treat all guns like they are loaded is not MY idea and IS the first rule of gun safety, reference video below) IF you do treat all guns like they are loaded you don't point it at anything you don't want to destroy and you keep your finger off the trigger until you have acquired your target. Planting that single thought gives them a simple idea to grasp and I believe reminds them of the other rules.
This is also my observation from hundreds of hours teaching and to my knowledge none of my students have shot themselves or anyone else but maybe Jeff Cooper and I have it all wrong.

https://youtu.be/Jjk3j2bsxVw