Safety. Common sense?

[Joe13]

I saw a FMJ in the tube. Homeboy just loaded himself some plinkin' rounds. Dealing with a cell phone has the same effect driving or holding a firearm.

@Joe13, I'm with everyone else when it comes to "always treat it as loaded." If I want to look at the business end, the bolt's out, or the upper or slide is removed.
Case in point: I always bring "stuck round" removal rods to the range. Habit is to clear the weapon, leave the action open, and put it away. Had a 223 round stuck in my AR once. Didn't have the right rod, so put it away, and forgot all about it. Next time I went to the range, stuck in a mag, released the bolt and round wouldn't chamber. Examined it, "HOLY #$#*@!!"
After I was done cursing myself, I calmed down, knowing I had always treated it as loaded when handling.
However, and there is always a possible weak point in safety habits, when I pull my long guns out of the safe, my head is potentially in harm's way. I should get in the habit of leaving the action open and putting in chamber flags before sticking them back into the safe. [reminder to self]
That would solve that problem.

I can absolutely understand the mentality, but I carry all day every day and that includes in the home. I do not clear my pistol in order to put it on the coffee table in front of me; I don't point it at anyone but when people get up and move around the room they will walk in front of the muzzle many times in a day.

I am comfortable enough with how my guns work and have the discipline to keep my finger off of the trigger to feel confident against ND's.

I don't keep loaded guns in the safe and have a separate safe for guns to be stored when "in need of repair".

My wife and grown daughter have no interest in touching my gun so I don't have kids or people over often to worry abut such things.

I don't expect to change anyone's mind with my reasoning, heck I suppose I might be one of those statistics someday and everyone will say "I told you so..." - but I doubt it.

I can be a little scatterbrained at times but I've never grabbed a gun thinking it was unloaded - I always check if it isn't my carry gun (at which point I already know it's loaded). My dad was handed a loaded shotgun as a young man and proceeded to blow a hole in the roof, because it never occurred to him that someone would hand him a chambered shotgun. Having grown up around a bunch of Texans I have heard a lot of horror stories and was conditioned by my CA grandfather to treat guns like snakes - they both can bite you if your not paying attention, it's all in how you hold them...


To be honest, I think removing the bolt or slide to check the barrel is excessively redundant if you have checked for clear (not bashing it if that's what helps you feel safe). After I check a gun and clear it, it's empty. It's not going to magically load itself. So when I go to buy a gun, I check for clear then shove a bore light down the chamber and stick an eye down the muzzle to inspect the inside of the barrel - no need for me to disassemble the gun.



If gun owners are scared of unloaded firearms, it's absolutely no wonder that anti-gun people are terrified of guns and anyone crazy enough to mess with one.



(Well cared for and properly maintained quality firearms will not spontaneously fail - the ones that do didn't fill the above criteria)

 

[Joe13]

The only times I look down a barrel is with the action open. Put my thumb in there to get a little light reflected, bore light, piece of white paper. I can't stand to look down the barrel of a gun even in a video!

Something to consider I suppose is that he had a camera with a display so could have gotten that shot without actually putting his face in the way - yes his hand would still get shot.

 

[Flopsweat]

I can absolutely understand the mentality, but I carry all day every day and that includes in the home. I do not clear my pistol in order to put it on the coffee table in front of me; I don't point it at anyone but when people get up and move around the room they will walk in front of the muzzle many times in a day.

I am comfortable enough with how my guns work and have the discipline to keep my finger off of the trigger to feel confident against ND's.

I don't keep loaded guns in the safe and have a separate safe for guns to be stored when "in need of repair".

My wife and grown daughter have no interest in touching my gun so I don't have kids or people over often to worry abut such things.

I don't expect to change anyone's mind with my reasoning, heck I suppose I might be one of those statistics someday and everyone will say "I told you so..." - but I doubt it.

I can be a little scatterbrained at times but I've never grabbed a gun thinking it was unloaded - I always check if it isn't my carry gun (at which point I already know it's loaded). My dad was handed a loaded shotgun as a young man and proceeded to blow a hole in the roof, because it never occurred to him that someone would hand him a chambered shotgun. Having grown up around a bunch of Texans I have heard a lot of horror stories and was conditioned by my CA grandfather to treat guns like snakes - they both can bite you if your not paying attention, it's all in how you hold them...


To be honest, I think removing the bolt or slide to check the barrel is excessively redundant if you have checked for clear (not bashing it if that's what helps you feel safe). After I check a gun and clear it, it's empty. It's not going to magically load itself. So when I go to buy a gun, I check for clear then shove a bore light down the chamber and stick an eye down the muzzle to inspect the inside of the barrel - no need for me to disassemble the gun.



If gun owners are scared of unloaded firearms, it's absolutely no wonder that anti-gun people are terrified of guns and anyone crazy enough to mess with one.



(Well cared for and properly maintained quality firearms will not spontaneously fail - the ones that do didn't fill the above criteria)

Wow, we usually agree on things, and want you to understand that I bear no ill will, but this kind of attitude is going to get someone shot one day.

 

[P7M13]

If gun owners are scared of unloaded firearms, it's absolutely no wonder that anti-gun people are terrified of guns and anyone crazy enough to mess with one.

I had no intention to dissuade you. And while I agree with your perspective, I wouldn't set a gun on a coffee table where folks could walk in front of it. I've survived industrial train wrecks where 3 levels of safety failed to produce the event, and walked away unscathed from machine malfunctions where I should have been short an eye or arm.

Your wife and daughter may have common sense, and you may never lay your side arm on the table when someone you don't know is in your house. I worked with a guy, and one day while I was sectioning a nectarine, he reaches in to grab it from me, as if it was some kind of tease. He wound up badly slicing the webbing of his middle and ring finger. And I thought he had common sense.

A second safe for firearms needing service. Except for my lack of space, I LIKE that.

 

[Joe13]

Wow, we usually agree on things, and want you to understand that I bear no ill will, but this kind of attitude is going to get someone shot one day.

No offense taken and I figured based on previous comments did not think I would have much support or change anyone's mind on the subject.

I am always open to new ideas, maybe this is one where y'all will change my mind...

It will have to be a pretty convincing argument though.

 

[Koda]

I am always open to new ideas, maybe this is one where y'all will change my mind...

It will have to be a pretty convincing argument though.

yeah, I like everything you say in this forum but I'm with the others here on this one . I do see your perspective though, if you have it in your own habit to be extra vigilant then you'll probably be fine... but my only convincing argument is that your adding extra habits to memorize and perform diligently to your plan that aren't necessary.

I guess what I dont understand is if you feel you need access to a loaded gun, why would you take it off your person?

leaving that up for transparency but no need to answer any questions. Coming back to this after a day of errands I thought my post a bit over redundant, not my intention to question another persons way of doing things especially since its quite obvious you do have a strong grasp of common sense and safety.

 

[erudne]

Cleaning the pool is a necessary chore which is best accomplished by starting at the shallow end, first.

 

[Flopsweat]

No offense taken and I figured based on previous comments did not think I would have much support or change anyone's mind on the subject.

I am always open to new ideas, maybe this is one where y'all will change my mind...

It will have to be a pretty convincing argument though.

Thank you. My thinking is that safety protocols are based on the premise that humans are fallible - none of us, no matter how sharp we may be, are 100% on our game 100% of the time. These rules are necessarily intended to keep us safe when we are at our worst - distracted, emotional, in a hurry or what have you. They are most effective when they become habits, so that we follow them without thinking - precisely because we are most vulnerable when we are not thinking.