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Once is too many times.
I might have slapped some common safety sense into him from the get go
I might have slapped some common safety sense into him from the get go
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my father in law hadnt picked up an m16 since the one he was issued in vietnam. ive heard very very brief stories about the time he served he will not talk about nam and i definitely respect that. i took him shooting with my highly modified AR type and i swear maybe a little PTSD or something migt have happened as i was rapid firing as he went and sat in the car... i stopped shooting, put the gun down after i cleared it...i asked if he wqs all right...he said "HOLY SH!t i dont remember them being so loud... can i shoot it?"i said sure. heres a mag... he slapped that mag in and handled that thing like a champ. training took over? idk after +40years of not even holding one i was very impressed...he didnt skip a beat.Thats interesting I have a Father In Law and is a Vietnam Vet so all respect to him are due.
However, he has to be the most unsafe person when shooting, as a few times I was almost killed and he was oblivious. I wont shoot with him any more you have a couple rounds fly over your head cause the guy decides rocks are a good back stop 25ft away with an AK-47, Good lord and was shooting across a gravel road when he did it.
I am so grateful my now older kids are safe, we yell out ears and eyes to make sure everyone knows we are going hot and then we say going hot and rack the round. Of course thats up in BLM we don't yell at the range LOL.
I digress, been there done that and its a hard place to be, he was close a couple times but the bullets flying over head did it. Of course there was the time he thought he would do a hip shot and dump the 30rds and slipped right at the end of mag the barrel swept me as the trigger went click and was out . As I said we don't go with him. I respect his service but my loved ones prefer I am around awhile.
Well, that was a long time ago... But a number of things to consider. In staged photos the gun may or may not be loaded. Keep in mind the evolution of firearm technology as well, used to be that a hammer had to be cocked before you could fire it (before we got bolt actions that is). Safety was also not taught the same way until much later (after Vietnam?). Different countries also approach it differently, not sure if any country does it the old way but few groups of people might.I definitely think safety has come a long way. If you look at old WWII pictures guys often have their finger inside the trigger guard.
As you said, it's probably his last visit. Tell him there are only 2 ways for another weapon to be in your house. Holstered or in your safe. You should never see his while he is there. Then smile and wave goodbye from the driveway.They left for home today, so I had a chance to talk to the Missus a bit more. I remember her telling me her father said on previous occasions that he's thinking of getting his Concealed Carry so he can get a gun without the waiting period.
I expressed my concern that with his legs (he can't walk more than 50 feet without them going numb or weak) if he got a handgun of his own and walked around with his finger always on the trigger, bad things were sure to happen.
She agreed and thinks he's reconsidering getting a gun.
I hope so.
It's not something we can really discuss with him. He's filled with too much certainty and confidence because "he's been around guns all his life". If he wants to do it he's gonna do it. The only power I have is to stay the hell away from him if he does, and I plan on doing just that. That's what I told the Missus and she gets it. It's a plan that should work if they stay home - I just won't visit.
If he visits here with a gun, I will have to tell him in no uncertain terms to take his frickin' boogerhook off the bang switch, or I won't allow him access to our property or his daughter. That will get his attention, though I'm sure the Missus will have something to say about that, but some situations are simply intolerable and must be addressed.
I can't control other people's actions outside my property, but I can dern well make them obey my rules in my kingdom, or they can stay away.
I suspect this was his last visit here, however. His health is fading and I have hinted to my wife as delicately as I can, that she should be preparing herself for what's coming.
Thanks to everyone for contributing to this interesting thread. It was quite an experience and it felt good to unleash my thoughts on you all.
Some guns would require some fancy acrobatics in order to put your finger in the chamber (basically require one hand just to hold the bolt back). Not sure I'd want my finger in something that could slip at any given moment.
In the middle of the dark, I'd have other concerns that don't require checking the chamber. A brass check, probably.I don't know about you but if its dark and you cant secure the firearm you have more to worry about then a booboo on the finger. Just saying. I don't care stick a popcicle stick on there geees
This is why I always try and go shooting early whether it's at a range or a quarry. I don't like people walking around behind me especially while carrying weapons. Step on a rock or trip ... No that's when I leaveSome years ago, we went shooting with a group of friends and acquaintances, some of whom we had not shot with before. One older gentleman displayed some pretty poor gun handling. We had been shooting a while when he brought out his guns - two very old revolvers and ammo that was very old as well - and apparently not stored correctly. He started loading up the guns and went to shoot and experienced repeated failures of his old ammo - which he would immediately eject from the gun without waiting, with the barrel pointed downrange to see if it might be a hang fire. It was at that point (I was down the line away from him a bit), that I noticed he was sweeping folks with the loaded guns. At that point, we packed up and left, and never shot with him around again. He was in his 70's at the time and likely wasn't going to be open for correction, so in that case, we felt it best to simply remove ourselves from a potentially bad situation.
If I know someone can't be safe with a gun, either they will need to go through some gun safety training and demonstrate that for me, or we won't go shooting together. It's not worth the risk.