Accidental/Negligent discharge-ever have one?

[mthalo]

I know this is a potentially embarrasing topic, but figured I'd ask.
Has anyone ever had a gun go off when they weren't expecting it to?

About a dozen years ago, I was in the process of unloading my .380 carry gun to do some dry fire practice, when the phone rang. I put the gun down and answered the phone, and was on the phone for about 20 minutes. After I hung up the phone, I picked up the gun and proceeded to dry fire it.

Anyone here can probably figure out what happened next, a loud BANG!, and the quick realization that I had dropped the clip, but failed to clear the chamber before answering the phone. Thank God the gun was pointed in a safe direction, and other than a bullet hole in the wall, no damage was done.

For a while afterward, I seriously questioned whether or not I should even be carrying a gun. In spite of having years of experience handling firearms, all it took was one moment of distraction for a near tragedy to occur.
One thing is for sure, to this day I remember that moment like it happened yesterday, and my heart begins to beat faster every time I think about it.
I have every intention of that being my first, last and only ND, and I'm now fanatical about checking and double checking to make sure it's unloaded, EVERY time I pick it up.

 

[pax]

I know this is a potentially embarrasing topic, but figured I'd ask.
Has anyone ever had a gun go off when they weren't expecting it to?

Yep, at the range in a class, right there in front of God & everyone. I tried to manually lower the hammer on a P22, but my fingers slipped and the hammer went down too fast -- and of course it fired because I hadn't taken my finger off the trigger as soon as the hammer began moving. D'oh.

Fortunately I was following all the other safety rules & the gun was pointed at the ground about 10 feet in front of me. Nothing hurt but my pride (which needed it ...)

pax

 

[Twycross]

Not yet. I expect someday I will, but so far, no.

 

[progunner1957]

If you shoot, carry, clean, work on and fondle guns long enough, it will most likely happen. If the gods are smiling upon you, no blood will be spilled (yours or another person's).

Make safety your #1 priority - proper training and gun handling procedures are your best line of defense. I saw on TV just two days ago a report about a guy who shot and killed his best friend while deer hunting. He thought his buddy was a deer and BLAM! I can't imagine having to live with that.

On a lighter note, I saw a video clip of an AD that was funny. A SWAT police officer was addressing a class of jr. high kids about guns and gun safety. He had a .40 cal. Glock and made the statement, "Now, I'm the only one in this building that is professional enough to handle and carry a Glock .40, blah, blah, blah...." You guessed it - not 2 minutes later - BLAM!! - he was the proud owner of a right thigh with a .40" hole running from upper thigh to knee cap.

This "professional" tried to continue his lecture, but blood loss got the better of him in about 60 seconds, and he was helped out of the room by another officer.

The phrase, "Have you ever considered a career in aluminum siding?" comes to mind...

 

[gb_in_ga]

Well, yes and no.

No, I have never had an ND with a gun.

Yes, all the time when I'm doing slow fire -- when slowly squeezing the trigger as I should, I don't know EXACTLY when it will go off -- hence I'm not really EXPECTING it

Archery? You betcha. I used to shoot competitively -- NFAA freestyle class using a target trigger release, and a hair trigger release it was. I had "ND's" all the time doing that -- arrows stuck in the ceiling indoors, arrows sailing through the trees outdoors, and so forth and so on.

 

[goste]

Once, years ago. I was walking to my deer stand, and put the mag in my no1mk3 Enfield. I had the barrel pointed up, and when I chambered a round, the striker followed the bolt down, and fired.

Scared the crap out of me.

 

[woodland]

Once while shooting ground squirrels for a local rancher with my .22. It was pointed where they were, and I was waiting for them to pop up, and I had my finger on the trigger. I must have had an involutary twitch or something, because it fired when I wasn't planning to. I never conciously pulled the trigger. Granted, I was in shooting position, and aiming, just waiting for the "pop up target," so I had my finger on the trigger, but I didn't mean for it to go off, so I guess that would fall under NG. Or maybe that is just a premature discharge?

 

[RJay]

Twice, Once with a Remington 600 in 308. Closed the bolt to chamber a round and Boom, 150 grain 308 up and down range. Remington was nice enought to have a recall and repaired it. 2nd time In a land time forgot, Tired after a 18 hr day, cleared my .45 and pulled the trigger to drop the hammer. Boom, had forgot to remove the magazine, .230 grain .45 slug up and down range. You will notice both times , once with a defective gun, once with a defective mind, both rounds went up and down range. Every one , sooner or later will go something stupid, with training you won't be dumb about it.

 

[tinman]

once, with an out of the box 454 cassull. I was at the range, stuffed five in the cylinder and with the first shot managed to launch a second just hanging on. It definately gave a recoil I won't forget, 2 shots in under .25 sec. Lucky for methe second hit the top of the berm, and no people or houses downrange for miles. Having learned from this, the first firing of my 500sw mag was with 1 in the cylinder only.

 

[Mokumbear]

Yup...

I had an AD once when I was about 14.

My Dad had a little Colt .25

I had safely used it before. And then I got careless.

I invited a friend over to "play with it".
When he came to the front door, I figured, let me pull the trigger, just to make sure it wasn't loaded.

I didn't think it had a round chambered, at the same time, I was uncertain enough that I pointed the gun away from the front door and my friend outside and pulled the (bang) trigger! Ooops!

I think we all learned something that day! The bullet lodged harmlessly in a closet door frame. We got some spackle, touched it up and concocted a lame story about banging the door frame with some weights.

Needless to say, I have been extremely safety conscious ever since and
no AD's in some 30 years now!

Reminds me of the time I "almost" electrocuted myself at work.
Once again, stupid, but with just enough smarts to save myself.

 

[Bonstrosity]

The first time I went out hunting it happened. It was almost intentional though. I was just a little guy w/ a hammer single shot .410 and my dad had taught me all the rules. then at the end of the day he told me to lower the hammer down and reminded me once again that I should always point it in a safe direction. And my dad could just tell it was going to happen. the hammer sliped and the gun went off(in a safe direction). I'll never have a gun pointed in an unsafe direction now though...it was like it was "shot" into my memory w/ one big boom.

 

[MostToysWins]

I put a hole in my dining room table with a .32.

Almost took out the cat that was asleep on one of the chairs.

I have been 150% more careful after that incident..pretty funny when I think back on it now...

I've never seen a cat move that fast before...

 

[chris in va]

Not yet after a year, but the first time I rented a Sig 228 at the range I did an accidental double-tap. Kinda rattled my nerves.

 

[Jacobie]

Once after coming home from the range i was cleaning and locking back up my guns, when my roomate at the time picked up my 9mm and asked if it was loaded. Of course as im saying yes BANG she shot a hole right through my filing cabinet. I called the police to let them know (at that time i was living in a apartment complex) in case anyone called and reported the shot. The police officers were actually laughing and joking that its a good thing that they never accidently discharge thier weapons, they were laughing and rolling thier eyes while they were saying this. Scary at the time but no one got hurt and i didnt go to jail, so now it makes for a cool story. I actually still have the file cabinet. By the way i offered to show the police my papers for my guns which were in the cabinet, but informed them that they now had a 9mm hole through them. they just laughed.

 

[azurefly]

No, I have not had a negligent discharge.

And I'm going to buck the crowd and say that I don't expect to, either. I don't believe the line that if you use guns long enough you'll have one.

If I ever have one, it will not be due to my own negligence, but to an equipment failure. And even that is unlikely, because I keep my equipment in good working order and condition.

I think it is b.s. excuse-making to say that everyone'll have one eventually; it's like they're preparing ahead of time to have an excuse ready in case they ever screw up.

I have an idea: Before you go pulling a trigger, check the damned chamber of the gun you're holding. Don't ever pull a trigger on a gun you didn't just see -- and feel -- was unloaded. Pointing the gun in a safe direction doesn't enter into it. It's a redundancy. But if you've already assured the thing that the redundancy is built in to cover for (a.k.a. unloading the gun for certain), you could point the gun at your face for all it matters.



-azuretiredofthedamnedexcusescausethey'rebullcrapfly

 

[raktrak]

Misfired Weapons

COME ON NOW AZUREFLY YOU MEAN TO TELL ME THAT YOU are so perfect that it's not possible for you to do anything that was a mistake. Aren't you and all those SAINTS crowded up there ?

 

[stratus]

I don't feel that I'm fundamentally above being the cause of a negligent discharge. I think it's possible for me to make a mistake and have it happen. If I were ever to forget that, or shrug it off, then I think my chances of peril would shoot up dramatically.

 

[DocFox]

azurefly ...I applaude your statement, and agree; however I would add one thing in agreement with the others. If you believe you are capable of having that momentary lapse of judgement, it will help you remain vigilant against that lapse. I do not believe I will EVER have this happen to me, but I also fear that it COULD happen, and becuase I believe it COULD happen, I remain conscious of my every action.

Doc

 

[RJay]

There are two types of gun people. Those who have had a A/D, and those who are going to have a A/D. It may be something which can't be controled such as equipment failure or a design flaw ( such as the Remington 600 firing on closing the bolt or taking off the safety) or exhaustion after several days of little sleep, or just the plain dumbs. But it will happen, maybe not today , maybe not tomorrow, but soon. This is why safe gun handling is stressed, or as my old drill instructer used to scream, up and down range at all times.

 

[MrAcheson]

No, but that doesn't mean I couldn't.