Unintentional discharges

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BlueTrain

New member
I mean from a gun, of course. Sooner or later, hopefully later, anyone who fools around with guns will have one go off at an unscheduled time and place. One man told me the hunting cabin he used share with friends had a lot of holes in the ceiling, for instance. I have had my share.

The funny thing is, they were with revolvers. You know, those things that are so easy to check to see if they are loaded or not. A surefire way, believe me, is to pull the trigger enough times. Fortunately, in my case, a concrete wall was all that got in the way. Both events took place in my basement with .38 specials and both times my wife was upstairs. She didn't get that upset and jus said, "Well, be more careful." Her forgiving attitude may have something to do with having a father who would pull something out of his closet to show me that I had never seen before and in some cases, never even heard of. Ever heard of a "Gamegetter?"

Another unintentional shot fired took place with a .22 rifle that would go off when you chambered a round. That took place when I was still rather young but I remember it quite clearly. In that case everyone was outside shooting various guns. This was in a place where everyone generally had a number of guns around, though not always the very best money could buy (more like all their money could buy). That and a couple of other things (like shipping a loaded rifle through UPS) made me wonder if people who are really familiar with guns are any safer in handling them than anyone else.

In any event, it is a little embarassing to admit doing dumb things but I have and they didn't all have to do with selling a nice gun, either.
 
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HS

New member
Damn..... and I thought this was going to be "interesting" LOL :D

I like to point out that if a FINGER is involved it is a NEGLIGENT discharge but if the weapon/rig is faulty in some way, then it is "accidental" BUT if you know the gun is UNSAFE then..... yer a person with a short life span ;)
 
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BlueTrain

New member
HS, were you ever in a negligent with your car? Besides, how do you discover that--oh, never mind.

I have learned a few things as I went along, sometimes after three or four lessons at that. One thing I learned is not to always take at face value things that great, learned men had to say. Elmer Keith thought it was safer if your guns were always loaded. I have decided otherwise, at least for myself.

On the other hand, I have never known another person who ever told me of having an unintentional discharge, other than the man telling about his hunting cabin. But then he was talking about other people.

Likewise, I have no personal knowledge of anyone being harmed by the accidental, unintentional or otherwise incidental discharge of a firearm or of anyone harmed by a "stray bullet," which appear to be common accross the river in D.C. I have personally known, however, six men and women who died from gunshot wounds, plus one more killed with a razor for good measure. I have only known personally one person who died in a car accident (or negligent).
 
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hkg3

New member
I personally have never had a negligent discharge. However one of my friends accidentally shot his 1911 in the house thinking it was empty. He said he never really heard the shot. The bullet went through a few walls, and embedded in the tile in the shower. :eek:

Another buddy of mine shot himself in the foot with a .22. :rolleyes:
 
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Rob P.

Moderator
I actually have had 1 accidental discharge. I was working on an ancient .25 automatic that had a sticking slide. I had some dummy rounds to load the mag with and somehow stuck a live round (where it came from I have NO idea since there aren't any live rounds allowed in the room) in there instead. Racked the weapon, pulled the trigger and shot my glass fireplace screen to smithereens.

Funny thing was, the gun was on safe at the time too. Turns out there were some worn parts in there that I hadn't known about since I hadn't disassembled the weapon far enough due to the slide problem.

Rule #1 - never point a gun at anything you don't want to shoot. Oh well, the fireplace started it.
 
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BlueTrain

New member
I might add that in both cases where I managed to unexpectedly fire a revolver in the basement, .38 special both times, that the report just sounded like a mild pop, although I assure you they were normal loads. But it is an interesting phenomenom nevertheless. Both times the bullet hit the concrete wall and just chipped the surface a little bit, which was also interesting. I don't recall where the bullets ended up but fortunately no other damage resulted.

It used to be normal in charts of pistol cartridges to give penetration in pine boards but that no longer appears to be so common.
 
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Rojoe67

New member
Blue

:eek: You did what? more than once? Wow, get rid of that evil spirit in your basement or the 38 or both....... Or get better trained with your firearms. Glad I don't live near you. Not to be unkind but to be honest I just don't see making that ?mistake two times....... let alone once? Sorry.... :eek:
 
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BlueTrain

New member
I apologize for having lived so long as to make the same mistake twice. It may be a good thing you don't live near me. However, I cannot document when these incidents occurred but I've lived in the same house for 18 years.
During that same period my car has been rammed twice sitting on the street in front of my house. Unintentionally, accidently and negligently.

Evil spirits, sun spots and the signs all wrong.
 
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459

Moderator
perhaps a NRA safety course? Dont mean to be rude, but picking up a firearm and checking to see if its loaded by pulling the trigger multiple times makes me wonder whether you should own them. Dude if you forget post a safety poster in the area where you keep and or clean them..once is bad..twice is not acceptable..you couldve blasted your wife!!! and its a wheel gun to!!
 
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blackmind

Moderator
Blue Train said:
I mean from a gun, of course. Sooner or later, hopefully later, anyone who fools around with guns will have one go off at an unscheduled time and place. One man told me the hunting cabin he used share with friends had a lot of holes in the ceiling, for instance. I have had my share.

The funny thing is, they were with revolvers. You know, those things that are so easy to check to see if they are loaded or not. A surefire way, believe me, is to pull the trigger enough times. Fortunately, in my case, a concrete wall was all that got in the way.
Click to expand...

Sorry, but this post sickens me.

For one thing, NO, not everyone who "fools around with guns" will have a NEGLIGENT discharge. Only people who use their guns irresponsibly will do so -- that includes people being cavalier or letting their attention lapse, of course.

It was not "fortunate" that a concrete wall was what got in the way. It should have been by design. If you had an ND and were "fortunate" that you shot only a concrete wall, it sounds to me like you:
- didn't keep your finger off the trigger
- didn't assure that the gun was unloaded
- were not even deliberately keeping the muzzle trained in a harmless directon (it just happened to be, "fortunately")

How many BASIC, RUDIMENTARY gun safety rules do you break in any given instance of gun handling?? :eek: You say you have had your "share"?! Geez, if I had even ONE ND, I'd be reexamining what I am doing owning guns. TWO, and I'd probably give them up. "MY SHARE"?! I'd probably ask someone to put a bullet in my own brain for me ('cause with "my share" of gun mishaps, chances are I'd screw that up if I did attempt it on my own).

Blue Train said:
That and a couple of other things (like shipping a loaded rifle through UPS) made me wonder if people who are really familiar with guns are any safer in handling them than anyone else.
Click to expand...

Oh, YOU screw up -- repeatedly -- with something as serious as guns, and now you want to project that everyone else must be as negligent as you are?

Get real.

Being "really familiar with guns" is not tantamount to being a responsible person, who will handle guns responsibly and with due care.


-blackmind
 
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AndrewTB

Moderator
I just got back from my class :).

INstructor said that a misfires or unintentional discharge isnt an accident nor a mistake. If you know the 4 rules its pure negligance.

Now having an actual mechanical error is a different thing.
 
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HS

New member
HS, were you ever in a negligent with your car?
Besides, how do you discover that--oh, never mind.
Click to expand...

1.Yes I've had two minor a/d's with the car in my 25 years of driving - Both minor and avoidable :(

2.And how do you discover that....

Well I did say that "if you know" the gun is faulty= As in forwarned.... :rolleyes:

Now, I'm not purposely giveing you a HARD TIME, was just pointing out that finger off the trigger is the best safety available :)
 
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HS

New member
Ok, here's the best description of an ACCIDENTAL DISCHARGE
Happened maybe 6 years ago, Police Officer (C.E.R.T. - Like SWAT)
here in Oz was testing a new thigh holster with his Glock.

As he drew the weapon the thumb break flap caught the trigger and BOOM !
Entered his leg travelled DOWN his femur and exited via his KNEE CAP :eek:

So this wasn't his normal carry rig, it was a TEST RIG, so I really don't think we could blame him too much for what happened..... :(
 
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blackmind

Moderator
He couldn't have TESTED the new rig WITHOUT AMMO IN THE GUN?



I motion that this be termed yet another NEGLIGENT discharge.

If he was not certain how the gun/holster combo would function together, and had never put the one into the other, he had no business doing so for the first time with LIVE AMMO.


In fact, it doesn't matter what the discipline is; the first time (or first few times, if not more) you use new gear, you do so cautiously, and you don't push it to the edge of the envelope.

The first time I used my skydive rig after I bought it, do you suppose I just threw it into high-performance hook-turn landings?

The people who do that, on new gear that they have not felt out thoroughly, get themselves killed.

(or kneecapped)



-blackmind
 
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blackmind

Moderator
How would the thumb break flap actuate the trigger on the DRAW?


Isn't it common to have such accidents occur when a gun is being replaced into its holster, since anything that gets caught in the trigger guard (thumb break flaps, perhaps?) PUSHES AGAINST the trigger, in a relative sense, as the gun is pushed forward?


-blackmind
 
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HS

New member
Ok, ya got me on semantics.... :rolleyes:

He may well have been holstering, he may have
had the holster as a test rig for weeks.
Geez it was a long time ago to remember specifics...LOL ;)
Thought it was pertinent to the thread.
 
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BlueTrain

New member
Me again.
I never said that I shipped a loaded gun. The man who married my stepbrother's daughter was from Washington or Oregon sent his rifle to my stepbrother. I happened to be visiting there when it arrived and it happened to be loaded. No one else there knew how to unload the rifle without working the bolt (it was a bolt action).

Now, on to AndrewTB: your instructor groups misfires and unintentional discharges together?

I am also sorry this thread sickens anyone. It was intended to get to a basic issue with firearms (safety with a dangerous object). But don't be so hard on yourself and don't expect absolute perfection from people. You won't get it. People do learn from their mistakes, most of them anyway. And if it makes anyone happy, I don't do much shooting anymore. I am almost 60 and my eyesight isn't what it used to be, if it ever was. I now understand what my father was talking about when he complained about not being able to shoot. Then, too, they were just an interest. I know there is a first time for everything but so far I've never had an occasion when having a firearm would have been a good idea. That comment ought to get people talking, too.

I suppose all of you who have ever cut your self with a knife no longer "fool with" knives either. By they way, none of you are the sort that would pin down the grip safety on your 1911, are you?
 
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