The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Gunset Training Group or its affiliates.
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Here recently I’ve seen several news stories (some new, some old but reposted) about gun owners accidentally shooting themselves or others. Some caused injuries, some caused death. All of them were preventable. I commented about a couple on my old blog: http://www.bibliophilesgunblog.wordpress.com. I want to revisit my “It’s OK to be paranoid” post.
In that post, I said:
People often make fun of others for being paranoid. One thing I will never make fun of is someone who is “paranoid” about gun safety.
The more I think about it, the more I have come to believe that the average firearm owner that I have come across is not paranoid enough about gun safety. Why do I say that? Well, it’s based on 25+ years of dealing with your average firearm owner in some fashion, whether it’s working behind the counter at the gun shop or teaching classes for the gun shop. And teaching new police officers in the academy and veteran police officers during in-service training. It’s being handed “unloaded” firearms which really aren’t. It’s watching people wave guns around without regard to who they muzzle. It’s watching people who are looking at new pistols immediately place their finger on the trigger when they pick that pistol up. Those are the most common violations I have seen. There’s no malicious intent, just plain old ignorance and carelessness. You would think that the culprits in question were mostly first time gun owners.
Wrong.
News flash – just because someone has been “around guns all my life” does not make them the safest gun handler in the room. Many times it is just the opposite.
Another news flash – just because someone retired from the military/was a combat vet/was or is a police officer/whatever does not make them a safe gun handler or knowledgeable person when it comes to firearms. Some of the safest gun owners I know have never served in the military or law enforcement. Some of the most unsafe gun owners I have known were prior military or law enforcement. It is incumbent on your average gun owner to get paranoid about gun safety so that things like this never happen:
Tragic story, an apparently well trained female concealed handgun licensee made a mistake and took her eyes off her two year old for too long. She ended up being shot by her son.
Man accidentally shoots and kills friend
Another tragedy. A friend fooling around with an “unloaded” pistol shoots himself through the hand and his friend. Killing his friend.
Off duty police officer shoots himself in stomach
This off duty officer is lucky to be alive. He tried to do too much with just one hand and had his finger on the trigger. Watch the video.
NYPD Rookie shoots man in stairwell
This rookie cop ruined his career before it even really got out of the starting blocks. He had his finger on the trigger when it shouldn’t have been and was startled by someone in a stairwell. Startle reflex = pulled trigger. And an innocent person dead.
I’m working a case right now where a group of guys are absolutely lucky they didn’t kill someone (actually lots of someones) with their AK47 clone. As far as I can tell, there was no malice in their actions, just sheer ignorance and stupidity. When the case is closed I’ll post more details.
These are just a few examples of preventable firearm injuries/deaths over the last 2 months. Think of how many don’t make the news.
If you are reading this and are new to firearms, go here and read:
NRA Rules for Safe Gun Handling
Those rules are a great place to start your education. But those NRA rules don’t talk about everything. They don’t talk about your clothes being a safety hazard like what happened here: Indiana Police Chief’s drawstring causes pistol to fire.
For those of you who read this and are thinking “Good article (hopefully), a must read for newer gun owners”, remember this: “uneventful familiarity breeds contempt”. Ever met a guy who has worked construction for 30 years that has a bandage on his hand and is now short two fingers because he stopped respecting the band saw? I have. Yes, it can happen to you, too.
The bottom line is this: Get paranoid about gun safety. Get your gun safety tin foil hat on and keep it there.
