On the positive side, he pointed at the floor and not at anyone else. Should be thankful for that. Wow!

When I was in the CG they issued us 1911s right before we got underway in the small boat. Policy was to carry it empty with a loaded magazine. When we got back to the station we all had to go over to the clearing station and
1. Remove the magazine
2. Lock the slide to the rear and show an empty chamber.

Most everyone just slipped the pistol back into the holster with the slide locked back and we schlepped up to the armory.

I was in line behind another firman when the OOD was stowing the guns in the safe. A BM3 in front of us musta knocked his slide lock cause the slide was forward…(he apparently had a habit of reinserting the mag into his gun). He dropped the magazine and handed it(mag)to the OOD and then the BM3 pointed the pistol into the safe and dropped the hammer.

Mind you, we’re basically standing outside of a closet with a safe in it…BANG, some “oh shit” , lots of stammering, then we all had to write what had happened, who did what, etc.

We all followed protocol, except that guy. He got put on report, went to Captains Mast (art 15 for you land lubbers) was awarded 15&15, loss of 1/2 pay for a month and had to report to the engineers for his extra duty daily. The Chief hated snipes and figured wiping bilges would really make this guy think in the future.

The round hit the slide of the 1911 in the top drawer of the safe and ricocheted into the back of he safe. Nothing was damaged but the pistol had a copper smear on the slide until we turned them in the next year to be replaced by the M9.

Henceforth he shall be known as
Carpet Killer
Floor hunter

Basement driller
Booger hook bad man

Bang hole bob
Watch this wally

I've been around guns my whole life.

(Rifles) Revolvers, then semi-auto pistols. Also in the military.

I never pick up a firearm that is not mine without being offered to me. I always clear it (unless on a range and it's presented on a live firing line) when it is handed to me. Drop mag, rack, rack, rack, lock back, look in the chamber.

I have never "naturally" rack a slide when I pick up a pistol. It is "unnatural" for me to do so.

And there are two things "louder" than anything else.
A firearm going "bang" when it should not and a firearm not going "bang" when it should.

I would have "channeled" the late R. Lee Eremy...

I’m glad nobody was hurt. That is why we have multiple safe handling rules, so nobody does get hurt. I’ve had exactly one ND in my lifetime. Unfortunately it hurt more than concrete. I’ve never talked about it. All the wishing in the world won’t take that day away. Be safe everyone.

Every time I pick one up, or have one handed to me, I assume that the magazine is loaded and there is one in the chamber. Period. I need to see daylight through both ends, and the booger hook stays away from the bang lever. This has never failed. I'm glad no one was injured.

Originally posted by bendable:

Some great stuff, but you overlooked:

9 Mill Drill

quote:

Originally posted by Schmelby:
racks the slide
he points it at the floor and
pulls the trigger

Any idea what he might have been thinking?

quote:

Originally posted by joel9507:

quote:

Originally posted by Schmelby:
racks the slide
he points it at the floor and
pulls the trigger

Any idea what he might have been thinking?

Maybe partly my fault. I've lived alone for the last three years and he knows the only gun I
keep loaded downstairs is the Glock 19 on the bookcase. I always have several others out that
I clean or just get out every year just to wipe down. He picks them up and racks the slide to make
sure they are not loaded. The Glock 27 I used to keep in my car but don't anymore. I had a box full
of assorted mags I brought downstairs to sort out, along with the Glock 27. I didn't unload the mag
on the 27. He was so used to the only gun loaded was the 19. I know it's no excuse but I hope it
doesn't sour him on shooting. I've haven't taken him to the range as much as I did my oldest son and that's
my fault. It scared the hell out of him.

quote:

Originally posted by OKCGene:

I mean, I figured well just how loud could just a simple primer be?
.

That brought back a memory from my military days. I lived with a couple of other Navy guys and we liked to shoot. In winter we would occasionally load a bunch of .38s with only primers and then press the cartridge into blocks of canning paraffin. We’d shoot in the basement against targets hung on a blanket hanging from the ceiling joists. The primer had plenty of poop to push the wax out but not enough to penetrate the blanket. Cheap fun.

quote:

Originally posted by Schmelby:
Maybe partly my fault.

Only if, in drumming gun safety into their heads, you failed to include always treating all guns as being loaded and to immediately check any gun you pick up or is handed to you before doing anything else. Otherwise it was all on him.

I'm glad nobody was hurt.

quote:

Originally posted by architect:
I hope you learned a lesson too, not to store a semi-auto with an empty chamber but a charged magazine. Personally, I believe this to be an very dangerous practice, a firearm should be loaded (chambered) and ready for use, or completely "dry" with no ammunition present depending on its intended purpose (defense or storage). Racking the slide upon pickup is a very natural action, no matter how ill-advised.

Also, there's another lesson to drill into the kids' heads: "a gun is always loaded."

I dunno. My firearms are either loaded and chambered or they are empty, but I don’t assume that others do the same. If one carefully verifies the condition of any gun that is handed to them or that they pick up, immediately, as the first thing they do, I’m not sure the storage conditions matter. Many LEO carry their rifle with a full magazine and an empty chamber and it doesn’t seem to cause problems.

Glad nobody got hurt. The rule I always had at my house was if it's in a holster it's ready to go bang and if it's ready to go bang it's in a holster.

Two ND's both 1911's. My armorer at Ft Bragg in 1968 when checking in a prisoner's guard weapon & my 1st wife's stupid brother when removing a 1911 from his deceased fathers work auto. Both pulled the trigger after checking the empty chamber & then removing the mag.

Well, that was dumb. Thankfully he followed the other rules and nobody was hurt, and hopefully he learned something from it. You've always gotta assume a gun is loaded until you are 100% sure it's not, and order of operations is vital (mag comes out first, then visible and physical chamber check. I usually rack the slide a few times, too, just to be sure).

The only loaded guns in my house that aren't on my person are the ones stored in quick access safes. My kids know better than to touch anything they might find lying out, but they are of an age now where they have friends over frequently and I can't risk somebody doing something ignorant, so everything stays locked up. Everything in my main safe is unloaded, but I still check them immediately upon removing them for a range trip or maintenance.

quote:

When I'm gone I'll make sure he gets the Glock 27.

An appropriate plan...I like the way you think .

Whether the gun was loaded or unloaded, he checked it or you checked it, a mag missing or not, I don’t understand the reason for pulling the trigger. Thankfully he pointed the pistol away and no one got hit. I bet he never does that again.

Lesson learned.

Can't remember who it was. But someone on here had a similar story. But if I remember right they murdered their bathroom sink.

No aspect of this ND was in any way your fault.

Unless he is in some way mentally impaired.

Perhaps now, from this learning experience, he can rethink how he behaves around firearms


Sidebar:
Perhaps three five gallon buckets half full of sand,
Placed one inside the other
Would make a good option for clearing weapons for him.

Well, he'll NEVER do that again...

He probably knew better, but that was an incredible lapse in judgment.

Thanks for posting!! You knew you'd get some flack, but maybe it was a good reminder for the rest of us.