Accidental Discharge: No! Unintentional discharge: Yes. And just plain Crazy

[wildrider666]

In 38 years in the classroom and on the Range in various titles (PMI, Range Safety Officer, Firearms Instructor and Range Master) I've seen too many unintentinal discharges (not accidents). Unfortunately unsafe weapons handling by rookies and professionals is too common.
Marine Passes M-60 muzzle first into Armory window while pulling trigger: Kills Armorer.
Marine in Guard ready room discharges 870: kills Marine.
Marine went nuts on range shooting everywhere, hits on Marine in leg then takes three Marines hostage.
TERT Team member discharges G22 in Ready Room after range training.

We all now about suicides on the range and murder/suicides on the range (Mom kills Son then self: FL).http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5vPnMbLr5nc

My position is NO One should be allowed on a Public or private business Range without having proof of completing a Formal firearms Safety Course. even the "professionals" suffer from trigger finger creep under stress
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6aSJgcpqePk
Officer kills Allen Grant ("Tazed" with service pistol) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WUs_6yTcLW4
Officer his suspect in head with gun in same hand: http://gunsforeveryone.com/tag/accidental-discharge/
DEA classroom training instructor shoots himself: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5IZlcbJwfP4
Officer shoots self and partner during booking: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CJf1Ku_F74Q
More bad things: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Et33bbA0GeM

My intent is not to put Military or LE in a bad light. These are individual incidents to take lessons from. There are enough bad guys shooting at us. we don't need "accidents". Project ZERO TOLERANCE for range misconduct. Handle it directly, Report it if needed, and leave the range if it continues.

WR
http://64.78.11.86/uxofiles/enclosures/MArineCorpsRangePockGuide385-631.pdf

 

[Mullet Hunter]

Ill bet you have had at least one AD in your lifetime, as well as most everyone on this forum. To put it plainly we are all human and it's just something that happens to everyone that spends any good amount of time with firearms. I've seen many, had a few I'm sure. But their is always one that sticks out in your mind, mine was with a beretta over under while bird hunting when I was 22, buddy standing next to me and I pointed the gun at the ground between us like I was taking aim at something and absent mindedly pulled off both barrels. Thank the good lord it was pointed at the ground, I felt like a dumbass and we both turned white and shit our pants. But it can happen to anyone, and usually does.

 

[Ben Ghazi]

took my 1/2 brother hunting with me and was letting him lead me down a path for two reasons.
one I wanted to keep and eye on him and two I wanted him to shoot any legal game we came across.
all of a sudden he raises the 12 ga shotgun and puts it over his shoulder with the barrel in my face and pulls the trigger.
having quick reflexes I had already ducked but some of the shot went through my hair and stood it up.he set there crying that he had almost killed me and I tried to comfort him but will never hunt with him again .
t was #6 shot and it would have sucked if I would have lived without a face
I now only hunt alone

 

[flyandscuba]

Ill bet you have had at least one AD in your lifetime, as well as most everyone on this forum.

Yep! I know I've had a couple of NDs over the years...

 

[wildrider666]

Had dozens on my ranges plus a lot of hot cook-off rounds. On a public range the guy next to me was adj the sight on a python an fired a shot between my feet. Jump shooting ducks with Nephew and he fingered the trigger instead of the safety, Bad powder burn and new pants for me. Was duck hunting in a john boat. We talked that the boat was unstable and to shoot while seated. I go to shoot and he stands up in front of my swing Boom Splash thought I killed him. Just wet and no hearing for a day or two. Had a fellow officer in the finals for a firearms inst job, while doing quick draws he shot himself in the gut and out the butt (he didn't get the position).
About the only thing I have not seen is a gun going off when it was dropped and I have seen hundreds hit the deck. I'm sure some of those sear file'rs see a few.

I have had an Oh S**t moment KNOWING a gun was unloaded and put it in the safe. When I pulled it out to clean a few days later did the check and found it had a round in the chamber! Darn Leprechauns messing with me, or maybe it was MURPHY.

 

[TraderDan]

I have had an Oh S**t moment KNOWING a gun was unloaded and put it in the safe. When I pulled it out to clean a few days later did the check and found it had a round in the chamber! Darn Leprechauns messing with me, or maybe it was MURPHY.[/QUOTE]

That's how I shot my TV. I (almost) Never leave a round in the chamber, however one night investigating a booger noise outside, I was abit uneasy and left the weapon loaded on nightstand. Later when I got it out of safe and was installing new laser grips on my sig .40 and watching Tora Tora Tora, The Japanese general was on deck laughing about bombing Pearl Harbor , when I put the red dot on his nose and D/A pulled the trigger. WOW right between the eyes. I pick up glass and lead for awhile. Some ricochet went into the stock of a nice shotgun hanging on the wall. It is deffinitally an OH SHIT moment. By the Way thoese old big TV's have aprox 3/4" glass in them and the .40 had all it could do to penetrate it , most went willy nilly all over the room in pieces.

 

[wildrider666]

I popped a bad guy on Bonanza with my RedRider, put a speck of a chip on the tube. Mom found it the very next time she cleaned! She told Dad but he said it was probably there all the time. Before I left for Boot Camp, Dad handed me a BB and said it's been Seven years; you don't have to look for it any more. Love you Dad
Glad I didn't shoot my eye out
WR

 

[DLo]

I popped a bad guy on Bonanza with my RedRider, put a speck of a chip on the tube. Mom found it the very next time she cleaned! She told Dad but he said it was probably there all the time. Before I left for Boot Camp, Dad handed me a BB and said it's been Seven years; you don't have to look for it any more. Love you Dad
Glad I didn't shoot my eye out
WR

That is great story!

 

[aknavy]

I can honestly say I've never had an unintentional discharge, and have only seen one not military training related. Been shooting since I was 8 or 9. I can't believe how many there are. Simple guidelines - check the gun every time you pick it up, treat every gun as loaded, and never put your finger on the trigger until you're ready to shoot.

 

[Burnt Drag]

My only AD happened while I was in a dove field and about 15 years old. My Dad had given me a Browning Light 12 for Christmas the year prior. It was a wonderful gift. We were lower middle class then and getting something like that was like Ward Cleaver giving Wally a new Camaro. I fiddled with the safety wanting to see if the gun would fire with a bit more than moderate pressure with the safety ON. Then a bird flew nearly into range and I clicked the safety OFF
and mounted the shotgun. I didn't fire and I didn't put the safety back ON. I sat down on my stool and toyed with the trigger again and boom. Thank the Lord there wasn't a person sitting 90 or 100 feet away. I could have put their eye out, broken their glasses or worse. I'd been shooting a single shot 16 ga up till the time Dad gave me the A-5, so when it happened, I was in a learning curve with the Browning. That was my only AD so far.... Knock on wood.

 

[Urbanfuturistic]

I keep waiting for the day, when I put the safety on on my PPK/S, and the hammer drops and it goes off. I try not to keep one chambered for that reason alone.

 

[Rebuilt]

Young and alone at home (15 at time) I loaded a shell Into my remington 870. When my parents came home I attempted to unload and like a dumbass but my finger on the trigger, 12gauge number 4 buck went through 3 layers of 1/2 inch drywall and two 2x4 studs before stopping. It was a stupid mistake that to this day sends chills down my back to think about, no one got hurt thank god. My parents put me into a gun safety class the next week.

 

[madeSICC88]

The.time it's ever happened to me I was probably 7-8 shooting my dad's 22mag revolver. Pulling back the hammer slipped out of.my hand and snapped back, it was pointed at the ground, probably 2ft from my dad's calf. I hated that gun after that day

 

[Drauka99]

Mine was getting ready to put away a pump shotgun...went to jack the slide...it was stuck...hit the release on the side with one finger and managed to hit the trigger with the other...slug went into the sheetrock And obliterated a stud...ear rang for a good hour as I kept saying Holy SH!T....always been very careful around firearms but Anyone can become over confidant.