Gunshot...what do you do?

Good for you! Some people will react.

As for it being a gun show and so people expect that sort of thing sometimes, nobody expects it. What if it was a double tap (the reason for the double firing unknown to the crowd)? What if it was a short full auto burst? At what point do you decide that you might be in real trouble? Does it need to be a sustained amount of fire for a while, shots then a span of time, then more shots? Isn't the fact that the first round went off enough or are many folks too lazy to move toward an exit.

If you can reason that a shot in a gun show must be an ND, then you can reason that it would be prudent for you to move in a safe direction and away from the danger until you have confirmation of your hypothesis.
 
Doggieman, A+. I also would have gone about my business. Had the single shot been at work well here's the story. We are helping customers at the pawn counter when bang a gunshot from behind us. Both of us draw and immediately move toward the back fearing that someone had breached our shops back door and met our jeweler (he works in an office in the rear of the shop next to the back door). Turns out that the jeweler decided to play with the shop 12 gauge and had a ND with a 3 inch buckshot (ouch). My coworker and I both reacted swiftly and as if we had rehearsed the very situation dozens of time before (I wonder why). Practice make perfect.
 
Yeah, I had one of those...well sort of.

I had pulled up to a small cafe that sits on the highway outside Standford, MT. I had just exited my old IH travelall when heard that familiar CRACK!:eek: I was immediatly down in a crouch near the rear fender, and upon closer inspection my .44mag Super Blackhawk was in my hand with the hammer back! How did that get there?!?

It turned out the guy on the other side of the blacktop road had had an ND with a 30-30 stored chamber loaded, amid the clutter behind the seat of his pickup. Noone was hurt and he ended up with a neat hole in the side of his rig for his foolishness. I wiped my shorts & drove on.
 
Situational Awareness...

Seems to be a tired and overworked phrase, but it fits.

Double Naught, you did the right thing in the instance; started looking and assessing. One shot and quiet. No cries of "And the horse you rode in on!" or sounds of flight or anything to indicate the situation is continuing or escalating.

On the other hand, samsmix did exactly the right thing, too. Take a covered position and assess the situation. Being all alone, he drew his gun in precaution. Another one of those things that 'just happen' and life goes on.

It strikes me most of the folks here do the right thing, have done the right thing and will continue to do the right thing. Shots fired do not always require shots in return. On the other hand, a shot fired requires attention to what is going on.

Three basic questions for most any situation like this:

1. Who shot?
2. Why did they shoot?
3. Does anyone require being shot any more at this time?

Obviously, one's own situation bears on the course of action. Being in charge of a Sunday School class of second graders on an outing is different that if I'm on my way to the range, alone. (You all knew that.)

If nothing else, one must at least determine which direction to go to avoid more problems.
 
For my part, if I'm at a gun show and I hear a shot, I will probably react as follows:

1. Jump 3-7 feet into the air.
2. Evacuate bladder.
3. Scramble for my 1911.
4. Finding my 1911 holster empty, scramble for the latch on the carrying case I'm holding.
5. Draw 1911 from the carrying case; notice it feels "weird."
6. Waive 1911 wildly around the convention center, without regard for safety concerns, ettiquite, or a proper shooting platform. Wonder why the sights aren't lining up the way I'm used to.
7. Recognize that the goons at the front desk made me tie a zip-tie through the mag well and chamber before entry to the event. Curse them under my breath.
8. Return 1911 to the case. Pick up all the cleaning parts and the manual from the storage compartment of the case. Move out of the puddle on the floor. (See step 2, above.)
9. Realize that at this point 30 more seconds have passed, without a second shot. Conclude that this is probably a one-shot incident. Still fail to conclude that I am safe.
10. Spend the next 5 minutes standing perfectly still, wondering where the exits are, wondering if anyone saw me act like a complete idiot with the 1911, wondering if anyone can smell the puddle or the part of the puddle still on me (See step 2, above.).
11. Get my credit card back from the ammo guy who has seen fit to hang on to it for what seems like 3 1/2 hours while he figures out how to work his own charge machine. Curse ammo guy for his lack of security precautions in handling my credit card. Realize that another 30 minutes has passed. Begin to calm down.
12. Leave as quickly as I can while carrying that much ammo. Curse the ammo for "being so heavy."

And, here's the most important step:

13. NEVER RETURN TO THAT GUN SHOW AGAIN!!!

Others could probably handle such an event much better than me. I'm just trying to speculate as to how I would handle it, if I ever needed to.
 
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I agree wholeheartedly on the "context" angle; as tragic as it might be, a ND is something you might expect at a gun show. A single shot might not bring out the full range of reaction that folks might have otherwise.

I experienced an accidental (negligent, whatever:rolleyes: ) discharge at a very small gun show at the local VFW. Here in Phoenix, we have massively large shows, and its not normally worth my while to attend the small ones. This one was right across the street from where I lived at the time, so what the heck.

It was a private owner who had some small .22 or .32 or something like that in a revolver on display. Thank goodness pointing in a safe direction was followed; the bullet went more or less harmlessly in the floor. I went down in a crouch to the floor, reaching for my own gun, which of course wasn't there. Didn't see too many other reactions; everyone seemed to assume it was an accident, but upon seeing no one was hurt, just kind of milled about silently for an awkward minute or so.

The crazy ol' coot who had the revolver on display was ejected from the show, mumbling about how his gun show days were over. Frankly, I don't think he's been missed.

It has given me a great deal of suspicion now when dealing with "private owners"; carry gun one day and show gun the next. Think about it, if a loaded gun "accidentally", "negligently" or otherwise makes it to the floor of a gun show, it will probably be on a private owner's table, not a licensed dealer's table.

I wouldn't fault people for not over-reacting under the circumstances, though multiple shots would likely be the cue everyone is looking for to take a more drastic action than drawing a sigh of relief and saying "thank goodness that wasn't me".:o
 
I've been reading the responses and I've been trying to count how many gun shows I've to...and I have no idea...too many to count. In all those years I've never heard a shot at a gun show. Just lucky, I guess, and I'm glad of it.
Mark.
 
Every gun show I've ever been to in Texas doesn't allow loaded guns.

Don't panic. Get down real low. Look around. See where the disturbance came from. Move away from it as calmly and quickly as you can.

If I have my carry gun with me, which I ususally do, the first thing I might consider doing is buying some ammo at the show. If something goes wrong and the trash hits the fan, I need only whip out my pocket knife, cut off the plastic wire keeping my gun from functioning, open the ammo box and load up..
 
If I have my carry gun with me, which I ususally do, the first thing I might consider doing is buying some ammo at the show. If something goes wrong and the trash hits the fan, I need only whip out my pocket knife, cut off the plastic wire keeping my gun from functioning, open the ammo box and load up..
Click to expand...

Well, in once sense I am serious in another no. If a gunshot turns out to be some nut shooting at people and I cannot get to an exit without going by the area of shooting, then I am dang serious. Especially if the shooter is coming in my direction and I have nowhere to go. Granted I would have to hide under a table or out of sight while doing this, but I'd have a much better chance with a loaded gun than not.

If it is just a ND or in fact a nut and I can safely escape the area, then no I am not serious.

Worst case senario is all I mean't that comment for
 
I think that Samurai's post brings up the most germane point: apart from possibly ducking or taking cover, or running for an exit, there isn't much most folks at a gun show can do since they are "required" to not have their guns loaded.

I haven't been to lots and lots of gun shows, but I've been to a number of them here in S. Florida. The show at the fairgrounds in West Palm Beach has a "no loaded firearms" policy, but you know what? The policy may be in place, but all they do is ASK you, "Do you have any loaded guns with you?" If you say yes, they will have you unload them in a safe area. If you say no... You can walk on in with that nicely concealed GLOCK 27... :cool:

And in my opinion, if you do not plan to be taking that gun out for any reason other than dire circumstances, you are wise to simply say, "Nope!" to their question and saunter on in. I am talking about if this is your EDC gun that during any other day would be remaining just as concealed, just as permanently, then I feel there is no reason for complying with the rule and every reason not to.

I have to go to and from the show. I want my carry gun available to me as something other than a hunk of metal and plastic to hurl at an attacker. I do not want to have to take purchases out to the far reaches of the parking lot without something with which to defend against a possible robbery. I do not want to have to get back to my car and then reload my EDC CCW piece. That's just stupid.

Let's look at the logic of banning loaded-CCW in places like gun shows: how can we defend gun ownership and claim that most gun owners are competent at the same time as we are telling them they can't carry loaded CCW guns at gun shows because of the danger they present?? :confused: Are we in agreement with the antis, who would have the world believe that American CCWers are just reckless, dangerous loose cannons?

Obviously, I don't want the guy with his O/U or his SKS for sale to be walking around with it slung over his shoulder loaded. I do not want people walking around the show with guns they plan to be presenting for examination loaded. But loaded CCW is something we expect to be trusted to do safely in restaurants, shops, movie theaters, homes... and then we say, "You're not supposed to do that in gun shops and gun shows"?! :rolleyes:

I have never disarmed for gun shops and gun shows, and I don't plan to. No reasonable, compelling argument is put before me why I should have to. If the gun shop owner is concerned that I might be a robber, well, if I was a robber I would just disobey his sign. If he's concerned that I might take my CCW gun out and start being stupid and reckless with it, he ought to have a sign that says, "CCW guns MUST REMAIN CONCEALED/HOLSTERED. All other guns must be unloaded when brought on the premises."

It only makes sense that if you walk into a gun shop or show with a CCW gun on you, it should remain untouched unless it is needed for what you'd need a gun for -- armed self defense. If you plan to present the gun to a gunsmith or anyone else, you should CCW some other gun and bring the one you want worked on or sold in an unloaded condition.

I thought this stuff was just common sense...


-azurefly
 
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