...work to be ever vigilant of the unintentional discharge.
AMEN!
Just a few years ago I fired a pistol in my house and killed my bed.
I'd been working on a job where my attire had to fit a certain criteria due to it being a company that processed edibles. I could not wear my typical daily carry without detection, so I opted for a small pocket .380 during working hours. I allowed myself to get into the habit of simply dropping it in a drawer when I would get home from work and swap to my regular carry option, still loaded with safety engaged, ready for the following day of work.
Got a call one weekend from a little lady I used to date and made plans to take her and her daughter to the range with my sons as the three of us had already made plans to do that weekend. In preparing and packing for our day at the range I grabbed some firearms that I thought she and her daughter may enjoy, the pocket .380 being one of my choices. I retrieved it from the drawer, dropped the magazine onto the bed, half racked the slide and saw that there was a round in it, then promptly flipped the safety off pointing it down at the bed and pulled the trigger to relieve the firing pin!
I don't have an explanation.
I don't have an excuse.
I couldn't even begin to tell you what my thinking was at that moment.
I knew exactly what I was doing and did it anyway!
It WAS an accident and completely unintentional.
I certainly did not mean to kill my bed much less fire the pistol in my home.
But it WAS NOT an accident and must have been intentional.
I looked at the round in the chamber and proceeded to kill my bed.
Regardless it WAS negligence and carelessness, and lets face it, just plain old stupidity on my part. I neglected to actually engage my primary safety mechanism when handling a firearm, my brain.
Though in thinking over what I did, I'm not certain that I've got one of those!
I am ashamed at my stupidity, and inexpressibly thankful that the only casualty was the bed and my pride. That was the only accidental/negligent/unintentional/careless discharge I've had in my life and you can bet that I will no longer allow myself complacency and I am again now, "ever vigilant of the unintentional discharge.", so that no one ever sees first hand the depth of my stupidity again. (wishful thinking)
A little side note... the bullet traveled from about a foot above the bed through a 12 inch thick mattress, 10 inch thick box spring, and lodged in a 1/2 inch slat of rough sawn oak beneath pretty much intact... never passing through to the hard wood floor.
I don't know about anyone else, but that makes me think more critically about caliber choice.