How do you clean a loaded gun?
Just joking...
Really not a bad question for one asked in jest. As long as a firearm is in it's assembled state, it's NEVER "unloaded". Let me give you an example...I know an ol' Mississippi boy who found out the hard way at a gun show in Texas several years ago. His friend (both dealers working the same booth), took a brand new, still in the box, never opened .45 semi out of the packaging, pointed at his buddy in a joshing manner, pulled the trigger. The piece was still loaded with a proof load from the factory. Sure, the guy made a fortune from this incident, but I wouldn't sell one of MY testicles or a good portion of my upper thigh for what he got for his. Once disassembled and incapable of firing, it is no longer a firearm. Until that point, it should always be treated as "loaded". No way for anyone to get hurt in correct muzzle awareness is practiced at all times.
OK, I might have been a little irresponsible....
You could have possibly left yourself open to having to live with taking a life you never meant to take. Really bad karma, that.
But in my defense, I was not raised around guns.
Then please learn what you can, and
THINK about everything else you do with a potentially deadly tool. You don't sound from this post as smug, and I think that with some time, you'll be an asset to the shooting community...
IF you don't do something that turns out to be the most regrettable part of your life.
My family has very little interest in guns.
Sorry to hear that. My youth was spent at my Dad's heels learning about shooting, hunting, etc. Good times. My kids' days were similarly spent at my heels. Hopefully someday, you'll be able to do that for YOUR progeny. I'd really like to think that when that day comes, you'll do it safely and responsibly. You and yours will develop a deep link from sharing good fun that also teaches COMPLETE responsibility for all your actions.
I was "given" a handgun about a year ago and I am still learning about it and responsible gun ownership.
This is one good place. Some of us old farts may come off as highly unaccepting of unsafe behavior, and truth is, most are. Some of us (unfortunately) have seen first hand the results of bad habits. I have. Wish to God above I hadn't. There are several other great places. There should be a range SOMEWHERE near you that offers NRA firearms classes. I'd suggest hunting one of these down. Also, finding a mentor who really knows about safety and gun handling is a good idea. You'd be amazed at what you can learn from a grumpy old fart. I try to keep a few of them close by all the time, but alas, the older I get, the harder it gets to find anyone grumpier and older than me who is still alive and able to teach. Just make sure that when you choose your mentor, you choose carefully. A bad teacher is a terrible thing. A good one will give you advice and pointers that will stay with you well beyond your shooting years.
I expect to learn more and more about guns and responsible gun ownership for the rest of my life.
I am a lot more carefull now.
THAT is encouraging.
How many shops keep the handguns, in the glass display cabinet, pointed towards the front of the shop???
The thing is, guns in a cabinet don't fire themselves. It's when they come into contact with human hands that the potential for trouble rears it's ugly head. If you ask to see one of the weapons and the clerk "sweeps" you with it, kindly correct him. If he doesn't take kindly correction well, ask to have his manager kindly correct him. If his manager doesn't see the need for adhering to the the four rules, take your business elsewhere. If one blue pill got out of a factory, then however small the odds, another one might get through the loading dock doors one day. If that should happen, you do not want to be on the other end of that "unloaded" gun.
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"Irrational behavior is part of human nature."
There is another apt quote I like much better than that one. Sure most in this forum are familiar with it. "Stupidity, if left alone, is self correcting." R.A. Heinlein