Scary Range Incident Tonight - or "Sudden Fear of Guns"

Thanks for asking

I've been CCWing since - doesn't seem to be any continuing severe anxiety around my guns. Just a wariness. It was a sobering experience the other night, and was probably good to see in the long run: the best safety class is to see a real dangerous event, and thankfully no one was hurt. It's harder even with a handgun than a long gun to keep that barrel from pointing around where it shouldn't I think: really takes the conscious intent to PAY ATTENTION. I have to always remember that. I did carry in my usual way, and am not going to suddenly change my protocol - or get rid of my guns. That was just an initial fear-reaction. I do things safely after all. I was not the problem in the event I witnessed.

One friend I mentioned this story too had a better/worse one: as teenagers, one of their friends came over to their house and a shotgun was lying out, fully loaded, that someone was about to take out on their property and use. He had gone to the bathroom or something first. Their young friend picked it up and - not realizing it was loaded - pointed it just to the right of a couch a family member was sitting on, and pulled the trigger. Blew out the French Doors and nearly the family member!

Thanks again for asking.... I appreciate it!
 
Fact is, he had the gun pointed in a safe direction and for that we should all be grateful.
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TexasSeaRay, I don't mean to be contentious here, but he did not have the gun pointed in a safe direction, he just got incredibly, unbelievably, lucky.

went thru the tile-ceiling, through the 2nd flr and into a the concrete-looking building ceiling - maybe ricocheted somewhere else, don't know.
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Even though the gun went off without the trigger being pulled (I'll give him the benefit of doubt here) it was a Negligent Discharge. If someone had been walking upstairs, they would have been killed. A ricochet could easily have caused major injury or even a fatality.

Just because a gun is malfunctioning doesn't mean it won't fire. We must remember to keep it pointed in a safe direction until it has been made safe. If you have a steel bullet trap 50 yards away, that's your best bet. If you're hunting on a flat plain, the ground will have to do.

The only time "up" is a safe direction is when you are on the top floor of a multi story structure and don't know what is below you. Even then, there may be a better alternative.

gvf, glad to hear your doing okay.

Joe
 
None of us is guaranteed another day on this earth, not even another minute. Death can come anytime and it can come quick without any warning whatsoever. You cannot dwell on the what if's or the close calls. It was an unfortunate accident but you weren't hurt. Forget about it and move on.
 
That link to the MRI vs 1911 incident was very interesting! I recently had an MRI and I left my carry gun locked in the glove box of my car as a courtesy to the hospital. I would never have thought that the Magnetic force in there would pull a gun across a room and fire it! Spooky! I guess Carrying a Glock is a + if you have the issue of carrying in an extreme magnetic environment.
 
That link to the MRI vs 1911 incident was very interesting! I recently had an MRI and I left my carry gun locked in the glove box of my car as a courtesy to the hospital. I would never have thought that the Magnetic force in there would pull a gun across a room and fire it! Spooky!
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Interesting but just about inevitable. The magnetic part of MRI is a magnet so strong that it aligns the body's Hydrogen atoms according to their polarity. The resonance part is a sonic disruption that knocks them out of whack. The image is created by receptors that measure the time it takes for the magnet to re-align them. That's one powerful magnet. Serious injuries have ocurred when metallic objects were hurled across the room. Any MRI tech needs to be certain that nothing with magnetic properties is present. A plastic framed gun would have had similar results. It is kind of strange that it actually discharged, though.
 
I have been very close to two VERY scary unintended discharges. Both times the day was over...right then! A little later,(a day or two), after time to think about the event, I saw the lesson. Next time I could go hunting/shooting I was already ready. You learned the lesson presented. Internalize it and make it part of your everyday life.

Oh...and thanks for passing that lesson to us.

Shoot safe.

Mark.
 
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