I listened to the trauma doctor as he talked about all the accidental shooting victims he operates on in a year’s time. He couldn’t give an exact number but he said, “I see them all the time. Either someone shoots themselves while handling a firearm or shoots someone else. It happens all the time.” And just yesterday, while browsing through some on-line news stories, I read about four off the chart crazy accidental shootings that you have to hear about.
Less than a week ago, a 14 year-old boy was handling a firearm when he accidentally shot and killed his friend, which devastated him so much that he turned the gun on himself and committed suicide. The next story was about an Ohio deer hunter who was hoisting his rifle up a tree stand when it went off killing his hunting companion! Then, while in a Walmart, a guy was adjusting his concealed handgun that he had stuck in his waistband. While jostling it around it went off shooting him in his groin area. The news story said the wound wasn’t life threatening. No, but I bet it was penis threatening! Four accidental shooting stories that I stumbled on without even trying. I guess that doctor wasn’t kidding when he said, ‘It happens all the time.’
Let’s cut to the chase and talk about firearm safety. Obviously, accidental discharges (AD) happen a lot. Everyone makes mistakes. Accountants make errors in accounting, carpenters in carpentry and mechanics while working on cars and those who handle firearms make mistakes as well. The big difference is that a carpenter can get a new piece of wood, an accountant can delete a bad calculation and a mechanic can get the correct plugs for a car but someone who shoots a firearm incorrectly, can’t make it right afterwards. As a fantastic police range officer said, “A firearm is a very unforgiving weapon.”
Everyone who has been in the firearm shooting world for a decent amount of time, knows someone who has had an accidental discharge. In addition, many experts in the shooting world have had AD’s themselves. The real good ones learned from them and never had another one. Over confidence can breed complacency which can lead to AD’s, even for experts.
Hard Fast Rules
Having been in the shooting world much of my life from being a cop, police range supervisor and a civilian concealed weapons training academy owner, I have two written in stone rules about firearm safety:
1-The most important firearm safety rule is to never ever point the barrel of a firearm at anyone unless you plan on shooting them. This rule also applies for a firearm that you ‘know’ to be unloaded. Always, and I mean always, point the barrel away from everyone. If you are holstering or taking the gun out of a holster, always, point the barrel away from every living thing while doing so. This goes for the entire time the firearm is not secured or not holstered. There are no exceptions to this rule.
2- Always keep your finger off of a firearms trigger up until the time you are ready to shoot someone or something. You should never put your finger on the trigger at any other time. Again, there are no exceptions to this rule.
And a third rule for those carrying handguns on their person is paramount as well. Always use a proper holster for the specific weapon carried. That will prevent the trigger from being caught up on anything and the firearm from slipping, sliding and falling out of the holster.
Here’s a bold statement. These three rules, when applied together and applied 100% of the time, will keep you and others safe while handling a firearm.
But how about those people who are newbies or clueless about handling firearms? Well, those people shouldn’t handle them. Period. But, here’s the million dollar question. How do we keep these people away from firearms? The kids, the clueless ding-dongs or simply the people who have never been properly trained?
Rules, Laws and Locks
When I was growing up, my father had a den full of firearms—rifles and handguns. None of them were locked up. They were in racks and holsters but not locked. My father made it abundantly clear to me when he said, “You will never ever touch” any of the firearms in the den because they are extremely dangerous and deadly until someone was trained in their use. He made it crystal clear that there were no exceptions to his demand of never touching them. And I never did. And I wasn’t a good kid either. I was rebellious and didn’t follow rules very well. But I did for his firearm rule! I knew my father’s wrath would kick in and I was convinced that firearms were extremely dangerous until I was trained with them. I’ve talked to many grownups who back in the day, got the same shtick from their dads and they too, never touched firearms. Today, some would want to lock my father up for handling our firearm issue the way he did, but back then, it worked and worked for many others as well. Nevertheless, today is today and yesterday was back then. Things change and people change. Social scientists can tell us if there is a fundamental difference between generations but for realists the problems should be addressed in today’s day and age.
You, Make a Difference
Today, I say lock up any firearms to keep them away from unauthorized or untrained people. Furthermore, anyone who buys a firearm should get professional training in its handling, storage, use and very importantly, practice regularly. Firearms at a minimum are great equalizers against those who would do us harm but we have to make sure that we are pros in their use.
Steve's a three-time survivor of violence in his youth, a former police supervisor and a graduate of The Police Executive Leadership College (PELC) and was also an award winning part-time college Criminal Justice instructor.
For several years, Steve did written and radio political and current event commentary and was the former host of the long running 'The Kovacs Perspective' Internet radio and TV talk show.
Steve presently owns a small businesses in Ohio--The Mayfield Academy of Self-Defense.
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