No such thing as an accident

[JW_Halverson]

Especially when safety is the subject.  I just heard a South Dakota deer hunter shot his son's kneecap off pulling the gun out of the car.  They amputated the leg below the knee. Guns do not accidently load themselves and pull their own triggers at random.  Someone failed to clear the chamber in the first place, in the second place did not keep his finger out of the trigger guard until he was ready to shoot. 

Accident implies no one made a mistake, it just happened.  This, while unintentional, was no accident. 

Be safe, call your friends out when they are not safe, and be humble if you get called out.  After all, giving your left leg for a shot at "that buck" is just an expression!

[Marks]

Things go from good to bad in a blink. I preach safety hard. Never point it at someone even if its not loaded.

[Poggins]

When I used to coon hunt there was two brothers that hunted with us .
They careid an old 22 rifle with them , they always told me to be carful with it because it would go off when bumped sometimes . One night we got a coon and when we got back to my pickup I told them to make sure the gun was unloaded , they tolde it was and put it behind the divers set of my pickup , I was walking up to the passenger door when the shut the driver door and the gun went off . One more step and I would have been hit in the leg . I watched one of the brothers fall off a ten foot river bank on to frozen ground and the gun didn't go off .

[bubby]

I had a cousin killed by an "accident", with a .22, kid in the back of the truck was unloading a old marlin thought it was empty and pulled the trigger to release the fireing pin, went in his armpit and thru both lungs, remember a gun is ALWAYS LOADED

[Marks]

Its easy to take that for granted until you have a gun go off when you don't want it too. I've had it happen more than once but like I said earlier, my gun is always in a safe direction loaded or not. I had a .44mag revolver with a hair trigger go off with me this year and bloodied my eye. Even when you are careful things happen but if you practice safety the things that happen don't kill.

[criveraville]

That is really sad for the young man and the father.  Growing up my dad always said, "el diablo carga las armas."  Meaning that the devil loads guns when they are supposedly unloaded causing tragic events. 

Cipriano

[Joec123able]

If people would learn how to properly handle a freakin gun it wouldn't be a problem! Remember treat every gun like its loaded no matter what

[JW_Halverson]

Its easy to take that for granted until you have a gun go off when you don't want it too. I've had it happen more than once but like I said earlier, my gun is always in a safe direction loaded or not. I had a .44mag revolver with a hair trigger go off with me this year and bloodied my eye. Even when you are careful things happen but if you practice safety the things that happen don't kill.

As the perpetrator of several "unintentional discharges" (pause for snickers)...I have to agree.  First rule is always have the weapon pointed in a safe direction.  That's an always, not a most of the time, usually, or a for the most part thing.  Always.  Non-negotiable.

Yeah, the father and son are going to have a rough road ahead because of this.  My hope when I posted this was out of hope that none of you would have to visit this particular hell.

[Poggins]

Hate to get off subject a little but lately I feel like when I'm on my way to work and home I face a handful of loaded guns every day , more than once I've gotten white knuckles and looked for an escape route when someone texting and driving has crossed over into my lane . It happened this evening , about half way home someone was almost completely in my lane , I had two tires in the grass and looking for a place to go when they jerked their wheel over and got back in their own lane .

[JW_Halverson]

Hate to get off subject a little but lately I feel like when I'm on my way to work and home I face a handful of loaded guns every day , more than once I've gotten white knuckles and looked for an escape route when someone texting and driving has crossed over into my lane . It happened this evening , about half way home someone was almost completely in my lane , I had two tires in the grass and looking for a place to go when they jerked their wheel over and got back in their own lane .

I think we should charge them with attempted vehicular homocide.  At the least we should be allowed to shoot back in self defense?

[Poggins]

The drive to work is bad enough , out on the pike some days while we are picking up traffic control nearly four out of five drivers are talking on the phone or texting , gues that's why I notice so many drivers doing it , I'm always looking at the drivers to see if they are paying attention ( the days when I do a road run I may cross over to the wall twenty plus times that day , so knowing if a driver is paying attention is important ) .

[Knapper]

JW hits the nail on the head! There is NO substitute for good safety practice . We must be diligent at all times in this matter.
      Just a few months ago here, a young boy age 6 or 7 was allowed outside to play with his bow unattended. He found a frog to shot, got really close and let the arrow fly. The arrow bounced off a rock and came straight back into his eye. This young boy has lost his right eye forever. Guns, bows, knives, equipment in your wood shops. Please , keeps you little ones safe. You can not take it back.
Knapper

[paoliguy]

I drive safety into my kids to the point of being annoying. From the time they first got cap guns I drove it home, no intention of stopping either! I like posts like this that make everyone stop and think for a bit.

[wildman]

In two weeks it will be a year since my .54 Hawkins fell and shot my wife. Not an outing with a gun goes by I do not worry. T/C Hawkins fell out of tree cocked on a branch and broke the tumbler .Scariest time of my life!!!!!!

[wildman]

I am glad you brought this up, JW. With many gun seasons going or about to open I post this picture to drive the point home. This is my wife's hip two days after our mishap. Round ball enterd bottom of the  butt cheek went about 5'' and exited HIT NOTHING. Not luck,but an act of god.