You Cant Fix Stupid

[Blacksmith]

"Witnesses: Anastasia Adair was handing assault rifle to husband when it fired, striking her in head."

"....woman was killed when the new assault rifle she was showing to friends accidentally fired ...."

".... the group had been drinking...."

"....she reached out to hand the rifle to her husband...."

"The gun fired,...."

"The gun fired a second time...."

http://www.thedenverchannel.com/news/front-range/federal-heights/witnesses-anastasia-adair-was-handing-assault-rifle-to-husband-when-it-fired-striking-her-in-head

[300savage]

Actually it appears that you can.. permanently

[mroliver77]

actually it appears that you can.. Permanently

i don't care who you are; that's funny!

[Finster101]

Sometimes it fixes itself. Sad in this instance though.

[Mk42gunner]

Too bad she didn't clear the weapon when she picked it up.

I never liked getting a rifle pointed in my direction, even if I was fairly certain it was clear. I ran several armories while I was in the Navy, the worst from a safety standpoint (for us armory personnel) was the SeaBee battalion. Even with signs up telling the idiots to hand the weapon through the window butt first, you always got smart alecs that tried to hand it though muzzle first.

I tried very hard to break the sternum of anybody that did that. I never actually broke a bone, but did bruise a few. One young UTCN went and complained to his Senior Chief about how mean I was.

When the Senior Chief came and asked if I hit the idiot, I told him Yes I did, (with a few sailor language adjectives thrown in), and told him why. He just looked at me, smiled and said good.

Robert

[mroliver77]

I am amazed at the number of people that are seemingly oblivious of where their muzzle is pointing.
It was drilled into my head as a child. If you had a brain fart you were punished swiftly and severely.
I used to drink. I used to drink while shooting. The shooting rules were still strictly enforced! Never touched a gun sloppy drunk though.
I dont consider this an accident. I consider it a stupid!
Jay

[BruceB]

When I taught gun-safety courses, I used a present-day analogy to emphasize my point:

"Consider the muzzle of any firearm to be projecting a DEATH RAY, which will kill any living thing at which it is pointed!" This is almost literally true.

Even younger people seemed to "get" that illustration.

Whatever the condition or loading of any firearm, MUZZLE DIRECTION is the most-important factor in safe handling.

I well remember my best friend and I, walking into an unseen flock of grouse which flushed in ALL directions. After the sudden commotion ended, we looked at each other.....both squatted down into deep knee bends, both with our doubles on "safe", both shotguns pointed in safe directions. Neither of us had even tried to fire.

It was just a good chuckle on a fine hunting day.... and a very positive reinforcement of the high regard in which we held each other's gun-handling habits. I know quite a few folks who would have swung on those birds, possibly endangering everyone in the area. The reason we squatted was to clear the swing area of the other guy's muzzle... and to get out of the possible danger zone, of course. Self-preservation, eh wot??? AS USUAL, with that pairing of hunters, it was not needed that time.

I do miss that man.

[41 mag fan]

Bruce...That was a very good post on how quick thinking has to be done or "on your toes" all the time when guns are involved.


I am amazed at the number of people that are seemingly oblivious of where their muzzle is pointing.
It was drilled into my head as a child. If you had a brain fart you were punished swiftly and severely.
I used to drink. I used to drink while shooting. The shooting rules were still strictly enforced! Never touched a gun sloppy drunk though.
I dont consider this an accident. I consider it a stupid!
Jay

Jay, I was raised the same way. My family, I remember would have the shootouts as I called them every August. This went on for close to 3 decades.
But there's be 2 picnic tables set up with guns laid all out, more guns in the house, more guns in the gun shop 50' away. There'd be ammo all over the picnic tables too.
Case after case after case of cold beer.
There'd be several people come and go all day long. Never once in all those years, did I see something or anything unsafe happen that drinking was involved.
Only time I seen something unsafe happen, was my now ex wife muzzle swept my father, with a Beretta .380, slide locked back & empty.
But we treated her like we would anyone else who'd had to much to drink, she got put in a lawn chair and not allowed to shoot the rest of the day.
Anyone who wanted to shoot had to step 10 yrds to the left of everyone and 10 yrds ahead, to an empty picnic table.
But even though lots of members grip on here about drinking and guns, and there's a justifiable reasoning behind it, thats how I grew up and was raised. Drinking was part of the guns and reloading, till you got to a point. Then the guns got put down, and the reloading stopped.
But safety was beat into me pretty good as a young kid...I think I still got the whelps on my butt from 40 yrs ago!!

[oldred]

I was at a family member's home in Eastern Kentucky a few years ago and spotted one of those cheap .25 autos (you know the ones, chrome plated and jam every other shot) lying on a coffee table with two children in the same room, a boy about ten and a girl seven or eight. I was waiting on the mother to come back into the room and I just causally picked up the gun to examine it, a full clip and one in the chamber! Even with it being kind of rude I chided her for being so careless and tried to explain just how dangerous the situation was but she explained her husband, whom I was waiting on and had a long talk with about this when he arrived, had given it to her for "protection" but she had trouble pulling back the slide and was not sure how to properly "get it ready to shoot" (her exact words) so he had just racked one in the chamber then handed it to her and told her all she had to do was point it and pull the trigger. This is condition I found the gun, ready to fire, with two small children playing in the room! Its no wonder we see so many sad stories on the news.

[Philngruvy]

The shooting rules were still strictly enforced! Never touched a gun sloppy drunk though.
I dont consider this an accident. I consider it a stupid!
Jay

Number one rule at my home and range is Positively NO alcohol before or during gun activities.

[captaint]

The way I heard it was "rule #1 is- treat every gun like it's loaded. Period." Every gun - loaded... Not complicated. A shame, though. Mike

[popper]

New Colorado gun and MJ laws should fix that problem.

[starmac]

The new gun enthusiast part, caught my attention. There are record breaking numbers of new gun enthusiast right now, and most of them is not buying single shots.
I have an idea we will be hearing about things like this more in the future.

[FISH4BUGS]

Just nature thinning the herd, that's all.

[Smoke4320]

sorry to hear about this.. its just more "ammo" for the Anti's .. too bad we lost another beginning shooter and probably damaged several more .. it just goes to show accidents can happen in seconds ..
my issue is how did she "hand" a long gun down the stairs plus have it pointed at her head plus pull the trigger .. strange

[DCP]

He didn't know if he touched the rifle. But it fires a 2nd time [smilie=1:

:veryconfu

told police he's not sure if he touched the gun as his wife reached out to hand it to him, Federal Heights Police Lt. Gary Toldness said. The gun fired a second time as the wounded woman fell forward on the stairs and her husband caught her in his arms, but that shot didn't hit anyone, police said

[Smitty's Retired]

No.1 Always treat every firearm as if it were loaded.

No.2 Inspect each firearm to see if it "IS' loaded.

No.3 Never hand anyone a loaded firearm. Especially when showing it off. Even if I take someone to the range and let them fire my rifle, I hand them a empty chamber, and let them load the mag.

As has been previously commented, we have a lot of new shooters with little to no experience handling firearms except for what they've seen on T.V. and the movies. You may irritate some, but if you see someone at a range performing unsafe acts with a firearm, it is up to us to call these people on these actions.

[10-x]

Don't like Darwin.........but perhaps he was right on a point or 2. As per "muzzle sweeping", it depends. If the firearm is broken down, taken apart as in 1911's or doubles, I see no problem. Even the "evil AR's" if broken down, I have no problem. However I do not tolerate someone waving a complete firearm around. I have been shot by a stupid mistake of a friend, a collapsed lung is no fun, so, I'm very careful who I shoot with.
Yesterday I happened to be in a local pawn/gun shop, young Asian couple that owns a eatery comes in looking for a price on an AR. They had no clue, didn't even know what a 5.56mm round looked like, they just "wanted one", scary..........

[Mk42gunner]

I am amazed at the number of people that are seemingly oblivious of where their muzzle is pointing.
It was drilled into my head as a child. If you had a brain fart you were punished swiftly and severely.
...
Jay

My dad's rule was "Never point a gun at anyone." Which while good in a civilian teaching a kid mode, gave me no end of troubles once I was in the Navy and either on the ships security force, or training the security force on board or on any of the shore commands I was on.

Here are the rules taught by uncounted numbers of Gunner's Mates and Marines that worked with us:

The Four Rules

1. Treat every weapon as if it is loaded.
2. Never let the muzzle cover anything you are not willing to destroy.
3. Keep your finger off the trigger until your sights are on the target.
4. Be sure of your target and what is beyond it.

I think every range, and place that sells guns should have these posted in a very visible manner.

Robert

[mroliver77]

My dad's rule was "Never point a gun at anyone." Which while good in a civilian teaching a kid mode, gave me no end of troubles once I was in the Navy and either on the ships security force, or training the security force on board or on any of the shore commands I was on.

Here are the rules taught by uncounted numbers of Gunner's Mates and Marines that worked with us:

The Four Rules

1. Treat every weapon as if it is loaded.
2. Never let the muzzle cover anything you are not willing to destroy.
3. Keep your finger off the trigger until your sights are on the target.
4. Be sure of your target and what is beyond it.

I think every range, and place that sells guns should have these posted in a very visible manner.

Robert
My Dad was In Navy WW2, Army in the short "quiet" period then transferred into the Air Force when they broke off the Army and he got to go to Korea as a medic in Air/Sea rescue.

I hate to state it but his rule was never point a gun art anything you are not willing to kill. So many people(even those on "our" side) are waiting to jump on the slightest thing. I just play nice.
J

[Love Life]

1. Treat every weapon as if it were loaded
2. Never point a weapon at anything you do not intend to shoot
3. Keep your finger straight and off the trigger until you are ready to fire
4. Keep the weapon on safe until you intend to fire

and added circa 2005
5. Know your target and what lies beyond

[TXGunNut]

Number one rule at my home and range is Positively NO alcohol before or during gun activities.

Thank you. I love to shoot, I love to drink. But if I'm doing one I don't do the other. KISS. We make enough gun handling mistakes sober, no sense making it worse.

[farmallcrew]

the end with the hole in it is the end that puts the hole on the target. duhhhhh. New Gun enthusiast, i give them props to be new gun owners, but they are the ones that need trained in gun handling.

when im at a gun shop and i hear someone say "this is my first gun" and they are not a youth or teenager, but they are able to make their on decisions, i tend to get what i need in the gun shop and walk out.

I was at Cabelas a few months ago, and i was looking at the guns. A guy walks up to the counter holding a couple PMags in one hand and 5.56 ammo in the other. So im thinking hes getting an AR and wants to put the stuff behind the counter. He sees an employee walking past and says "excuse me, but do these go in that?" as he thrusted the PMags and ammo at the employee. Employee said yes they do sir. Guy walks away, ive since moved away from him because i want to roll on the floor laughing. Employee comes up to me and asked did you hear that, i said yep. i told the employee that i hope he can figure out how to put the ammo in the Pmag and which way it goes in the AR. Employee said i hope so to, because hes buying an AR and i over heard him earlier that hes a new gun owner. i said please tell him the end with the hole in the barrel goes away from your body. i thought the employee was going to need to sit down from laughing so much.

[10x]

Some very last words have been "hold my beer and watch this..."

[dakotashooter2]

A good way to demonstrate to people that they actually are pointing the muzzle in a direction they shouldn't be is to install one of those lazer "sight in "devices in the chamber. The red beam doesn't lie.................

[searcher4851]

As my grandpa would have said ; 'stupid people die in stupid ways'. It's a rather cold saying, but pretty accurate. Kinda like grandpa was.