Originally Posted by s&wchad

Just a few thoughts…



- I would never have gun in plain sight when others are in the house, regardless of whether it’s fully loaded or not. My wife would be the single exception. If you want to have a gun on a table next to your chair, conceal it on your person or secure it before allowing others into the home.



- Dry firing is good training practice, but I follow strict safety precautions as recommended by the NRA. I have a designated dry fire area in the house and NEVER allow live ammunition in that area.



I had a friend who was dry firing an Arisaka rifle in the family home while watching TV. His father was in the room with him. He had recently obtained some stripper clips, so he loaded them up in between dry firing and tried some in the rifle. I’m sure you know where this is going…



I wasn’t there, but I heard this story multiple times from family members and know it actually happened. He was watching Planet of the Apes, pointed the rifle at the screen and called his shot: “The ape on the left”. He destroyed the television and scared the heck out of everyone in the house. Luckily, no one was injured. The bullet passed through the TV, through the wall between the living room and the kitchen and ended up inside a metal cabinet. It destroyed some of the kitchenware that was inside. His sister was doing dishes at the time, just a few feet away from the cabinet. This happened back in the 70’s when a 26” color TV cost $500 plus!



Familiarity breeds contempt and bad things can happen with one brief lapse of focus. Establishing strict safety protocols and adhering to them religiously can greatly reduce the chances of an unintended tragedy.