AZ_M&P
Member
A few weeks back I sat through the CCW course for a second time (this time with my girlfriend as she was taking it) and one of the instructors asked the class who has ever had a negligent discharge. Nobody in a room of about 20 people raised their hand, and the instructor said that if you carry long enough it happens to almost everyone. Well, I can now count myself among that crowd. Human beings are fallible creatures, and distraction takes but a second.
Both instructors hammered home the point of having a "hot room" to load and unload away from where you practice dry fire, clean weapons, etc. He went to great pains to describe how you should audibly remind yourself that you "fed the puppy" when you load your firearm. I never really paid much attention until now, but man did I learn my lesson.
A few weeks ago I came home from the range with 5 guns to clean. I set them all out on the table and went to work on a 9mm. After I was done I was just playing around comparing the trigger pull of the stock M&P to the Apex trigger and sear I had installed in my .40. I pulled the trigger a number of times, just feeling the difference.
When I was done, I popped the mag into the gun, chambered a round of PD, then dropped the mag to load the last round. Just then I got a text from a friend, and I spent the next few minutes texting back and forth. When I was done, I went back to… where was I anyway? Oh yea, checking out that trigger. I picked up the 9mm, took aim, and pulled the trigger. After I changed my shorts I realized that I put a round right through the half wall between my living room and dining room, into the side of the couch, out the back, and into the outside wall of the house. Scared the living **** out of me! Plaster dust everywhere, ears ringing, for a second I had no idea what happened. Then I remembered and couldn't believe how stupid I was!
I consider myself extremely cautious, responsible, and safe – but I could have easily killed someone. Now, that range bag goes straight to my reload room, the guns are double checked or unloaded, come out one at a time for cleaning, and go back in there to be loaded. That's one mistake I'll never make again… thank God I didn't kill anyone.
Anyway, just a real life modern day story of what a moment of distraction can do when you're handling firearms.
Be safe people!
Both instructors hammered home the point of having a "hot room" to load and unload away from where you practice dry fire, clean weapons, etc. He went to great pains to describe how you should audibly remind yourself that you "fed the puppy" when you load your firearm. I never really paid much attention until now, but man did I learn my lesson.
A few weeks ago I came home from the range with 5 guns to clean. I set them all out on the table and went to work on a 9mm. After I was done I was just playing around comparing the trigger pull of the stock M&P to the Apex trigger and sear I had installed in my .40. I pulled the trigger a number of times, just feeling the difference.
When I was done, I popped the mag into the gun, chambered a round of PD, then dropped the mag to load the last round. Just then I got a text from a friend, and I spent the next few minutes texting back and forth. When I was done, I went back to… where was I anyway? Oh yea, checking out that trigger. I picked up the 9mm, took aim, and pulled the trigger. After I changed my shorts I realized that I put a round right through the half wall between my living room and dining room, into the side of the couch, out the back, and into the outside wall of the house. Scared the living **** out of me! Plaster dust everywhere, ears ringing, for a second I had no idea what happened. Then I remembered and couldn't believe how stupid I was!
I consider myself extremely cautious, responsible, and safe – but I could have easily killed someone. Now, that range bag goes straight to my reload room, the guns are double checked or unloaded, come out one at a time for cleaning, and go back in there to be loaded. That's one mistake I'll never make again… thank God I didn't kill anyone.
Anyway, just a real life modern day story of what a moment of distraction can do when you're handling firearms.
Be safe people!
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