Old TexMex
Member
Checking the status also includes making sure my weapon is loaded when I get dressed in the morning. Even if I'm the one who set it on the nightstand six hours before. Always.
Clearing Your Weapon/ Who DOESN'T Do That?
- Thread starter Smoke
- Start date
Frizzman
US Veteran
Short answer...NO, NEVER...One can't be too careful when handling firearms...I've seem too many people killed and wounded by "unloaded" firearms.
jag312
Member
A few years ago a young man in Santa Cruz, California was showing his new handgun to his friends. One of the friends asked if the gun was unloaded. The young man said of course it was unloaded, but that the best way to prove that the gun was unloaded was to put the gun to his own head and pull the trigger. I don't think I need to tell anyone how this demonstration ended.
Hopefully he removed himself from the gene-pool before reproducing. (Though this is probably "too simple" a way to die to properly qualify for a Darwin Award...)
Update: Perhaps I was wrong. Found this posting for the 2013 winner:
1. When his .38 caliber revolver failed to fire at his intended victim during a hold-up in Long Beach, California, would-be robber James Elliot did something that can only inspire wonder. He peered down the barrel and tried the trigger again. This time it worked.
Update: Perhaps I was wrong. Found this posting for the 2013 winner:
1. When his .38 caliber revolver failed to fire at his intended victim during a hold-up in Long Beach, California, would-be robber James Elliot did something that can only inspire wonder. He peered down the barrel and tried the trigger again. This time it worked.
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My wife is very diligent about clearing any weapon handed to her by another person which offends some male gun shop employees. They may indeed have cleared the gun, but without actually inspecting the chamber, you cannot be 100% sure. I'm proud that my instruction about "The gun is ALWAYS loaded until you have cleared and verified the chamber yourself".
BigCityChief
Member
Arik
Member
Yes and no. In a gun store they hand me the gun with the slide back or the cylinder open so I see it and automatically inspected it without intentionally doing so.
At home I know which are loaded and which arnt
Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk
At home I know which are loaded and which arnt
Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk
SmokeStack Lightning
Member
Who doesn't do that???:
Lots of people that have no firearm experience.
I let my non-shooting pals inspect my firearms and most have no idea of how to charge a weapon, let alone 'clear' it.
Since I've been around firearms all my life, clearing and checking a weapon was taught to me by my Pop.
None of either of my 2 daughters boyfriend's have been around any kind of firearm before, and think they are evil, cuz that's what they were taught by their parents. Sad.
I gladly show any of them that are interested on proper firearm handling and training and encourage them to become involved.
My brother who was in Viet Nam, (Marine) won't touch my either of my AR's. "I don't like guns, anymore", sez he. He's never handled either even tho one is clamped to my living room table, starring him in the face. And he was never in combat, but in the rear with the gear. POG.
So, lots of people I know won't even handle my weapons, let alone clear them.
Lots of people that have no firearm experience.
I let my non-shooting pals inspect my firearms and most have no idea of how to charge a weapon, let alone 'clear' it.
Since I've been around firearms all my life, clearing and checking a weapon was taught to me by my Pop.
None of either of my 2 daughters boyfriend's have been around any kind of firearm before, and think they are evil, cuz that's what they were taught by their parents. Sad.
I gladly show any of them that are interested on proper firearm handling and training and encourage them to become involved.
My brother who was in Viet Nam, (Marine) won't touch my either of my AR's. "I don't like guns, anymore", sez he. He's never handled either even tho one is clamped to my living room table, starring him in the face. And he was never in combat, but in the rear with the gear. POG.
So, lots of people I know won't even handle my weapons, let alone clear them.
Different LGS = different views. I was looking at a lot of firearms at the LGS a while ago. Even when I saw the person clear the firearm if I didn't know how I asked how you verified it was clear. I wanted to look at something that another customer was looking at. The customer handed it to the LGS employee, who cleared it, then handed it to me, and I cleared it. The LGS employee thanked me and said that was exactly right and never stop doing that. So some places understand.
worm5932
Member
i always check for clear. to not seems stupid. a lot of people could use to take a class on firearm safety ive found.
Here is link from the CZ forum with a couple of videos you guys might find interesting and or scary! I didn't have my sound on but seeing was enough! Field stripping the CZ 75 Compact ? A Different Perspective
hangnoose
Member
CLEARING THE ACTION IS NOT ENOUGH
You can rack the slide, lever, pump, bolt all day and still have a round in the gun, if you have a bad extractor or the round remains somewhere in the action/receiver. You may just simply not see something or "see" what you expect/want to see. At a steel challenge a week ago after shooting my round, (Ruger 1022) the RO says open the action & show clear, I do, He looks & says "I see clear", I look and say "I see clear" We both only looked at the empty chamber & missed the live round hiding in the receiver, which I felt with my pinky finger after. We both felt foolish. the Moral is to STILL use the other principals of safe gun handling as a redundancy. Keep the muzzle pointed in a safe direction & your finger off the trigger. To the original ? I check every gun going in/out of the safe, holster, case, range bag. My nightstand gun stays fully loaded at all times in a holster
You can rack the slide, lever, pump, bolt all day and still have a round in the gun, if you have a bad extractor or the round remains somewhere in the action/receiver. You may just simply not see something or "see" what you expect/want to see. At a steel challenge a week ago after shooting my round, (Ruger 1022) the RO says open the action & show clear, I do, He looks & says "I see clear", I look and say "I see clear" We both only looked at the empty chamber & missed the live round hiding in the receiver, which I felt with my pinky finger after. We both felt foolish. the Moral is to STILL use the other principals of safe gun handling as a redundancy. Keep the muzzle pointed in a safe direction & your finger off the trigger. To the original ? I check every gun going in/out of the safe, holster, case, range bag. My nightstand gun stays fully loaded at all times in a holster
ky wonder
US Veteran
had a somewhat relevant issue this hunting season with my younger brother, he left his rifle loaded in my ranger at the hunting cabin, asked my son to bring it in for him,
son done as he was told, cleared the weapon and brought it in, placed shells by the rifle
next morning brother picked up rifle, went to the hunting blind, had his only shot this year at a big buck, pointed and pulled trigger watched deer depart upon loud click
got upset that son had unloaded his rifle
I asked did you not check the gun when you walked out of the cabin
and informed him that the boy had done it the correct way
son done as he was told, cleared the weapon and brought it in, placed shells by the rifle
next morning brother picked up rifle, went to the hunting blind, had his only shot this year at a big buck, pointed and pulled trigger watched deer depart upon loud click
got upset that son had unloaded his rifle
I asked did you not check the gun when you walked out of the cabin
and informed him that the boy had done it the correct way
vito
US Veteran
Even if you check it, check it again. We all know how dangerous and sneaky guns are. They jump up and shoot people; force normal folks to run out and kill others and just create all sorts of mayhem. When you turn your back it might just grab a mag, slide it in and chamber a round. Especially one of those low life foreign made guns. Be careful out there!
rolomac
Member
A story - when I was about 15 - old enough to go hunting by myself - I came home late one afternoon after a successful pheasant hunt. Stepped through the back door into the kitchen where my mom was fixing supper and my dad was sitting at the kitchen table having a cup of coffee. I had a couple of birds to dress - showed them to my folks - and leaned my shotgun (Remington model 58 12 ga - I still have it) in the corner and started to leave to take care of my birds out back behind the house. My dad stopped me and asked if my gun was unloaded. I was a smart a** kid and told him of course it was and went on out the door. When I'd finished outside I came back into the kitchen and my dad said, "are you sure that gun is unloaded?" and I of course gave some smart response. He got up and stepped over to the gun, worked the action and a live round fell out. I was speechless. My dad very calmly picked up the cartridge and said "You're grounded - no more hunting the rest of the season." I thought about that incident a lot over the years and years later I confronted my dad about it and told him I suspected that he planted that live round in the gun. He told me yes - he had set me up and that it was because I was too sure of myself and needed to be taken down a peg. The lesson stuck !! To this day - over 50 years later I'm super cautious.
rolomac
rolomac
LouisianaJoe
Member
I always assume that a gun is loaded until I check it myself, even if I see someone else check it. This includes pointing the gun in a safe direction.
I never put my finger on the trigger until I am aiming at the target.
I never put my finger on the trigger until I am aiming at the target.
