"Clear that piece!"

[Bob Wright]

On three occasions I have been handed a loaded firearm that was supposed to be empty.

(1) I was visiting a friend up in Ohio, and was sitting in a stuffed chair in his basement den when he handed me his wife's 20 ga. Ithaca pump to examine. I placed the butt on my thigh and tried to rack the slide back. It didn't budge. Cocked, I knew, loaded, maybe. I pressed the slide release and racked the slide back. A yellow 20 ga. shell flipped out and bounced off my chest into my lap. Much to his embarrassment.

(2) I was in a gun shop when a customer drew out a Colt Government Model clone, released the loaded magazine, and handed me the pistol. I racked back the slide and had a live .45 ACP round flip out and clatter onto the counter top.

(3) I was in the lobby of an indoor shooting range when one of the workers came out from the firing range with a Reising M-55 (?) sub machine gun. He removed the magazine and handed me the SMG to examine. I reached my forefinger into the fore end and pulled the slide back. A live .45 ACP round was revealed as the bolt slowly opened, then dropped into my lap.


Fortunately, when I was a youngster, I learned to open nearly every type of firearm I could find.


Bob Wright

 

[GunnyGene]

Reminds me of a time in VN when 4 or 5 of US Marines, went across the field to the AF club at DaNang. This was in '66 and the AF guys weren't allowed to carry weapons. Anyway, they had a 55 gallon barrel at the entrance about 3/4 full of sand. We had to clear our weapons to get in and have a few drinks (no hard likker on the USMC side). So, one of the guys was carrying his GI 1911 (the rest of us had M-14's), fully loaded, and when it came his turn, he cleared it alright. 7 rounds in the sand barrel - boom, boom, boom,.......... The AF greeter on the door liked to have passed out. Funny as hell. Nothing better than messing with the USAF. :lol: :lol: :lol:

 

[Ale-8(1)]

I have always taught remove magazine, rack slide a couple of times and lock it back, and last but not least VISUALLY DOUBLE CHECK that the chamber is empty.

JMHO

 

[Don Lovel]

I have had a customer AD in his back jean pocket standing right next to me, .22lr Raven POS, round burned his butt cheek, hit floor between us and shatter a piece of concrete out of the floor.
I had a customer at Dick's I caught trying to put a 20ga shell into a Mossberg shotgun, Brass First, I about beat his ass for it and had I not been on store security cam, I would have.
I was out shooting just prior to deer season at conservation dept range at Lake City, had a guy in next booth holler and ask me if I had any tools as he had a scope mount loose. I said sure and went over with my tool kit. He had a Browning BAR in 300 Win Mag. I dropped the magazine no rounds in it, stupid me, got careless, when I saw empty mag, brain fart and did not open action, did not even look at safety position. I stood at the bench and was tightening his scope mount screw when the gun moved and the trigger got hit by the corner of the carpet sample.
FYI a 300 mag AD laying on it's side on a small carpet pad on a wood bench loose will leap into the air. Scared the bejeezuz out of me and was real glad I still had ear plugs in my ears, the guy who owned the gun had taken his muffs off, and it about blew his eardrum out because of the muzzle break discharge in the direction he was standing across the table from me. He apologized all over himself, saying, "I know the mag was empty, to which I said, My bad, I did not open chamber, we both screwed up "
He fired enough rounds to finish his sight in, I quit for the day and it was months before I went back to that range again as I felt really embarrassed and ashamed of myself, being a FFL licensed dealer and doing minor gunsmith stuff for customers daily, I knew better.

 

[blackhawknj]

On the NSSF video of range etiquette and safety I have seen at local ranges, the shooter pulls the slide back, ejects the round. THEn he removes the magazine -?
The Army did a poor job of teaching safe firearms handling in my day 1967-1971.

 

[bogus bill]

About 40 years ago I had a table at a gun-show. I had a Winchester 92 that was altered to .357 on the table. A guy came up and levered a round out of the magazine (not barrel). To this day I am not positive if someone slipped a round in the magazine to cause trouble or if it was likely me as I think I had once had a round hang up in it. There was no discharge. I have been around three ND`s that other people had.

 

[Bear Paw Jack]

I ran a gun shop in Colorado in 1979 and 1980. Some months after I left the guy that replaced me handed a gun out of the case to someone who wanted to "look" at it. He didn't verify that it was not loaded. The guy picked up the gun, aimed it and pulled the trigger. Gun went off and a guy outside the store got shot. An investigation showed another gun in the case had a single cartridge as did the shop down the street. Turns out that someone was going in and when the shop keeper wasn't paying attention loaded a round in a gun he was looking at. The guy I had previously worked for lost everything over the law suit.

 

[bogus bill]

I suspect that has happened with some ND`s or ammo found in guns at gun shows.
Left`s disregard, but how easy it is to carry a pocket full of various rounds and slip one in to give gun stores and shows bad publicity.

 

[JFB]

the major point I keep emphisizing when dealing with my young nephews is to;

1) make me show them the weapon is clear before they accept it
2) show me the weapon is clear before handing it to me

I just hope they do that with everyone else

 

[coach]

About 40 years ago I had a table at a gun-show. I had a Winchester 92 that was altered to .357 on the table. A guy came up and levered a round out of the magazine (not barrel). To this day I am not positive if someone slipped a round in the magazine to cause trouble or if it was likely me as I think I had once had a round hang up in it. There was no discharge. I have been around three ND`s that other people had.

I've always heard that can happen. Another reason to keep the barrel pointed in the right direction and your finger off the trigger.

 

[blackhawknj]

Get in the habit of handing a firearm over with:
1. The cylinder open-revolver
2. The slide locked back-semi-auto (And the magazine removed)
3. The bolt to the rear-bolt action or semi-auto rifle
4. The lever down-lever action rifle
5. The slide to the rear-slide or pump action
6. The action open-single shot, SxS, O/U shotgun

 

[Bull Barrel]

So much good info here. This should be made a "sticky" or whatever.

And there has been a lot of honesty.
Says a lot about this forum.
Carry on!

 

[CGDustDevil]

Good job, Bob!

I talked to an FFL some years ago who has received loaded firearms from other FFLs! Absolute insanity. You gotta make sure 100% of the time or you're GOING to have an accident sooner or later.

 

[contender]

In the USPSA,,, as a Range officer,, we have set commands for every shooter.
They are;
Make Ready.
Are you Ready?
Standby!
(Beep!)
If you are finished,,, unload & show clear!
If Clear, hammer down.
Holster."

By saying "IF you are finished," it puts the responsibility of him finishing the course as his responsibility.
Then,, most importantly,,, "IF Clear" also makes the shooter responsible for an unloaded gun.
Because when given the command of "Unload" they are supposed to drop the magazine, open the action, and SHOW IT to the RO.
By the USPSA definition,,, both the shooter & the RO are supposed to visually inspect the chamber.

If everyone would follow these simple safety rules,, a LOT less negligent discharges would happen, as well as fewer guns would be ASSUMED to be empty.

 

[Colonialgirl]

On the NSSF video of range etiquette and safety I have seen at local ranges, the shooter pulls the slide back, ejects the round. THEn he removes the magazine -?
The Army did a poor job of teaching safe firearms handling in my day 1967-1971.

Where were you ??
The Drill Sgts/Range Safety at Fort Ord did a GREAT job teaching safe firearms handling when I was there in 1966-1969.

 

[turd]

the major point I keep emphisizing when dealing with my young nephews is to;

1) make me show them the weapon is clear before they accept it
2) show me the weapon is clear before handing it to me

I just hope they do that with everyone else

This.

 

[blackhawknj]

They didn't do such a great job when I went through BCT at Fort Dix Summer of 1967. A frequent occurrence on the range was a DI or cadre would yell out a recruit's name, the recruit would turn around -with his M-14 in hands because he was told to keep it in his hands until told otherwise-and they would cuss him out.
When I ran ranges as a company officer in the National Guard I told the Safety Officers, you come up behind a shooter, tap him on the shoulder, he puts the safety on and grounds the weapon.
In a young shooter's program I was involved in, we told them, you clear your rifle, bolt to the rear, place your shooting hand flat on the floor or pad.

 

[exavid]

I had basic in '64 an Fort Leonard Wood and thought the training program was well done. I'd had several rifles when I was younger and my dad, a career master seargent, pretty well knocked firearm discipline into my brother and I. It pretty well stuck too, I found myself passing the information down to my grandson in much the same way. I have to admit I occasionally used my father's terminology for any screw ups by the student.

 

[ProfessorWes]

I had "Treat all guns as loaded!" pretty well drilled into me by my dad, growing up. And reinforced by a couple of Army drill sergeants at Fort Dix, and other NCOs during the course of my hitch in the Army.

I've always checked for live ammo in the magazine/cylinder and chamber, even for guns handed to me by a dealer and even when the dealer had already checked to make sure they were clear. Just a good habit to get into . . .

That said: My one (and hopefully only) ND was at an indoor range some years ago, when the very hot casing of a just-fired 9mm cartridge somehow lodged between the earpiece of my shooting glasses and my cheek, causing me to flinch so badly I put the next round into the ceiling of the range. Nobody else seemed to have noticed my little faux pas, so I quietly unloaded my Beretta, packed up and left. And it was a couple of months before I worked up the courage to go back.

And that's why to this day I wear a baseball cap while shooting any semiauto firearm . . . and make sure my shirt collar is buttoned all the way up. I have no desire whatsoever to repeat the hot brass safety dance with a loaded gun in my hand. :lol:

 

[contender]

When my youngest son was about 7, we went to his first gun show. It was a small show,, about 200 tables. It took us HOURS to go through it. Why? Because my son wanted to handle a lot of the guns he saw.
Here is how it'd go.
He'd see a gun he wanted to handle.
He'd ask politely to see the gun. (Wasn't refused once, as I was both known and watching.)
He'd carefully pick it up, point in a safe direction, and either check it for empty, or if he didn't know how,,, he'd ask me. Upon which, I'd patiently show him how, and he'd take it all in.
After handling it, as safely as possible, he'd carefully replace it upon the table.
He'd thank the seller.
We got several compliments, and not one refusal to see any gun.

To this day, if he (or his older step brother,) are handed a firearm, the first thing they do is check for clear,,, even if they just watched someone else clear it.