Loaded Rifle At A Gun Show

[Rum River]

A buddy and I were at a gun show in Duluth MN. I picked up a 10/22 Sporter (with permission) and did the check-the-chamber-thing and a live round popped out onto the floor. Full magazine too. The two older gentlemen watching the half-dozen tables with 50+ guns were very surprised and apologetic.

I'm certain many here have had the same experience in one way or another, this is just my latest one.

You never know.........

 

[PRichardson87]

And that's why you always check. Good on you

 

[RC44Mag]

They should have been evicted from premises

 

[contender]

If they had been caught by management,, they would have been evicted by the ones who manage shows here.

KUDOS on you for being a responsible & safe gun handler! (As we all should be!)

 

[arfmel]

The shows I visit all require all firearms to have the actions tied open/inoperable with a cable tie, so they are incapable of being fired. Seems like a good practice.

 

[hittman]

Gun store owners been known to get loaded guns in the mail too.

Twice while I was in our local "mom and pop" I watched the owner open the mail and pull out a loaded weapon. Once it was a 44 Carbine …. Another time it was a 1911 that was cocked and locked!

 

[Xrayist]

We had a "gunsmith" in our city who took in a Remington 700 in 25-06. The customer placed it on the counter, which was covered in carpet, muzzle pointing at the gunsmith. The gunsmith grabbed it by the barrel and pulled it towards himself....round in the chamber.....safety off.....trigger caught in the carpet......BANG!.....Fortunate for the gunsmith that we had a top notch trauma surgeon in our local hospital,, and also that the bullet missed any vital organs that if hit, would have been fatal. I agree with the above posts, the seller should have had all the other weapons checked and then be escorted out of the show. I know when any of my firearms are loaded or unloaded, but even then, ALWAYS check them before handing them to someone else. There is ABSOLUTELY NO EXCUSE for a vendor to have a loaded firearm at a gunshow. If you need to demonstrate function of some type, well there are these wonderful inventions called snap caps and dummy rounds.

 

[RC44Mag]

We get a bad enough attack from the left even without some of us shooting themselves in the foot( figuratively and literally) all the damn time.

 

[blume357]

Sometimes we are our worst enemy in regards to this. I'm in a group that does a shoot once a year and we have a mandatory safety seminar before anyone can go to the private range.... this last time I helped with this and discussed that when ever you pick up a firearm the first thing you do is check to see if it is loaded. Then I went one step further and explained even if your best friend checks it in front of you and then tells you it is unloaded before they hand it to you the first thing you should do is check it again... there is no insult with doing this it is proper safe gun handling.

 

[rugerguy]

...as well noted above, "safety first" and at ALL times,,,and yes just this past weekend we were brought a mint in the box 200th Year Stainless Super Single Six, and as most of us know BOTH cylinders do look the same ,the magnum one is NOT 'rollmarked' 22 Magnum, and that was the one in the gun ,,,,the spare 22 lr was in the red bag, loaded all six chambers........just an "oh-oh, oops and a well now...."...yes they inspected and tagged ( tie wrapped) the gun itself at the door by security....again safety first, and yes obviously I did buy the gun.....by the way , it is always an eye opener ,when anyone jacks open the action on any firearm and even a "snap cap or dummy round" comes flying out, past EVERONES eyes.........

 

[Fox Mike]

Was at a gun store and asked to look at a pistol. The girl picked it up and checked it and them handed it to me. I immediately checked it again. She said to me: "I just checked that and it was empty." I told her I saw what she did but that I hadn't checked it. If any gun is handed to me I check it. I don't care who looked at it before me. The "It's OK." has caused many oops.

 

[Ruger Accumulator]

I don't remember the venue, but a few years back some antigun folks were caught loading guns at a gun show, presumably in the hopes of causing an incident. Having said that, it's ultimately the owners responsibility to ensure unloaded guns!

I was present at a show when a negligent discharge happened, fortunately before opening. A dealer was showing his CCW to another vendor. He dropped the magazine, and handed it to the other dealer, who pointed it at the floor and pulled the trigger. Yup, one in the chamber!

We heard a loud bang, and my buddy and I looked at each other and said, "Oh yugo"! We were on the far side of the room, and I say a vendor near us, brushing dust off himself and looking up at the wall. The promoter walked into the room, and loudly asked if anyone was hurt? Everyone shook their heads, and he asked who fired the shot? Everyone pointed in the direction of the white faced guy holding the pistol! The promoter walked over, told both of them to pack up, and never come to one of his shows again.

I looked later, and there was a divot in the concrete, and a vendor on that aisle showed me the hole in his table skirt. He said the bullet missed hitting his wife in the leg by about a foot!

 

[Watertender]

I don't remember the venue, but a few years back some antigun folks were caught loading guns at a gun show, presumably in the hopes of causing an incident. Having said that, it's ultimately the owners responsibility to ensure unloaded guns!

Anyone caught doing something like that should be duct taped in a chair and put in the dumpster for pick up. People can do enough stupid things without help from antigun faction. I double check any gun I look at and always hand it off with the action open. Safety is everyone's responsibility and the ultimate responsibility is yours

 

[Chief 101]

I don't remember the venue, but a few years back some antigun folks were caught loading guns at a gun show, presumably in the hopes of causing an incident. Having said that, it's ultimately the owners responsibility to ensure unloaded guns!

That has happened here also, I would just unload the rifle and move on...after checking the rest of the shootables on the tables...and maybe get a forensic lab involved to find out who loaded the mags and the gun

 

[Rum River]

Was working the gun counter when a customer came in with a Glock to trade. It was in the plastic factory box with all its accessories.

Plus a full magazine in the pistol and a round in the chamber.

The owner's eyebrows went way up.
I used my patented "deep and disappointed sigh".

But then - the owner visibly relaxed and said: "Oh yeah, that's right. I put that in storage a while back. I always load them when I store them."

!?!?!? What the actual....!?!?!?

 

[peachhead]

The shows I visit all require all firearms to have the actions tied open/inoperable with a cable tie, so they are incapable of being fired. Seems like a good practice.

I go through a ton of zip ties. Annoying but I get it.

 

[Lt Choate]

Your example of the loaded rounds is by far worse, but this past weekend I attended a very large Civil War show here in middle Tennessee and ran into a buddy who had just purchased a trap door Springfield. As we looked at his beautiful acquisition, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a live .45-70 round and told me that the seller gave him that so he can try it out when he gets home. I told him to put it away and that security would crucify him if he was caught carrying the two around. You just have to wonder what folks are thinking sometimes.

 

[black1970]

Been to 3 gun shows where rifles went off. One where a guy was selling grips reached into his bag under the table and a 45 1911 went off when he took it out of the bag. Round went through the table and splattered on the floor 20 feet from me. He was gone in 5 minutes. Another where a 22 rifle went into the dirt floor at an arena that was covered with a tarp. Then guns were being inspected at the door by show personnel. Guy pulled the slide back on an Sig but it slipped with his finger on the trigger. Shot an attendee in the leg. Then insurance went up. Also been to shows that guns were found loaded on a table. Instant ejection.

 

[Rimfire Sports]

A buddy and I were at a gun show in Duluth MN. I picked up a 10/22 Sporter (with permission) and did the check-the-chamber-thing and a live round popped out onto the floor. Full magazine too. The two older gentlemen watching the half-dozen tables with 50+ guns were very surprised and apologetic.

I'm certain many here have had the same experience in one way or another, this is just my latest one.

You never know.........

Was the rifle tied? In the shows that I do, all firearms must be tied using plastic ties to keep the action from functioning. Magazines are also removed as they have a tendency to grow legs and walk away.

 

[maxfam]

I bought a used Browning BL-22 at a high end LGS. It had a cable lock around the stock/lever. Asked to have the cable lock removed, racked the lever and an unfired round hit the top of the glass display counter, 6 more rounds in the tube magazine. Still have that firearm.