bhthib3381
Regular Member
So, I've been lurking a while and I decided to open carry for several reasons because of this forum. But I had a recent incident that I thought I'd share with you. I brought my nephew to the country to a place we regularly shoot. I taught him the 4 rules and I drill it into him. Every time we are next to a firearm he must recite the four rules. This day was no different. He recited them, no problem. He abided by them every time we picked up any of the firearms that we had with us. We shot all of the magazines that we had preloaded and then we started reloading the magazines. I reloaded mine faster than my nephew and informed him that I was going to shoot the PPX. We put our hearing and eye protection on and I began shooting. Luckily, my nephew's back was to me (I want to teach him proper firearm safety, not traumatize the kid). I began to fire my magazine and on the third shot I pulled the trigger. I am not entirely sure what happened, but there was a failure to fire. I turned the weapon on it's side checking to see if the firearm had not racked properly. Everything appeared to be in order, but like an idiot, my finger was on the trigger. I pulled the trigger with the weapon on it's side and only one hand on it. It scared the crap out of me. Lucky for me the weapon was still pointed downrange and my nephew was not looking(don't want to scare him off of firearms at this age).
But my nephew and I discussed the incident. I told him what I did and asked him what rules I violated. And here are the results:
1. The gun is always loaded:
I knew for a fact it was when I stepped up to the line, but I treated it as if it wasn't as soon as there was a failure to fire, a situation that I trained my nephew's to be aware of.
2. Never point the weapon at something you are not willing to destroy:
My nephew and I disagree on this. But see rule #
3: Always be aware of your target:
This was a blatant violation. While the firearm was still pointed downrange at the time of discharge, I really didn't know what my weapon was pointed at. Luckily it was the ground.
4. Keep your booger hooker of the bang switch until your are read to shoot.
Obviously, I should have never had my finger on the trigger, much less pulled it. I'm an idiot
Now, I'm ex military and have had gun safety crammed down my throat since I was young. I was the person expected to teach the nieces and nephews said safety. I never thought this would happen to me.
Luckily for me it was a teachable moment without injury. I admit my mistake and no one was hurt. Let's face it, how many people violate three of the four rules and live to tell about it. I consider myself lucky, and hope no one else has the same incident.
May you never have to pull your weapon, but if you do, may your aim be straight.
But my nephew and I discussed the incident. I told him what I did and asked him what rules I violated. And here are the results:
1. The gun is always loaded:
I knew for a fact it was when I stepped up to the line, but I treated it as if it wasn't as soon as there was a failure to fire, a situation that I trained my nephew's to be aware of.
2. Never point the weapon at something you are not willing to destroy:
My nephew and I disagree on this. But see rule #
3: Always be aware of your target:
This was a blatant violation. While the firearm was still pointed downrange at the time of discharge, I really didn't know what my weapon was pointed at. Luckily it was the ground.
4. Keep your booger hooker of the bang switch until your are read to shoot.
Obviously, I should have never had my finger on the trigger, much less pulled it. I'm an idiot
Now, I'm ex military and have had gun safety crammed down my throat since I was young. I was the person expected to teach the nieces and nephews said safety. I never thought this would happen to me.
Luckily for me it was a teachable moment without injury. I admit my mistake and no one was hurt. Let's face it, how many people violate three of the four rules and live to tell about it. I consider myself lucky, and hope no one else has the same incident.
May you never have to pull your weapon, but if you do, may your aim be straight.