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Idiot in Seattle accidentally shoots neighbor in head

deepdiver

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I have had one ND due to cockiness and casualness. Fortunately I was following at least some of the basic rules such as pointing the gun in safe direction and it was only embarrassing and informative.

Carrying an XD, which requires the trigger be pulled to field strip, has made me MUCH more aware and conscious of ensuring that a firearm is truly "safe" before touching a trigger. I even had someone at the range question my practice of not only dropping the mag, locking the slide back and doing a visual inspection to ensure that the sidearm is empty, but also to feel inside the chamber with my pinky and checking the loaded chamber indicator with my hand (if so equipped) before saying a pistol is clear. I pointed out that my habit allows me to ensure that the weapon is clear in any condition even low light or if I were to have an injury impairing my sight.

Overkill? Maybe. But that ND scared the heck out of me and is in the back of my mind keeping me mindful of all the rules and reminding me to never again be so casual with any firearm no matter where I am.
 

cynicist

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I have had one near-possible-ND, where I dropped a 22 revolver from about 8 feet up when I was carelessly getting it off a shelf; my newborn son was in the room. When the shock wore off, I decided to be a little more careful in the future, to put it mildly.
As for the U-dist dude, yes we all make mistakes, but check your freikin gun before you mess with it.
 

PT111

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, South Carolina, USA
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Maybe we should create a new category called SD - Stupid Discharge. There is a difference between picking a loadedgun up and pulling the trigger by failing to keep your finger off the trigger and picking the gun up and delibertly pulling the trigger without checking to see if it is empty. One night I pointed my 30-30 at the TV and decided to shoot the bad guy on it. I had the hammer back and my finger on the trigger when something reminded me of the gun safety rules. I eased back off and checked to find that I has placed a round in the chamber and started shaking. IfI had pulled the trigger it would not have been due to neglience but rather stupidity. I think that is what most people are trying to say about the OP rather than they are perfect.
 

FMCDH

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Trigger Dr wrote:
Jarhead, you are not alone. Several years ago, I had a 1911 that I was replacing the stocks with pachmyers. I cleared the gun, slide locked open, mag out. one of my sons on each side of me. I removed the old stocks and handed them to my son on the right. the son on the left gave me the new stocks which I installed. as this was going directly into my holster on my hip, I inserted the magazine, dropped the slide and it slam fired THREE times before jamming. I call this a malfunction, but it was a ND never the less. The problem was caused by a bit of foriegn material that held the firing pin al the way forward. It turned out to be a piece of the wire brush that I had used to do some scrubbing. My fault all the way. I have carried since 1965. This was the first and only one to date.



OK everyone, own up you know it can and does happen.
Exactly, of course it can happen.

But as Trigger Dr. points out, its just a mechanical object, and if it DOES happen, you, the human, own it.

NDs may not be able to be 100% mitigatable, but NDs that result in human injury CAN be by being completely aware of your backstop at all times handling a firearm.
 

5jeffro7

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I think that another important thing that needs to be addressed is the fact that having a ND can be a big lesson in itself....one I'll never forget....

My mistake was thinking that my Colt single action was unloaded.....it had been sitting around the house for about 4 months & we had some friends coming over with kids...time to lock up the gun....I had spent considerable money having the gun worked on by a world class speed shooter & the action was like butter..smooth & with only 1.25 pounds of trigger pull.

I was "working the action", cocking hammer, holding hammer & releasing trigger, easing hammer down with my thumb..about the 4th or 5th time I did this, my thumb slipped off the hammer & the gun discharged..bullet entered my upper calf, traveled through my calf & exited between my calf & Achilles tendon...remember, I said that I had thought my gun was unloaded?...I'd basically just proceeded to shoot myself with an unloaded weapon

to this day, all I've got to do is to look at my leg to see a very important reminder that negligence/stupidity does happen. fortunately, it was pointed in a safe direction & ultimately ended up being a minor injury, but a eye-opener, nonetheless: Went shooting about 3 weeks after the incident & I swear, I must have checked & re-checked the gun 20 times, almost being obsessive about it, not wanting to have another ND.
 

Tomas

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I could swear I posted this before, but can't find it, so...

My first, and hopefully last, ND was in 1967 while I was stationed at Carswell AFB, Ft. Worth, TX.

It was my very first semi-auto pistol, a new S&W Model 39 I'd just bought about a week earlier.

No injuries or serious damage, but it taught a serious lesson that has stuck with me, and made me make that second (or third or fourth) weapon check to this day.
 

Trigger Dr

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Any former Marines on the forum? I am certain there are a few. They can attest to the fact that there are very few (at least when I was in the military) guard shacks wthout bullet holes in the wall or ceiling.I don't know about Army or Air Force, and he Navy seldom had Navy personnel guarding with loaded weapons.
 

oneeyeross

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There's a reason there is a clearing station outside of a lot of Army buildings, with a barrel of sand you point your pistol in to....
 

sudden valley gunner

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I haven't had one and hope to never have one but my glock slipped one time while it was cold and my fingers a little numb, I caught it and my finger almost went into the trigger gaurd area, where it could have engaged the trigger. Scared the crap out of me. I simply was putting it in my pack so I can carry another weapon while hiking. That is the only time I questioned glocks lack of a safety. I have since developed a method of removing serpa holster with gun in it when storing it loaded.

I keep it that way in my nightstand, works good for me since I border state forest, and get a lot of sounds my wife insists I investigate late at night. A section of rotting log rolling against your house sure makes you wake up and be on instant alert.
 

Glocked and Loaded

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sudden valley gunner wrote:
I haven't had one and hope to never have one but my glock slipped one time while it was cold and my fingers a little numb, I caught it and my finger almost went into the trigger gaurd area, where it could have engaged the trigger. Scared the crap out of me. I simply was putting it in my pack so I can carry another weapon while hiking. That is the only time I questioned glocks lack of a safety. I have since developed a method of removing serpa holster with gun in it when storing it loaded.

I keep it that way in my nightstand, works good for me since I border state forest, and get a lot of sounds my wife insists I investigate late at night. A section of rotting log rolling against your house sure makes you wake up and be on instant alert.

I have heard many times to just let it fall. Trying to grab it while the Glock is falling is a good way to accidentally press the trigger.


I never had a ND and hope to never have one.

But the guy in the story had a loaded rifle? I mean I can understand a ND with a handgun that's always loaded. But if you have a loaded rifle you should be well aware that you have a loaded rifle. I always check to make sure my rifles are empty before I do anything with them. And I would not load a round into any of my rifle unless I plan to shoot them. Unless its an assault rifle but even then I would most likely have the chamber empty. I wonder if that guys ears are still ringing.
 

sudden valley gunner

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Glocked and Loaded wrote:
sudden valley gunner wrote:
I haven't had one and hope to never have one but my glock slipped one time while it was cold and my fingers a little numb, I caught it and my finger almost went into the trigger gaurd area, where it could have engaged the trigger. Scared the crap out of me. I simply was putting it in my pack so I can carry another weapon while hiking. That is the only time I questioned glocks lack of a safety. I have since developed a method of removing serpa holster with gun in it when storing it loaded.

I keep it that way in my nightstand, works good for me since I border state forest, and get a lot of sounds my wife insists I investigate late at night. A section of rotting log rolling against your house sure makes you wake up and be on instant alert.

I have heard many times to just let it fall. Trying to grab it while the Glock is falling is a good way to accidentally press the trigger.
Exactly what I'll do next time. We get quick with catching things in my business and it is a force of habit.
 

amzbrady

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Marysville, Washington, USA
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sudden valley gunner wrote:
Glocked and Loaded wrote:
sudden valley gunner wrote:
I haven't had one and hope to never have one but my glock slipped one time while it was cold and my fingers a little numb, I caught it and my finger almost went into the trigger gaurd area, where it could have engaged the trigger. Scared the crap out of me. I simply was putting it in my pack so I can carry another weapon while hiking. That is the only time I questioned glocks lack of a safety. I have since developed a method of removing serpa holster with gun in it when storing it loaded.

I keep it that way in my nightstand, works good for me since I border state forest, and get a lot of sounds my wife insists I investigate late at night. A section of rotting log rolling against your house sure makes you wake up and be on instant alert.

I have heard many times to just let it fall. Trying to grab it while the Glock is falling is a good way to accidentally press the trigger.
Exactly what I'll do next time. We get quick with catching things in my business and it is a force of habit.
You work in a chicken factory?
 

PT111

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, South Carolina, USA
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sudden valley gunner wrote:
Glocked and Loaded wrote:
sudden valley gunner wrote:
I haven't had one and hope to never have one but my glock slipped one time while it was cold and my fingers a little numb, I caught it and my finger almost went into the trigger gaurd area, where it could have engaged the trigger. Scared the crap out of me. I simply was putting it in my pack so I can carry another weapon while hiking. That is the only time I questioned glocks lack of a safety. I have since developed a method of removing serpa holster with gun in it when storing it loaded.

I keep it that way in my nightstand, works good for me since I border state forest, and get a lot of sounds my wife insists I investigate late at night. A section of rotting log rolling against your house sure makes you wake up and be on instant alert.

I have heard many times to just let it fall. Trying to grab it while the Glock is falling is a good way to accidentally press the trigger.
Exactly what I'll do next time. We get quick with catching things in my business and it is a force of habit.
Very easy to say just let it fall but how many of us can actually think that fast. Natural reflex is to try and catch it. I saw a boydrop a #2 pencil one day and caught it exactly horizontal between his hands. The point went into one palm almost a half inch. Ouch!
 

Tomas

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The reflex action to catch something that has been dropped is much faster than the thinking part of the brain that says "Not a good idea!"

Friend of mine knocked a very large, heavy soldering iron off the work surface and caught it before it hit the floor. Second and third degree burns to the palm of his hand...
 

3/325

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I've never had a ND and, as far as I'm concerned, there's no reason for it happening while I have positive control of the weapon.

I've never had a "mystery round" appear in the chamber unexpectedly BECAUSE I VISUALLY INSPECT THE CHAMBER prior to pulling the trigger on what "should be" an empty gun.

It's a process so simple that children can do it.

1. Rack the slide
2. LOOK INSIDE

I take a dim view of NDs because that's exactly how I'd feel if someone I love was the victim of someone else's stupidity or carelessness. When you F up, own up.
 

Matt85

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Apr 12, 2010
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i have never had an ND and do my absolute best to avoid any chance of it. i live in the middle unit of a condoe complex and there is a very high risk of hitting someone should a firearm go off.

my routine:

1. drop magazine

2. rack the slide

3. slowleyrack the slide (if you hand the gun to another person, have them do this as well)

4. check the chamber

this has kept me and my friends safe for the last 7 years.

-matt
 
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