About came unglued

[JettaKnight]

It seems we have arrived at 'agree to disagree' Following is Rule 3 on safe gun handling from Education and Training|NRA Gun Safety Rules


"ALWAYS keep the gun unloaded until ready to use.
Whenever you pick up a gun, immediately engage the safety device if possible, and, if the gun has a magazine, remove it before opening the action and looking into the chamber(s) which should be clear of ammunition. If you do not know how to open the action or inspect the chamber(s), leave the gun alone and get help from someone who does."

One wonders - if a gun can be in an 'unloaded' state, why the NRA instructs us to always clear the weapon. Sounds a lot like advocating the common sense actions triggered by Col. Coopers 1st rule without wanting to acknowledge it (now who does that remind me of ... hmmm). Perhaps there was a copyright/intellectual property problem, eh

It can't be both "instruct to clear" and follow the Colonel's first rule. Because, as we all know, Rule #1 states that a firearm can never be cleared - it's always loaded. The NRA is less dogmatic and more pragmatic; which suits me just fine.

A gun can absolutely be unloaded. We've all unloaded guns - heck, everything you shoot through a complete magazine the gun is magically unloaded! Regardless, handle it as a gun should be handled - almost all of us agree that handling a gun should not differ based on it's actual or perceived state of readiness to fire.

Stop worrying about if it's loaded or unloaded - handle it safely always.

But beyond the argument over minutae, I hope you are not advocating in favor of your 'right' to handle firearms, in a way I might find irresponsible, where that 'right' intersects me and mine.

There are some that do...

 

[LarryC]

Shaping up to be the best thread of the day! MURICA!!!



I wonder which other inanimate objects the OP would be offended by someone pointing at his son. Would a guy picking up a baseball bat and swinging in the general direction of the son be cause for concern? Would trying on gloves and pointing fingers through the finger holes be intimidating and cause for alarm?

Yet, somehow, this metal thingy he was waving around was more dangerous. Hmm.

Here we go again telling anti-gunners and the general public that guns are no more dangerous than, say, a flight of steps, and yet, here we go again, getting all butthurt over someone pointing one end of a gun in a general direction because it's somehow dangerous or at the very least, a violation of arbitrary rules popularized by pseudo-celebrities.

Someday I'm hopeful we'll be able to treat guns like the inanimate metal objects they are.

Guess we sure are on a different page in life. Almost ANY inanimate metal object may become dangerous or even fatal if improperly handled. I would react the same way the op did. If a person in an automobile drove recklessly in front of my home when I was raising a family I would react the same way! A person swinging a hatchet or Axe would elicit the same response. What is wrong with NOT POINTING a firearm at people? Every firearm is capable of launching a projectile capable of harming or killing someone!

What in the world could be right about pointing the firearm so that a projectile launched would hit an innocent person? I have personally seen an "unloaded" firearm discharge. My nephew had a 22 semi auto handgun, he pulled the clip, pulled the slide all the way back and released it, then pointed it at the floor of my sisters kitchen and pulled the trigger. Obviously the ejector had failed to pick up the round in the chamber, and the firearm discharged, other than the hole in the floor no other damage was done, but had he pointed the firearm at someone and pulled the trigger someone could have been badly injured or killed!!

 

[BugI02]

Stop worrying about if it's loaded or unloaded - handle it safely always.

D'Accord

 

[BE Mike]

You forgot the "I've been shooting all my life" crowd.

Yes, but many of them, in reality, don't have much experience with proper gun handling.