Fingers Not Required for Guns to go Bang

[eldirector]

Not blaming the victim. For all I know, his wife put a loaded, safety-off rifle in a half-zipped bag.

Truly a preventable tragedy. My condolences to all involved.

To everyone else: PLEASE pay attention to what you are doing. It might just save a life.

 

[gunworks321]

I was just given a very nice 10 gauge side by side. It is a well made gun and was used for Geese and other high flying bird hunting.
Reason I was given the gun.....when closing the gun after loading the right barrel fires. No fingers on the trigger, just closing the breech drops the firing pin. This was discovered when he shot a hole in his boat a few years ago. No one was hurt but he and his buddy got very wet when the boat sank.
Guns are machines. Machines fail/break.

Absolutely they do! Carried Dad's old 12 ga back in the 60's rabbit hunting. One day in January, waiting for the dog to bring one around, getting closer....slide the safety off and both barrels discharged. No fingering. I threw the gun on the ground and refused to carry it anymore. Fast forward to a few years ago. Dad wanted me to look at is old guns and see if they were worth anything (they're not). On being disassembled found the worn and broken safety spring allowed the hammers to engage the firing pins on both sides just by sliding it off. No parts are available, so it sits in a parts bag awaiting final disposition. Dad no longer can operate firearms due to Parkinson disease so it will be scraped soon.

 

[gunworks321]

I know there is the tendency to turn every accidental discharge into blaming the victim so that we do not have to recognize the reality that firearms can discharge when we do not want them to.

I only post these accidental discharges to counter the gun culture-wide denial that these incidents transpire.

As familiarity breeds contempt we must not become so blasé with our weapons that we injure ourselves or others by forgetting that firearms can and do discharge without fingers on triggers.

Thanks for posting this Kirk. If it serves as a refresher course for all of us to be ever vigilant when handling our firearms, then we can all learn from a tragedy.

 

[ChalupaCabras]

Many many firearms are not drop safe.

Most antiques will go bang if they are struck hard enough in a certain way. Even a slew of modern weapons that were SUPPOSED to be drop safe have been recalled when it was found that their mechanical safety devices were defective or poorly designed.

This is why you are supposed to unload your gun before you cross a fence or ditch, or traverse your tree stand. Too much oprotunity for something to happen.

 

[gunworks321]

Many many firearms are not drop safe.

Most antiques will go bang if they are struck hard enough in a certain way. Even a slew of modern weapons that were SUPPOSED to be drop safe have been recalled when it was found that their mechanical safety devices were defective or poorly designed.

This is why you are supposed to unload your gun before you cross a fence or ditch, or traverse your tree stand. Too much oprotunity for something to happen.

Yea, my uncle shot two of his fingers off when I was a kid by not observing this precaution!

 

[BehindBlueI's]

Losing Johnny Cash was country music losing a legend. This was losing some guy in the industry.

 

[saberstar]

About 1 year ago built and AR. Went out to test fire it and charged it. When I flipped the selector to fire the gun went off about 5 feet from my foot. I then unloaded the gun and put it up. Went out about month later and bought a new lower and parts kit. It now sits in a cabinet and I haven't looked at it yet.

 

[Twangbanger]

...firearms can and do discharge without fingers on triggers...

Ah! There he fixed it...

 

[Dirtebiker]

That wasn't an "accident".

1) Loaded rifle in a case
2) No safety, I assume?
3) Unzipped case
4) He dropped the gun

If I were to drop a plugged-in toaster into the bathtub while bathing, it wouldn't be an accident.

Exactly! Negligence is NOT an accident!

 

[k1500]

Fingers are still required to put a round in the chamber.

If there is a round in the pipe, then there is a possibility of discharge. Most of the time it comes from some sort of handling of the weapon.

 

[Manatee]

Aside from the obvious stupidity of putting a hunting rifle in a case with a round in the chamber, I call BS on this one. I know Rossi 92's pretty well and this 'report' doesn't make sense on the surface unless the rifle was highly modified.