Negligent Discharge Almost Costs A Man His Life

[TGO David]

Found this elsewhere and thought I would cross-post it here for the sake of illustrating why it is imperative that we always observe the traditional laws of gun safety when handling our firearms. As someone on the source forum commented, we're not playing golf here. The firearms that we enjoy for recreation and for self defense are deadly weapons and as such must be handled with absolute care at all times.

I will go ahead and point out one thing... the person guilty of the ND was an off-duty police officer. I do not want this thread to turn into LEO bashing! As some of our own resident Officers have stated before, not all cops are avid shooters. Some departments only make their officers qualify once a year and that qualification is the only time that some officers ever fire their guns.

We are fortunate in my town that the PD makes their officers qualify more frequently than that. Further, our chief is a very pro-2nd Amendment individual and supports civilian carry.

Anway, here's the story. Blue text is not mine:

Earlier this week I got word of an incident at a nearby local range involving a long time friend who is a great promoter of the gun arts here locally.

Today I made a quick trip out to his range, put in an hour of shooting time and heard the story first hand. Because of the intensity of what happened and the lessons to once again be learned and/or reinforced I pass this along.

Straight up.........classic mistakes in gun handling almost got a man shot.

Recently, a nine year veteran of local LE came into that range (out of uniform) for a little personal shooting practice. Right off he made a mistake by ignorning the sign posted at front door, but that might have been because he was armed and carrying off duty. Anway, for whatever reason he came in with a loaded uncased weapon.

At that point things went straight to hell real fast. According to the owner and at least one on sight witness he apparently unholstered his duty weapon (GLOCK) and went to clear it. He racked out a chambered round, let the slide drop back home and THEN dropped out the mag. He proceeded to point the gun at the floor and pull the trigger. Sure enough the mistakenly chambered round went boom. The round bounced off of the concrete tiled floor, went into the "range rules" sign shattering the glass at the top (how ironic that is) and into wall behind it. The bullet travelled upward hitting something within the wall and then came back out angled downward and right into the corner of the desk where the owner was sitting in the process of making a phone call.

The owner (an experienced combat veteran and one heck of a SD/HD promoter and trainer) honesty thought he had been fired upon as glass was raining onto him (he thought a round had come through the display case) and a bullet had just hit the desk right next to where he was sitting. He literally spun around coming up out of his chair while drawing his C&L laser equipped Kimber (which he always carries at the range) and according to both he and the witness present, dropped the safety, had the laser on the person's face and was preparing to fire when he realized that the man was not a real threat and what had actually happened. At that point he proceeded to lower his weapon and invite the person (in not very nice terms) to get out and never ever come back there.

A picture of the sign with bullet hole between Range Rules, the broken glass at the top and the return downard angled hole (above to the right) as the bullet hit something in the wall and came back out headed toward the desk. The owner put up the Springer sign to cover up the exit hole after the incident although he plans to leave the Range Rules sign as is.

Picture of his desk. The bullet landed just to the left of the left can and the owner was sitting just to the left of that.

Both the owner (long time friend) and myself were glad he did not follow through with that last aspect of pulling the trigger on his Kimber.

Once again...........be safe folks as things can get out of sequence real fast if one is not thinking all the time.

[Punisher84]

Holy crap.

[TripleDigitRide]

Very scary, indeed.

I had a similar situation happen to me while a customer of mine was clearing his XD45.

The round ricocheted off of a slab of granite being used to make a counter top, and was only inches from drilling a hole in my stomach. Had this guy angled the weapon just ever so slightly, him and I would have had a very, very bad day.

Obviously this kind of thing can, and too often does happen to ANYONE who fails to keep 100% focused on the proper of handling of a fiream. Disaster takes only a split second.

This customer of mine was one of the last people I would have expected to make such an error. He's a life-long owner of firearms, and has been an avid competitive shooter for a very long time.

I was probably too laxed in the past, but after this incident, I no longer trust anyone who's handling a firearm. I am now always extra precautions when I'm in a setting where someone around me is doing anything with firearms.

[Guest Bronker]

Wow.

Call me Type-A / Analytical with a touch of OCD, but that's why I check clear, repeat. Repeat again. Repeat again. Repeat again.

And so on.

This was one ricochet and impulsive reflex away from a dual catastrophe.

Wow.

[ShaunM]

I bet that was scary as hell.

[poak]

Call me Type-A / Analytical with a touch of OCD, but that's why I check clear, repeat. Repeat again. Repeat again. Repeat again.

I hear ya, man. I usually rack the slide 2-3 times after dropping the mag, visually inspect, rack again.

[Dropkick Murphy]

Holy crap. That made my anus pucker.

[timcalhoun]

This is a good lesson for us all to always make a habbit of taking the mag out before racking the slide, then showing yourself a clear chamber, then hammer down. Just glad nobody was hurt. Whew.

[E4 No More]

Everyone is just a brain-fart away from a really bad day when they handle a gun. All the more reason not to handle weapons when you're tired.

[TN9mm]

This is a dramatic example of countless incidents recorded, and not recorded, of what was thought to be an empty chamber going boom.

In the house but not in the room but all parties involved told the story the same: A cadet who had graduated that day from the Police academy. The department he was going to work for did not issue firearms only provided ammo for the approved pistols. His parents had purchased him a NIB Glock 17 as a graduation present. He was proud of it showing it off, and did the EXACT same thing as the OP explains here. Then hands the gun to a military vet who is admiring (fondling) the pistol.... boom round goes across the room between two peoples heads out a window and into the side of a cyder block wall in the house next door. EVERYBODY involved knew better. Including the 2 who sat across the room staring down the barrel of an "unloaded gun," bad night that could have been sooooooo much worse. God was with them all that night.

[threeshot]

I was probably too laxed in the past, but after this incident, I no longer trust anyone who's handling a firearm. I am now always extra precautions when I'm in a setting where someone around me is doing anything with firearms.

Please share with us the extra safety precautions you take when somebody is handling a firearm.

[TripleDigitRide]

Please share with us the extra safety precautions you take when somebody is handling a firearm.

I ensure that I am always in the exact opposite direction in which the muzzle is pointing. And yes, I'm talking about guns that are loaded or presumed to be unloaded. And I never take my eye off the firearm. NEVER.

I am now very uncomfortable if a firearm is pointed in my general direction, even if the slide or cylinder is open. Call me crazy, but after that close call, I am beyond cautious.

It takes only a split second for something to go horribly wrong, and I'd rather look like a chicken s**t instead of that being my LAST split second. Just not worth it.

[Guest Astra900]

I ensure that I am always in the exact opposite direction in which the muzzle is pointing. And yes, I'm talking about guns that are loaded or presumed to be unloaded. And I never take my eye off the firearm. NEVER.

I am now very uncomfortable if a firearm is pointed in my general direction, even if the slide or cylinder is open. Call me crazy, but after that close call, I am beyond cautious.

It takes only a split second for something to go horribly wrong, and I'd rather look like a chicken s**t instead of that being my LAST split second. Just not worth it.

I'm the same way. I shoot with the same group of guys regularly. I love 'em but I keep my attention on their muzzle discipline until the gun goes back in the case.

If any of them are reading this, I'm ashamed of you if you don't watch me the same way.

Anyone who would say "You're being overly cautious" is no friend of mine. (Yours either:koolaid:)