Safety in the home

Well it sounds like you learned a valuable lesson at a minimal cost. Thanks for sharing, most probably wouldn't want to admit it. For me personally I keep loaded magazines that can be utilized quickly but the only firearm I keep chambered is my EDC and that stays in a holster 24/7 even on my nightstand. Clearing and safety checks are always worth it. Glad nobody was hurt.

Thanks for sharing your story.
It CAN happen to any of us at any time.

Actually,, things like this happen more often than you may think. Luckily,, you had it pointed in a safe direction.

It's why we teach & preach; "Always check any firearm you pick up immediately." And "Assume that all guns are loaded all the time."

The stupidest thing I've done: one day I was shooting my MK II at my club's indoor range and for a still-unknown crazy reason I thought my loaded magazine held only 9 rounds. This, after having owned and shot it for 30+ years. So, after the 9th shot I was surprised the bolt didn't lock back on my very reliable MK II. There isn't a round in there, is there? Naaahhh. I aimed at the target, pulled the trigger, and >BANG<. That was a very humbling experience. I don't know why I didn't check the chamber. Anyway, at least I had it pointed downrange.

9 rounds - geeze

Don't feel too bad, I've come close(marked the primer). It is definitely a wake up call. Some times we get too comfortable handling our guns. I had a friend tell me years ago that those of us who handle guns all the time have a higher chance of an accidental discharge than non-gun owners just because it's our life style. We need to step back once in awhile and remember the safety rules and remember we are not unfalable!

larry8 said:

I was checking some of my revolvers for the smoothness of the triggers and hammers since I just bought 2 new Rugers to compare. I was making up my gun bag for my shooting tomorrow at the armory. Then I picked out my security 6 and like a stupid dummy pulled the trigger. Yep the 357 went off with a very loud bang. (inside my home in the closet). Luckily, the gun was aimed downwards and the bullet broke the wood cabinet door then imbedded itself into the concrete floor. Although it didn't scare me it really got me thinking - am I too old to have a gun hobby collection?? Should I not have loaded firearms in my safe?? (and elsewhere in the house). Well I did unload all my guns in the safe. I thank God the gun wasn't at a different elevation which could have sent the bullet thru the wall and into my wife or in a neighbors house.

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Did something like that more than 40 years ago. Picked up my favorite .44 that I KNEW was empty. Bang. The slug is still in the wall next to our front door. The exterior brick of house stopped it. Extremely lucky that it was not a worse outcome.
Also, glad no one was injured with your incident.

I must say that most of my revolvers are loaded but my 1911 is cleared when I come in the house. I've made it a habit to do so.
About 30 years ago The Missus shot a hole through the mattress, a pair of my shoes and the bedroom floor. happens.

If it's in my safe, it is not loaded. There is one loaded magazine in there for my emergency backup, which is also in there. I still check chambers when they go in and come out of the safe. There is a 22LR slug in the door jam from an old Winchester with a bad extractor. I pulled the bolt back, nothing came out, so I let the bolt go, pulled the trigger and it fired. I neglected to LOOK in the chamber.

I had a negligent discharge 50 years ago when I was 17. Miscounted the rounds ejected from a pump shotgun and didn't check the chamber. The resulting shot came within two feet of hitting my best friend. I have been very anal about checking and double checking any gun I handle since then. We can never assume.

Yes, the Lord was looking after me last night.

My Dad taught me almost 70 years ago to check every gun you pick up to see if it is loaded. Have been doing it every since except for my EDC I know that one is loaded. Glad no one was injured

This thread made me think about my very small collection of guns, and how all of them in the safe are loaded. I have a separate small safe for those I use as carry guns, so there is really no need at all for the others to be loaded. I will unload them after I finish my coffee.

I have learned over the years [many years] that better safe than sorry check each gun you pick up for forgotten ammo. My late brother-in - law was practising fast draw back in the 60's in front of a mirrow. The gun went off and broke the mirrow but the worst part was it put a bullet hole in ever piece of clothing in the closet. They only had one closet.

larry8,, see,, I knew this thread would bring out the stories.

You are not alone.

A point I use to promote safety is how the USPSA has their very specific range commands for all competitors. After a competitor has fired his last round during a stage,, the RO says; "If you are finished,, unload & show clear!" The competitor is watched to see that they make the gun clear AND showing to me the RO, & safe again. That command is followed by; "IF you are clear,, hammer down, and holster." Upon which the competitor is SUPPOSED to follow my looking into the chamber with their own visual inspection of the chamber, to assure it's clear. The "Hammer Down" part is to be done with the gun pointed at the berm, and the trigger being pulled.
If the competitor & the RO are NOT vigilant,, and a round is still in the chamber,, the competitor is DQ'd because they failed to personally check the chamber.

OFTEN,,, and I mean OFTEN,,, a competitor will drop their magazine,, rack the slide,, seeing a round come out and too quickly close the slide & start to pull the trigger. I stop them all, saying; "Please show me clear." I make those who fail to show me a chamber do it over. Can't be too safe.

Comments like it will happen to everyone sooner or later, or words to that effect are only to placate those who have negligent discharges.

They used to call them "accidental" but since human intervention is necessary "negligent" is a better choice of words.

As to the OP, if you are concerned that your mental state won't let you safely handle firearms, you shouldn't handle firearms.

I love to dry-fire for smoothing a trigger and practice, but this is my only fear in doing so. I've never made a mistake, but I have a fear of doing it.
My father has an old round-top Ruger 77. It was the end of the season and he was putting his '06 away for the year. He worked the bolt and pulled the trigger to release the tension. Yep. The extractor had failed to grab the rim of the round in the chamber. It was pointed in a safe direction, but there was some drywall repair to be done.

A very good shooting buddy of mine once told me that if you handle firearms enough, it will not be a matter of if you ever have an ND, but when it will happen. Mine was when I was 21 years old. I took a friend out shooting and he handed me his nice new Colt 45 Government. He neglected to tell me he did an "action job" on it. I don't know why, but I only put one round in the magazine. When the slide dropped, so did the hammer and resulted in putting a nice hole in the hood of my car. Missed all the vitals, but it was there until the day I sold my car 4 years later.

It could very well happen to anyone. I recently went thru my cabinets and unloaded everything in there. Having some loaded mixed with some unloaded and old age doesn't mix in my situation. I also keep a few guns in my music room. Only one is loaded and it's kept separate (right next to me) from the others.

My brother fired a pistol unexpectedly in a friends kitchen long ago. Tore up a strip of flooring but no casualties.
He was an avid gun fanatic and decorated Marksman in the Army. Yep it can happen to anyone.

In all the cases so far people screwed up. Only one is attempting to blame the fire arm, and that one wasn't cleared when handed from person to person.

Not an accident among them. Several incidents were simply from lack of attention, most from ignoring the rules.

All the training in the world can't cure those issues.