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We are a litigious society. I don’t know
exactly when it happened, but Americans have become a society of
people who, when something goes wrong, want to blame anyone but
themselves. I heard just today of a case in which a little girl
was playing on the playground at school, got stung by a bee, and
the parents are suing the school. Every year, people trip and
fall, and if they do it on someone else’s property, look at it
as if they had won the lottery. Carpal Tunnel Syndrome was
never heard of until lawyers figured out that there was money to
be made in suing employers for the condition. We have all heard
of the case in which a plaintiff sued McDonald’s
because their coffee was too hot. The sad part is that the
plaintiff won the case. These are just a small sampling of
examples of our litigious society. The courts are packed with
civil litigation. Courts are necessary, and some cases are
legitimate, but it has gotten way out of hand. Personal
responsibility no longer exists in the minds of most Americans.
We can sue for anything. All we need is a slick lawyer who can
convince twelve jurors that their client was injured, and that
the evil corporation who sold him the product is at fault. It is
not too hard to do, hence the extreme proliferation of
plaintiff’s attorneys in our country.
The result of this attitude in our nation, as it
relates to gun owners, is that we have seen an increase in
trigger pull weights, and a plethora of redundant safety
devices. It is amazing that our firearms can still make a
bullet leave the barrel. Most shooters bemoan the addition of
key-lock and other safeties added to our firearms, but they are
here to stay. The crossbolt safeties that were added to our
traditional lever action rifles in the 1980s were a direct
result of shooters and hunters blaming manufacturers for their
own negligence. In every case of which I am aware, negligent
discharges of firearms have always been the fault of the shooter
in some way. It doesn’t matter how many safeties are attached
to or built into a firearm, if handled improperly, it can go
off. I have had one negligent discharge with a firearm, and it
was one of the so called "safest" pistols ever built;
a Smith & Wesson Model 469 semi-auto. It had a thumb
safety, magazine safety, and an internal firing pin safety, but
it fired when I did not intend to, because I pulled the dern
trigger. Entirely my fault. Thankfully, the only things hurt
were my pride and some drywall, but it could have certainly been
much worse, as several other people were in the house with me at
the time. When police departments began the massive change over
to the Glock pistol a couple of decades ago, negligent
discharges were a concern, as a few weapons were being fired
while holstering. . However, in every case, the officer had his
finger in the trigger guard when attempting to holster his
weapon, causing him to pull the trigger. Training fixed the
problem.
Proper Training
Let’s state right up front that guns are
dangerous. So are chainsaws, knives, drills, axes, automobiles,
tractors, meat grinders, snowmobiles, motorcycles, hammers,
roller skates, and pretty women. Attempting to operate any of
these devices can get you in big trouble if proper care and
training are not applied. I get questions everyday from folks
who know absolutely nothing about firearms, but want me to
recommend the right gun for them. I don’t mind helping at all.
That is why I am here. However, proper training is every bit as
important as the choice of weapon, if not more so. No one with
any sense would go buy an automobile and drive it without first
learning how to safely do so, yet many buy a firearm with no
knowledge of how to even load the weapon, relying on the
salesman or a friend to give them a two-minute class on handling
a firearm. I am not an advocate of people having to be licensed
to purchase a firearm, but it is the buyer’s personal
responsibility to get the proper instruction before handling a
firearm.
Every year, hunting accidents result in serious
injuries or deaths. This has become less prevalent as more and
more states require hunters to receive hunter safety training. I
have seen hunters pull loaded rifles out of pickup truck racks
muzzle first, and hand loaded rifles up into elevated stands to
other hunters, and to cross fences with a round in the chamber,
and to carry rifles with their finger in the trigger guard.
These are common examples of poor gun handling, and sometimes
these actions result in tragedy. Handgunners are just as
bad. I have seen hunters carry a revolver with the hammer
cocked. I have seen hunters carry a handgun without a proper
holster many times. Usually, the result is just embarrassment
when the handgun falls into the mud, but it can be much worse.
One of the best handgun designs ever inspired of
God is the single action revolver. It is the epitome of
strength, accuracy, and durability. However, many shooters do
not carry them properly. The Colt Single Action Army and
its many copies, the original Ruger Blackhawk, Single
Six, and Bearcat, the Remington, the Freedom
Arms Model 83, and many others are some of the safest
firearms ever designed, if carried properly with an empty
chamber under the hammer. If you load these with the firing pin
resting on a live cartridge, you are asking for trouble. If the
gun is dropped on the hammer, the gun will fire. If the hammer
is pulled back and allowed to slip forward before being fully
cocked, the gun can sometimes fire. Just about every firearm
sold today comes with an excellent instruction manual, but most
shooters do not bother to read it. About half of the manual’s
contents deal with the proper safe loading and handling of the
weapon, but many shooters ignore this, and when they get into
trouble due to their own mishandling of the weapon, they want to
sue the gun's maker. Owner’s manuals are filled with warnings,
but they often go ignored. Proper training with the weapon
chosen is imperative, just as knowing how to safely operate an
automobile or any other machine is crucial to the safety of the
operator and anyone nearby. Again, it comes down to personal
responsibility. A gun is just a machine for throwing bullets or
shot. It does not have a will of its own. Every firearm has a
procedure which should be followed when handling the weapon. If
you are unwilling to use a gun in the manner in which it was
designed, you should choose another weapon!
Most gun manufacturers warn against using
handloaded ammunition in their firearms. Not that handloaded
ammo can’t be just as good or better than factory-loaded ammo.
The problem is that when a handloader is careless and blows the
cylinder or chamber out of his gun, he calls a lawyer to sue the
gun maker. I get requests all the time from shooters who want to
buy only the equipment needed to load ammunition, but they
sometimes get offended when I recommend that they buy a good
loading manual first. Many times they only want to know the
maximum load that they can shoot out of their gun. For more info
on this, I refer you to my piece on that subject titled Maximum
Loads. With either weapons handling or handloading
ammunition, the training does not have to be formal. If you can
afford the cost of the best firearms training, it is money well
spent. However, if you can’t, you should at the minimum fully
read and understand the owner’s manual before you attempt to
use the weapon. If you can’t understand the manual, ask
for help.
Equipment
A firearm is only a part of a system which
consists of the gun, the ammunition, and a proper holster or
sling, if needed. A hunting rifle should have a sling which will
allow the safe carry of the rifle while climbing fences or
elevated stands. A hunting handgun should have a proper holster.
It should protect and retain the gun under all conditions. It
should also cover the trigger, and prevent anything from pulling
back the hammer, whether it be a tree branch, clothing, long
gun, backpack, or anything else. For a concealed carry gun, the
holster needs to retain the weapon from falling out when
running, jumping, or sitting down. Many guns have dropped to the
floor when a chair arm pulled the weapon from the holster while
its owner was being seated. Under the best of
circumstances, only the finish is damaged and the owner
embarrassed. Again, it is the owners personal
responsibility to obtain and use the proper equipment to assure
the safe use of the firearm. Many shooters and hunters will
spend several hundred dollars or more for a handgun, and then
buy the cheapest holster that they can find. The proper holster
is just as important as the gun and ammunition.
Proper Mindset
Without the proper mindset, you have no business
using a gun. Just as with operating a car, boat, or other
machine, guns and drugs are a bad mix. Under the category of
drugs, I include alcohol. It is just a liquid drug. Anything
that alters your mind and inhibits clear thinking impedes your
ability to properly use your gun. One of the most selfish and
irresponsible acts that anyone can do is to drive drunk, yet
people do it everyday. If you drink alcohol and then get behind
the wheel, you are putting your own stupid selfish indulgence
above the safety of everyone else, including me and my little
grandkids, and I will not tolerate a drunk driver. Drinking and
handling a firearm is just as bad. If you are drinking, you
shouldn’t touch a gun. If you want to drink, smoke weed, pop
pills, snort coke, or anything else, that is your business as
long as you are not endangering anyone else. Knock yourself out.
If you are impaired and drive on a public road or carry a gun,
it becomes the business of everyone around you. Don’t do it.
If you are a good ol’ boy and down a few cold ones with your
buddies in hunting camp and shoot one of them, you deserve
whatever the law or his kin does to you. If you shoot yourself,
don’t try to blame the gun. It is just a machine. Personal
responsibility.
The proper use and handling of firearms is the
personal responsibility of each of us who owns a gun. It is our
God-given and Constitutionally protected right as Americans to
keep and bear arms. God and the law also expect us to behave
responsibly, and we are accountable for our own actions. It is
not a responsibility that should be taken lightly. If my gun
discharges, I am accountable for where that bullet lands, as you
are for yours. No need to look to blame someone else. Along with
our freedom to own and enjoy guns and hunting comes the
responsibility to properly use them. Training, equipment, and
mindset will assure that each of us are allowed to retain that
freedom and pass it on to other generations of shooters.
Jeff Quinn
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Click pictures for a larger version.
Safeties on traditional leverguns are the result of
shooters blaming gun makers for their own negligence
Key locks built into handguns are the result of careless
gun owners not properly securing their weapons.
A good field holster will protect the hammer from being
snagged by obstacles or clothing.
It is stupid to combine guns and drugs.
Instruction manuals are to be read, understood, and
followed.
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