Guns Do Not Need Fingers to go Bang

[hog slayer]

I agree; whats popular is not always best and whats best is not always popular.

Maybe better stated "what is right is not always popular and what is popular is not always right"

 

[JettaKnight]

How did miss this restarting?

 

[ATM]

Doesnt treating guns as if they are loaded lead to safe gun handling? Seems like you made a solution for a non existent problem.

Many things may lead to safe gun handling, but they are not safe gun handling.

If there is a reason to replace what we actually mean and wish to succinctly convey, "safely", with what some folks seem to prefer, "as if they are loaded", I want to see that reasoning explained.

Nobody seems to have a rational reason, they all seem to have just adopted the latter version from someone else and never even questioned if it made the most sense.

None have risen to the challenge of explaining why they prefer something as trivial as loaded status in front of the golden rule of safe gun handling.

If they insist on include something like that in their instruction, any other mantras, good ideas or practices, such should be added to the bottom of their ever-growing list so that priority is maintained.

Does any of this strike you as unreasonable or an unimportant distinction, specifically for those instructing and reinforcing safe gun handling in others in a manner they can easily and effectively duplicate and explain?

 

[ATM]

I agree; whats popular is not always best and whats best is not always popular.

Maybe better stated "what is right is not always popular and what is popular is not always right"

I made the point earlier that there may be many methods which work, but some work better for instructional purposes or for correcting improper practices, convey understanding more efficiently, with better clarity, etc.

 

[ATM]

How did miss this restarting?

Your senses have dulled from participating in the partisan politics threads.

 

[jettlag]

I carried 9 years as Indiana State Trooper, something does not sound right here

 

[CTS]

The 3 NRA rules for safe gun handling keeps the golden rule of gun safety, the most important item, as #1, the second most important as #2, leaving loaded status in its proper place.

We shouldn't teach people to treat guns "as if they're loaded", when what we want is for them to learn to handle guns safely.

Obviously the point is to keep at top of mind that one should never treat a firearm haphazardly as if it is incapable of doing harm (unloaded), therefore the "mantra" serves as a reminder of such. I don't really give a hoot who came up with or espouses it either, it just makes sense so I employ it and pass it along to others. Even if I have just personally cleared a weapon, I may go ahead and manipulate its controls to test functionality/strip it/etc.. but I'm still not going to point the muzzle at anything I care about (as if it were hot) because I don't ever want to break the mental barrier I have in place warning me that it's dangerous. Thus, it's always loaded, makes a great rule #1 for me.

 

[Leo]

Last night was a special on TV about the years and years of Remington 700's that will fire when you switch the safety off. They detailed several deaths and even a kid who spent 5 years in jail for murder. Of course the rifle had to be loaded, cocked and pointed at someone and the safety lever manipulated, which I see as 3 levels of safety violation before the defect in the safety/trigger system comes into play. It is a real condition, I have tested more than a few Remington 700's that could be made to fire when switching off the safety lever. A nitwit coworker shot a hole in his floorboard and transmission housing while uncasing his rifle.

People think I am silly when I bark at them because they pointed a barrel at me. As far as I am concerned, they can be as offended at they want. Keep pointing a barrel at me and I will keep escalating the response.

 

[ATM]

...Thus, it's always loaded, makes a great rule #1 for me.

So long as you are past actually thinking about what it means, that's fine ...for you.

Teaching it to others is not a good practice because it breaks down to folly and sets them up to fail before they even process the critical items which are not folly.

If there is a reasoned defense for perpetuating this GUNS ARE ALWAYS LOADED nonsense, I've yet to see it presented.

They're guns, no extra rule will ever be required to remind folks of this. If you need something of that nature for yourself, I'd suggest a more sensible, personal mantra, like UNLOADED GUNS ARE STILL GUNS, DUMMY.

Don't teach that as a handling rule, though, and certainly not as #1.