Shooting buddies with bad muzzle discipline?

[17-21-23]

It usually takes 36 times and a close call to burn it into your brain

[smithers599]

Happened to me yesterday. Ran into an old friend at the gun show, and he invited me to come shoot with him and his buddies in their secret spot out in the desert. My friend is an excellent gun handler. Of the two other guys, one is OK, the other is That Guy. He brought his .50 Barrett, his high-dollar AR15s and AR10s, a Nighthawk .45 and matching 9. Nightforce scopes, Leica rangefinder -- apparently he had plenty of money to spend on the best toys. He was in his 60s, so he was not a beginner. He was "experienced" - experienced at doing it wrong for many years. He had his finger all over the trigger, and "dangled" the pistol alongside when he was not shooting. I mentioned it to the friend who had invited me. He mentioned it to That Guy -- who then replied with the infamous Words Of The Fool: "It's not loaded." I will not shoot with anybody who says those words. First of all, yes it was. And second, whether they are loaded or unloaded, All Guns Are Always Loaded. The safe gunhandling rules apply to all guns; there is no Unloaded Gun exception.

I will not be going out with them again. My friend, sure. But if That Guy is going to be there, I'm not going to be there.

[Pipedoc]

I'm pretty picky about who I shoot with so it's not normally a problem. However new shooters need lots of one on one attention to help prevent it. If it becomes a problem after explanation, then they can learn from someone else.

[smithers599]

I'm pretty picky about who I shoot with so it's not normally a problem. However new shooters need lots of one on one attention to help prevent it. If it becomes a problem after explanation, then they can learn from someone else.

The transgressor here was not a "new" shooter. He was a guy who has been shooting for 40 or 50 years, who probably owns 100 guns, reloads, life member of the NRA, considers himself an "expert." I can cut a new shooter some slack, because he needs the opportunity to learn. But this guy will never change, because he doesn't believe he needs to. Why should he worry about finger discipline and muzzle discipline? After all, it's OK to make exceptions when "it's not loaded." Those are the telltale words: "It's OK; it's not loaded." Anybody who speaks those words has self-identified as a yahoo.

[Pipedoc]

Dad always said "treat them all as loaded all the time" I've been doing that for 45 yrs and taught my kids the same. Can't wait to start teaching my Grandson, but don't think he's mature enough yet.

[knockonit]

well there are gun guys and gals and then there is gun guys and gals, it happens, but only once.

I have had a bass boat of sorts for many years, my long fishing buddy passed away a year or more ago, 40 plus years he and i went and fished all over the southwest and west of America in the ocean, so i tried out a few new wanna be fishing buddys, the three that i took were extremely lucky they made it back to town, i just can't comprehend absolute stupid behavior, and from grown men or maybe they weren't needless to say, my skeeter is gonna go up for sale, its fast and sweet, and i've had some of the best trips ever, but alas, sharing it with someone is over. adios.

takes awhile to find shooting buds, trick is to not be so set in your ways, wrong or right to not work toward a successful trip.
happy monday, just glad to have made it to another one.
Rj

[Matwell]

Had to post this - some of the wife's family came out to visit from IL a few years ago and wanted to "shoot some guns". We had a good little safety brief, yet this.
This happened to be a 572, but he didn't know the difference. Definitely need to keep your head on a swivel. My wife picked up on it, my son knew it was the pump and just shook his head. SIL and niece had no clue.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wg9TdpSZX6Q

The next year we took them to an indoor range, gave them some foam ear plugs, after an hour we came out and his first question: How long does it take until your hearing comes back?

No more guns for you...

[YNOTAZ]

well there are gun guys and gals and then there is gun guys and gals, it happens, but only once.

That's why I love people that generalize about people they know own a gun, go shooting, are LEOs, etc. and make assumptions that they know what they are doing.

I had a Supervisor blow a windshield out because he was bored and started finger Ph #@$ king the trigger of the shotgun, in the rack, while riding with a patrolman, 00 buckshot in the chamber removed the windshield and dented the top with one round.

Another incident was a patrolman testing trigger pull on his new hotshot weapon. Put a hole in the door adjoining the Station to the City Counsel chambers. The chief had the hole repaired but put a plaque above it to memorialize it, saying something like "this is a hole made by an AHOLE".

Hell there are people that say Trump is a "gun guy" because his son shoots. Go figure.

[smithers599]

Finger on the trigger, but not aware of it? Check.
Pistol not pointed in a safe direction, but not aware of it? Check.
Striker-fired pistol? Check.