Posted: 7/26/2007 3:26:55 PM EDT
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Being Handed an uncleared (i.e. not checked) Firearm. I was in a local Vegas funstore the other day and a very young "kid" that I had never seen in this particular store was working behind the counter. I asked to see 3 separate handguns and each one he pulled from the case was directly handed to me fully buttoned up with mag inserted. |
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It does not bother me as long as the gun is not pointed at me. I worked retail gun sales for a few years and it takes quite a bit to phase me anymore. That said I always checked the guns and handed them over with the slide locked back or cylinder open. But that is me. What did bother me was customers handing me guns that were hot and they didnt know it. |
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No matter how experienced with guns a person is, a visual and physical (finger) check must be done EACH and EVERY time the gun is handed from one person to another. Some might think this procedure is a little overboard, but all it takes is once for an irreversable tragedy. |
That's how I was taught and is how my 10yr son is being taught currently at the NRA sanctioned youth shooting classes he's been going to. I've never had this problem at this store until this last time I went in and this newbie/young kid was behind the counter. IMHO it's inexcusable to have a sloppy/unknowing clerk behind a gun store counter. Just think about the newbie that's interested in a firearm for the first time, he/she is seeing bad practice right off the bat. The specific wording in many firearm safety documents(rules) is: "Never pass a firearm to another person, or accept a firearm from another person, until the cylinder or action is open and you've personally checked that the weapon is completely unloaded". |
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Complacent gun handling does not tell me that you are experienced or familiar with how to handle firearms. It tells me you are lazy and that your time for an accident is near. If you want to impress those who know guns and work around them for a living be methodical and deliberate in your gun handling. Be wary of those who neglect to follow the simplest of safety rules. It only takes a moments inattention to cause a tragedy. I have witnessed many AD's by novices as well as experienced people. Let's not forget that the items we covet for sport and for profession can kill with a moment of negligence. Be safe out there brothers. |
+1 Well said. Be Safe, Bro. |
I still would have racked it and said it was for my safety and peace of mind. 
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Like when the guy handed me the HK93 over the counter in the pawn shop. I dropped the magazine out and saw it was fully loaded. Grabbed the charging handle and "WHHHIIIIIING!" a live round flies out and cracks the clerk. "Oh shit!, That's my personal gun and I must have forgotten to clear it!" Really?! I am also guilty of Negligent Discharge. Never again! |
| Ive had an ND, hell im looking at the path job in my drywall as a reminder. it was with a 12g. came an inch of taking the plasma in my bedroom out and luckily it was birdshot or it would have taken the widescreen that was behind the wall out. I triple check everything to make sure its clear |
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I'm anal about clearing a gun. Usually, at a gunstore, the responsible guys behind the counter will clear the gun, and return the slide forward. I'll then lock the slide back myself, visually inspect the chamber, then I'll physically check it with my finger. This has actually annoyed several guys at the gunstores. One actually accused me of not trusting him, and I looked at him and told him flat out that I didn't trust him. To be blunt, I don't trust ANYONE when it comes to guns and whether or not they are unloaded. My cousin several years ago missed my gut by about 4 inches with his UNLOADED 30-30. I drove around with the hole in my tailgate reminding me up until last year. |
