The stupid hurts

[allen-1]

Cold range at a .22 pin shoot, and the shooter came off the line, went to put his gun away. Loaded an "empty" magazine into the gun put the gun into his range bag, dropped the slide and pulled the trigger on the "empty chamber".

The magazine wasn't empty, the chamber consequently wasn't empty. The round went through his range bag, through the table, deflected off the table leg and struck a friend of mine in the back of his thigh. Fortunately it was a .22 and the energy was taken up by going through the table and the deflection - he has a bruise on his leg. Thank god they were shooting .22's.

I wasn't there, this is a club I shoot at when I'm in Connecticut, and I'm in Georgia now. I know all of the people involved. I know the guy who got shot, I know the guy who shot him, I know the people who witnessed this, I know the range officers who were running the event.

I'm pissed off. I'm so glad that it was a .22 pin shoot, not medium bore, not big bore. I'm so glad that he pulled the trigger when his gun was pointed down through the table, that he didn't shoot my friend in the head. I'm furious that he didn't follow the basic rules of gun safety. I'm furious that his incredible stupidity could have seriously injured or killed my friend.

This is the kind of shit that as an RO, you do your damndest to keep from happening. Local papers would have a field day with this - "man shot at sportsman's club - investigation undergoing", blah, blah, blah.

This happened yesterday; I don't know what our executive board is going to do.



Edited to update -
Original post was Dec 9th.

I had an extended conversation with one of our trustees this past weekend, more than an hour. He's a friend of mine, we had some catching up to do, and we talked about a bunch of stuff because we're both members of the same two clubs in CT.

I then sent an email to the trustees, president and vice-president of my club where the negligent discharge happened expressing my concerns. I received responses from the senior trustee and the president within the hour. It's under investigation, and the trustees are meeting regarding it this week. Pending their decision, the general membership will be informed.


Second Edit to update -
From my club's monthly newsletter:
We are instituting a new safety procedure for Bowling Pin matches.
No firearm may be brought to a Bowling Pin match unless its action is open and an empty chamber indicator (ECI) is inserted.

Additionally, no firearm may have the action closed on the Bowling Pin range
except under the command of the range officer.

Any shooter needing to insert an ECI prior to entering the
Bowling Pin range shall use the safe table in the right hand bay to do so.
Likewise any shooter wishing to close the action on a firearm prior to transporting it home shall do so at the safe table in the right hand bay

 

[one-eyed Jack]

Damn. "All guns are always loaded". First rule of gun safety. Jack.

 

[whacko]

What is the purpose of inserting an "empty" mag into a gun that was just cleared at the line? and pulling the trigger?

I'm just going to say it......he's a f***ing moron.

Glad the injury was minor. Lucky.

 

[StevieP]

Glad it wasn't worse.

Learning opportunity all around. Learn the lessons and move on.

OP I don't know how you'll avoid the temptation to insert yourself, but I think I'd try hard to bite my tongue. Ymmv, yada yada

 

[MAJoe]

Glad no one was more seriously hurt.

 

[DitchDigger]

What is the purpose of inserting an "empty" mag into a gun that was just cleared at the line? and pulling the trigger?

I'm just going to say it......he's a f***ing moron.

Glad the injury was minor. Lucky.

This ^

 

[fencer]

What is the purpose of inserting an "empty" mag into a gun that was just cleared at the line? and pulling the trigger?

I'm just going to say it......he's a f***ing moron.

Glad the injury was minor. Lucky.

This x 1000

 

[TomMontana]

Unless the shooter is a "friend" of the old boys club, I would expect expulsion from the club or extended ban.

 

[alpineboard]

Always look at empty hole and mag (if mag), before closing slide.
Never pull a trigger while pointing at anything important.
What was he doing with it aimed at any one, unloaded or loaded, and gee I will pull the trigger.
Here is a tough rule for some, but it works, no gun to be handled any where, except at the firing line, and then always 100% pointed down range at all times.

Am not of position of shooter for bowling pins, but in any event where shooter is to walk to line of fire, action open mag out, safe muzzle control.
After shooting has been done and before leaving firing line, again muzzle control and a Range officer to check that gun is clear before leaving firing line, and again muzzle control, always. This is how it is done in International.

 

[oldguy68]

When ever you pull the trigger on a firearm.
It is your and yours alone as to where a round may strike.
Poor firearm handling is not an accident!

 

[allen-1]

Always look at empty hole and mag (if mag), before closing slide.
Never pull a trigger while pointing at anything important.
What was he doing with it aimed at any one, unloaded or loaded, and gee I will pull the trigger.
Here is a tough rule for some, but it works, no gun to be handled any where, except at the firing line, and then always 100% pointed down range at all times.

Am not of position of shooter for bowling pins, but in any event where shooter is to walk to line of fire, action open mag out, safe muzzle control.
After shooting has been done and before leaving firing line, again muzzle control and a Range officer to check that gun is clear before leaving firing line, and again muzzle control, always. This is how it is done in International.

At this event you come to the line with an empty gun with a chamber flag in it. When finished you re-insert the chamber flag and show the range officer, (there are two of them), and you are cleared before you leave the line.

Sequence is:
Shooters load and make ready
ready on the left
ready on the right
stand by
Beep
Beep/Cease Fire
Clear Left / Clear Right
Reset pins
Next shooters to the line

Shooters can handle chamber flagged firearms behind the firing line. No-one is to load a firearm until they are at the line and given the load and make ready command. It's a COLD RANGE.

I imagine that he inserted a magazine because it's one of those firearms that won't fire unless you have a magazine inserted, and he didn't want to leave it cocked. That is pure speculation on my part. Why he thought it was a good idea to fire the handgun while it was inside his rangebag and pointed in a semi-random direction - I'm not even going to begin to attempt to explain.

 

[Climbnsink]

What is the purpose of inserting an "empty" mag into a gun that was just cleared at the line? and pulling the trigger?

I'm just going to say it......he's a f***ing moron.

Glad the injury was minor. Lucky.

Probably a gun autist dropping the hammer so the spring lasts 250 years instead of 225 years.

 

[Chevy 2 65]

When the rules are broken. You get this.

 

[greencobra]

for sure, glad your buddy is ok.

you know, I've seen some dumbass things in all my years of shooting. jack, i'm sure you have, also. I've seen stuff where you're afraid to yell over to the shooter for fear you'll startle them and they'll send one into someone else on the line. bad shit.

 

[Mountain]

Glad your friend is OK. Also, thanks for sharing a story that can be passed along to teach others. If you don't mind, I plan on sharing this story with my club and will just mention that the incident occurred at a local club in the New England area.

My club hasn't had a pistol match in a few years, so I am planning to run something that will be safe and fun, given our paper target restriction. The last time we had a series of pistol matches, I was blatantly muzzle swept and upon calling out the offender I was assured it was unloaded. Pissed me off more that the dolt said it was unloaded than by the actual sweep. Back then, I never saw any evidence of even basic match safety protocol. I realize there's no such thing as an idiot proof match, but I do plan to keep the matches run via proper safety protocol.

 

[Wickedcoolname]

So thankful for my backyard range. Too many morons out there at the clubs. I had my last straw moment about 20 years ago at the North Leominster club. There was so much stupid shit going on at the pistol range that if I told you you'd think I was exaggerating. Anyway, I've never been back to a range.

 

[LittleCalm]

I imagine that he inserted a magazine because it's one of those firearms that won't fire unless you have a magazine inserted, and he didn't want to leave it cocked. That is pure speculation on my part. Why he thought it was a good idea to fire the handgun while it was inside his rangebag and pointed in a semi-random direction - I'm not even going to begin to attempt to explain.

This. But if you do this, you do it while on the line w/muzzle facing down range. Then pack the firearm. Do not handle firearms off the line and never pull a trigger when not off the line and without the muzzle facing down range. That's the rule at my range.

 

[mac1911]

One club I went to as a kid my dad was a member adopted the no hands on guns , mags or ammo. After a RO that was presenting safety leasons was showing folks how to load a magazine. He then decided to load the mag insert it and start shooting.....this is after HE called a cold range and the flashing (think 70s bubble gum machine type police light) directly in front of his bay.
He was able to keep his RSO status ? No more leassons from him?_
I had a women dangling a revolver from tbe trigger guard swinging all around as she went through her bag. Her husband wanted to take me out side for having the balls to actually confront his wife on this not safe method of safety
. TFC we get home safe

 

[whacko]

Unless the shooter is a "friend" of the old boys club, I would expect expulsion from the club or extended ban.

I'm on the board of directors at a club. We had a ND incident a couple of months ago......all caught in video. Special meeting was called for the officers and directors......discussion was brief......voted unanimously to expel him. During discussion it was discovered the ass hat is a good friend of a few members and there was concern that a letter terminating HIS membership could mean he could still shoot as a guest. Motion was made to include verbage in the letter to the ass hat that he is not allowed on club property ever again and doing so would result in police being called for trespassing. Vote was unanimously passed.

We don't f*** around.....friends or no friends.

 

[whatluck]

Glad nobody was really hurt. Thanks for posting this, even the most experienced of us need to be reminded of this lesson.

 

[kalash]

What is the purpose of inserting an "empty" mag into a gun that was just cleared at the line? and pulling the trigger?

Guessing he had a Ruger with a mag disconnect but you're right, the gun was cleared at the line so why clear it again? Very stupid.

 

[amm5061]

Guessing he had a Ruger with a mag disconnect but you're right, the gun was cleared at the line so why clear it again? Very stupid.

Am I the only one who was taught that you should never dry fire a rimfire because it could damage it? I feel like that may no longer be true, but what the actual f*** on this one? The stupid is indeed strong here.

 

[whacko]

Guessing he had a Ruger with a mag disconnect but you're right, the gun was cleared at the line so why clear it again? Very stupid.

My Ruger has the mag safety. When the RO clears me I release the slide and bag the pistol. Done.

There is No need to insert a mag just to release the slide forward on a Ruger with the mag safety. All the mag safety does is prevent the hammer from dropping when a mag is not inserted.

 

[whacko]

Am I the only one who was taught that you should never dry fire a rimfire because it could damage it? I feel like that may no longer be true, but what the actual f*** on this one? The stupid is indeed strong here.

Dry firing a rimfire will damage many 22 revolvers and some semi autos. Different manufacturers will have different instructions. But most rimfire owners will just avoid dry firing altogether.

When I ro for plate shoots we do centrrfire and rimfire. Centrrfire I have the shooter show clear drop the slide and dry fire into the berm then bag the gun. Rimfire.....I have the shooter show clear then drop the slide and bag.

 

[amm5061]

My Ruger has the mag safety. When the RO clears me I release the slide and bag the pistol. Done.

There is No need to insert a mag just to release the slide forward on a Ruger with the mag safety. All the mag safety does is prevent the hammer from dropping when a mag is not inserted.

Exactly, there's no reason to pull the trigger on any of the target .22s. I can see if it was an SR-22 with the external hammer and wanting to bring the hammer down to safe, but there's a f***ing decocker on that for Christ's sake!

 

[looser38]

So thankful for my backyard range. Too many morons out there at the clubs. I had my last straw moment about 20 years ago at the North Leominster club. There was so much stupid shit going on at the pistol range that if I told you you'd think I was exaggerating. Anyway, I've never been back to a range.

I am jealous!!!!!

 

[milktree]

Am I the only one who was taught that you should never dry fire a rimfire because it could damage it? I feel like that may no longer be true, but what the actual f*** on this one? The stupid is indeed strong here.

The owners manual for Ruger MK-II and newer (at least, I don't know about the MK-I) explicitly say that it's safe to dry fire them. There's a firing pin block that prevents it from smashing into the chamber rim.

Dry firing a rimfire will damage many 22 revolvers and some semi autos. Different manufacturers will have different instructions. But most rimfire owners will just avoid dry firing altogether.

This it true. You cannot make general statements about it being "bad" or "OK". My S&W K-17 is absolutely safe to dry fire, you can see air between the firing pin and the chamber face with the trigger pulled. I've never seen a .22 revolver that shouldn't be dry-fired (but my sample set is small, and limited to S&W)

 

[Glockster30]

Murphy's law.

 

[wmassregulators]

if it were a cold range, there should be no handling of firearms unless under the command of the RO or at a safe table with no ammo allowed.
this person needs to be invited to never come back to a match.

 

[xtry51]

No reason to ever put an empty mag into an empty gun unless you are specifically doing dry handling drills, and even then it would be better to have a mag with snap caps.