Varminterror
Member
- Joined
- Jul 17, 2016
- Messages
- 15,020
@taliv - never did I say I treated my firearms as if they were unloaded. Only said Nothing in my safe is loaded. But I can’t control the actions of others. Making the mistake of failing to secure my firearm from access to others is just as simple as any mistake which might cause an ND.
A few instances which have shaped my stance on the matter - without a care in the world for the opinion of others against it:
My father in law was a career LEO - my mother in law shot a hole in their couch, inches from my sister in law as a child, because he left a pistol she didn’t even know he owned loaded, and hidden above their banister (had been there for 15+ years without her knowing). She found it while dusting and was trying to see if it was loaded and didn’t know how to operate the handgun.
Before he met my sister, my brother in law shot a hole in his dad’s dresser, having found his dad’s carry pistol while his dad was in the shower - it was in his dad’s safe, but he had not locked the door since he was showering to go right back out.
A close family friend has had me give firearms safety classes to her company staff - they operate a cleaning service, part of the gig is to put away and organize left-out items. She’s operated the business for over 40yrs, and her staff had reported hundreds of handguns left out in the open when their crew arrived. Countless times the servicewomen have handled loaded firearms, with absolutely no understanding of their function nor safe handling practices.
My college girlfriend shot a hole in my farm truck floorboard because I had left my coyote rifle loaded in the window of the truck and she didn’t want it to get stolen while in the parking lot at the Co-op (township of 41 people, 20+ of which are my relatives).
A kid on my high school wrestling team shot his best friend’s kid brother accidentally when he knocked over his dad’s 12ga which was left loaded in their foyer closet. He went on to take his own life, grieving over the ordeal.
Not everyone knows how to handle firearms safely nor knows or remembers to treat them as if they were loaded.
We do live pretty far off of the beaten path, but we do have a relatively open home. Whether it’s students coming and going, workers, professional colleagues, family or friends, or their kids, we’re commonly hosting others.
So I do what I can to ensure mine don’t go bang in the event someone else lays eyes and hands on any of our firearms. If they’re loaded, they’re under direct supervision and control. If they aren’t under direct control, I keep mine unloaded. This thread asked, “what do you do with yours?” I answered. I missed the part where we were all supposed to conform to one paradigm.
A few instances which have shaped my stance on the matter - without a care in the world for the opinion of others against it:
My father in law was a career LEO - my mother in law shot a hole in their couch, inches from my sister in law as a child, because he left a pistol she didn’t even know he owned loaded, and hidden above their banister (had been there for 15+ years without her knowing). She found it while dusting and was trying to see if it was loaded and didn’t know how to operate the handgun.
Before he met my sister, my brother in law shot a hole in his dad’s dresser, having found his dad’s carry pistol while his dad was in the shower - it was in his dad’s safe, but he had not locked the door since he was showering to go right back out.
A close family friend has had me give firearms safety classes to her company staff - they operate a cleaning service, part of the gig is to put away and organize left-out items. She’s operated the business for over 40yrs, and her staff had reported hundreds of handguns left out in the open when their crew arrived. Countless times the servicewomen have handled loaded firearms, with absolutely no understanding of their function nor safe handling practices.
My college girlfriend shot a hole in my farm truck floorboard because I had left my coyote rifle loaded in the window of the truck and she didn’t want it to get stolen while in the parking lot at the Co-op (township of 41 people, 20+ of which are my relatives).
A kid on my high school wrestling team shot his best friend’s kid brother accidentally when he knocked over his dad’s 12ga which was left loaded in their foyer closet. He went on to take his own life, grieving over the ordeal.
Not everyone knows how to handle firearms safely nor knows or remembers to treat them as if they were loaded.
We do live pretty far off of the beaten path, but we do have a relatively open home. Whether it’s students coming and going, workers, professional colleagues, family or friends, or their kids, we’re commonly hosting others.
So I do what I can to ensure mine don’t go bang in the event someone else lays eyes and hands on any of our firearms. If they’re loaded, they’re under direct supervision and control. If they aren’t under direct control, I keep mine unloaded. This thread asked, “what do you do with yours?” I answered. I missed the part where we were all supposed to conform to one paradigm.