I'm in the hospital because I made a near-fatal error

Bearcat1982 said:
After having 27+ inches of intestines removed and part of my colon removed.
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I wish you Godspeed on your recovery. I,do to an infection had a sizable part of my colon removed about 11 years ago. It took me about 6 months before I really felt fully recovered and now feel like it never happened.
 
Bearcat1982 said:
Being Critical of me is welcomed. I earned it and I fully expect it. Messed up big time. And almost checked out. It's still hard to believe it happened. I am believe it or not very safe. But this time I wasn't. I'm lucky I get a 2nd chance.
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I fully believe that people who are their own hazard are safer than people who go to the extremes to stay safe. It’s all a mindset.

A person who is unbelievably cautious can easily become complacent because they just KNOW that they are safe when in reality they really aren’t. Situation here may be just that. “I always unload every gun at the end of a range session, so this gun that’s in the house is unloaded” can easily turn into a 911 call.

Opposite THAT you have the haphazard person who knows not to trust himself. They have hurt themselves time and time again by making silly mistakes so they know how quickly and easily a mistake can happen. They learn to overcome an ocean of risk by being extremely good at one or two cautionary points, and they do those couple of cautionary points VERY regularly.

I know of a guy who put a bullet through his truck door by tossing a rifle into the seat during a storm. I think it was an old Winchester 30-30 and the hammer partially cocked as it hung on something and when it slipped free BOOM. So stuff like that are very serious lessons in keeping a shell out of the chamber when in the vehicle. Gun can be handled improperly, can be left loaded, can have numerous things happen but until there’s a round chambered it’s not going to fire. I bet dude is really good at short strong info the action to see if it’s hot. That single lesson learned and counteraction can overcome a whole bunch of unsafe action.

I also know of a very sad situation where one of my friends lost a son. Kid was a safety nut and made sure no guns were loaded at home or in the car. He was at his grandparents and found a crusty old model 10 that needed some attention. It was at home so it was safe is what they think he assumed. It was loaded and he ended up with a 38 special through the sternum.

Being overly cautious is generally good, but it can also be bad when it creates a false sense of security that allows for major mistakes.
 
WestKentucky said:
I fully believe that people who are their own hazard are safer than people who go to the extremes to stay safe. It’s all a mindset.

A person who is unbelievably cautious can easily become complacent because they just KNOW that they are safe when in reality they really aren’t. Situation here may be just that. “I always unload every gun at the end of a range session, so this gun that’s in the house is unloaded” can easily turn into a 911 call.
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Anyone who assumes a gun is unloaded simply because it is their usual practice to do so is far from “unbelievably” cautious, in fact they are foolish to dismiss a basic safety rule.
 
Artg56 said:
Anyone who assumes a gun is unloaded simply because it is their usual practice to do so is far from “unbelievably” cautious, in fact they are foolish to dismiss a basic safety rule.
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And that statement right there has ran across countless lips, but still the complacency catches up. Even when a person distinctly remembers clearing the weapon THAT DAY they may actually be remembering the other countless times that they did it. “I know I’m good” isn’t nearly as good as “I need to make sure”. People who make sure are good to go. People who are over confident or complacent are much more apt to say “I did that already”.
 
WestKentucky said:
And that statement right there has ran across countless lips, but still the complacency catches up. Even when a person distinctly remembers clearing the weapon THAT DAY they may actually be remembering the other countless times that they did it. “I know I’m good” isn’t nearly as good as “I need to make sure”. People who make sure are good to go. People who are over confident or complacent are much more apt to say “I did that already”.
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I certainly get your point about complacency leading to disaster, I just didn’t think your example described an overly cautious person. To me that person is someone who leaves every firearm action open and clears it three times before handling

I take my 10 year old grandson with me to the range from time to time and have him go over basic safety rules each time. I was quite proud when returning home to teach him cleaning procedures and asking him if any of the guns were still loaded. He gave me one of those looks that only kids can do when they think an adult is playing dumb and said “pop pop, always assume that a gun is loaded.
 
Zahn said:
dropped the magazine, and realized it was loaded. I was shocked - not that it was loaded, but that I'd been treating it as if it was unloaded.
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I had a similar incident with a hunting rifle I had in the corner of my bedroom for about 4 months or better. I had the safety engaged, but was shocked to see that I had left the chamber loaded, leaned up in the corner. I was really angry with myself and don't know how I let it happen, first thing I do when I get to my car after a walk/hunt is open the action and empty the firearm to make safe before I even touch my keys.

Safety is and should always be at the forefront of our minds when handling firearms, but mistakes happen and if we are lucky we don't hurt ourselves or others and learn valuable lessons from them. Some people just can't own their mistakes and it takes some minerals to admit it, so good on you for posting your experience and hope you recover quickly. Prayers to ya man!
 
I was recently securing and inventorying a deceased friend's guns to help his widow, and found several with chamber loaded and full magazine. Safety was off on one. LGS has noted many guns brought in that were found to be loaded. It happens, more often than we suspect, and we are only one careless moment away from a very bad day.
 
I’m shocked how many experienced gun owners have no problem muzzle sweeping others.
WestKentucky said:
I fully believe that people who are their own hazard are safer than people who go to the extremes to stay safe. It’s all a mindset.

A person who is unbelievably cautious can easily become complacent because they just KNOW that they are safe when in reality they really aren’t. Situation here may be just that. “I always unload every gun at the end of a range session, so this gun that’s in the house is unloaded” can easily turn into a 911 call.

Opposite THAT you have the haphazard person who knows not to trust himself. They have hurt themselves time and time again by making silly mistakes so they know how quickly and easily a mistake can happen. They learn to overcome an ocean of risk by being extremely good at one or two cautionary points, and they do those couple of cautionary points VERY regularly.

I know of a guy who put a bullet through his truck door by tossing a rifle into the seat during a storm. I think it was an old Winchester 30-30 and the hammer partially cocked as it hung on something and when it slipped free BOOM. So stuff like that are very serious lessons in keeping a shell out of the chamber when in the vehicle. Gun can be handled improperly, can be left loaded, can have numerous things happen but until there’s a round chambered it’s not going to fire. I bet dude is really good at short strong info the action to see if it’s hot. That single lesson learned and counteraction can overcome a whole bunch of unsafe action.

I also know of a very sad situation where one of my friends lost a son. Kid was a safety nut and made sure no guns were loaded at home or in the car. He was at his grandparents and found a crusty old model 10 that needed some attention. It was at home so it was safe is what they think he assumed. It was loaded and he ended up with a 38 special through the sternum.

Being overly cautious is generally good, but it can also be bad when it creates a false sense of security that allows for major mistakes.
Click to expand...

All you have to do is consistently follow 4 rules. No one who is “unbelievably cautious” would violate any of them and they aren’t that complicated. I’m very sorry to hear about your friends son.

Four rules. One is either following them or acting in an unsafe manner.
 
In the "It don't take a big caliber" category, when I was in the 7th grade I stopped a BB with my finger. (No, I didn't launch it.) Bye and bye it began to fester and my arm swelled up with red and blue streaks. I got a dose of penicillin in the right cheek in the morning, and in the left cheek in the afternoon for a few days. Back when they would have sawed my arm off.
 
Let’s all Stop, take a deep breath, now take another deep breath.

It’s also a reminder of not being around people who are unsafe with firearm. Speak up and/or walk away! We all been there… Deer Camp, backyard BBQ with guns and booze. It’s OK to just leave!
 
Like all I wish you a fast and painless recovery. While I have never suffered what you apparently have just gone through I figure you have come away with a lesson learned, albeit a costly lesson. What's done is done and no going back so moving forward a lesson learned and my best wishes for a total recovery.

Ron
 
Hartkopf said:
So if you don’t mind, what specifically happened? The muzzle was pointed at your gut as you started working on the gun? How did you pull the trigger? With your thumb?

I’m not trying to embarrass you further or pick on you. I just really like to understand accidents.
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I was going to remove the mainspring on the little bearcat... but my pin I had was to big. So when I dropped the hammer it went bang. It doesn't have the transfer bar. If I get the gun back from police I will be having the mod done. That's how I remember it anyways. I immediately stood up to make sure I wasn't paralyzed. Looked in the bathroom mirror and realized I need help asap.
 
I knew a very fine man that died from an accidental self inflicted gut shot from a 22. Those little buggers go in and apparently bounce all over the place many times doing more damage than a larger caliber.
 
Bearcat1982 said:
The embarrassment and shame is huge. I know what I did and it sux... I love guns and shooting and the fact that this happened is next level embarrassment. It's been a painful lesson. All around. Thanks everyone for discussing it with me.
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you are shining light to an issue that in near and dear to everyone here! You didn’t hide in shame and your embarrassment is not in vain
 
Ouch! I hate to hear about accidental shootings like this, sometimes being human is very painful (or worse). I, too had a human moment about 40 years ago.

I learned my lesson with a CO2 pellet pistol when I was about 15. I decided to check how much CO2 was left by pointing towards my hand to “ feel the pressure.” All I felt was the pellet in the chamber (that I neglected to check!) sticking in the middle of my left palm. I still wear the scars where I had to dig it out myself with tweezers because I was too embarrassed (and dumb) to seek out any help.

47BFF822-5FC0-48B6-AF6A-BBD851FEF34C.jpeg

This was my forever-lesson to never, ever take gun safety for granted. The big four rules are there for a reason whether BB gun or .458 Win Mag, and dumb mistakes like mine are the perfect example why. We got second chances to learn from our mistakes, far too many others don’t. :(

May you heal quickly and have no complications as you get back to 100%. :thumbup:

Stay safe.
 
Wishing you a full recovery and thanks for the reminder to follow safe gun handling rules. My two NRA pistol permit instructors both said they'd had negligent discharges when cleaning semi autos at home. They dropped the mags but didn't eject the one in the chamber because they got distracted. Both were retired police officers. It left a big impression on me and in the walls of their houses.
 
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