Fess up time

[JosephR]

Thank God you're ok man. That would have messed her up for life had it turned out differently!

FYI, there is a big difference between an ND and an AD (I wouldn't really call it negligent on your part, but it wasn't accidental.)

 

[Blue Tile Spook]

Dburkhead, my personal respect for you just went up a few points for having enough character to own up to this incident.

My son and I just reviewed several safety items after I read this post.

Thank you.

 

[SMiller]

I had one ad 1 year ago, it was in my living room and I was home alone. My mother in law had this old Helwan 9mm semi-auto that had been handed down to her, I told her I would take it home and clean it and put some fresh defense ammo in it, since it had not been tuched in FOREVER, I didn't think it would even fire, which it did. So afterI clean it and get it loaded up I turn the safety on and pull the trigger at which point there is a the loadest pop I have ever heard and it takes me a second to figure out what just happened. I was sitting down and had rested the gun muzzel to my knee cap and then brought it up to clear my knee when I pulled the trigger, the bullet when through the floor, throught the basement and out the basement wall, there is still a hole in my floor, I just push the carpet through the floor and I used silicon to plug the basement wall. It took me a long while to tell anyone what I had done.


Come to find out it was a lefty gun and when I turned the safety on I had really turned it off, lesson learned!!!

 

[Dogman]

Glad everyone is ok.

 

[CulpeperMM]

Thank you for sharing an embarassing experience. You may very well have saved someone from a tragedy. I have a two and a half year old daughter, and I just took a vow to be safer, so your story has already made a difference.

ditto (except age of daughter)

Thanks to O.P.

 

[mik1202002]

I can't imagine how I'd feel after something like that...

 

[Bill of Rights]

The other day I had an "accidental discharge" at home.

I was changing clothes in the computer room, getting ready for bed. (My wife has completely taken over the bedroom closets so my clothes are kept in an extra bedroom we have converted into a computer room/study.) I set my Kel Tec P3AT on the desk, pull my shirt off, and turn to grab my bathrobe.

At that precise moment, my daughter walks in, picks up the handgun, and lets go with one round into the ceiling. Major panic for all concerned.

So, lesson #1: All guns must be secured if they are going to be out of your direct control even for a second. (I now have a pistol safe sitting on top of the computer next to the desk in addition to the nightstand pistol safe.)

Lesson #2: With young children (my daughter is 4), some lessons "stick" and others may not. The lessons that had not stuck were "don't touch unless you ask daddy first" and "no finger on the trigger unless you're ready and planning to shoot." However, "always point the gun in a safe direction" did stick. Even after the gun fired, she held it pointed in a safe direction.

Lesson #3: Without hearing protection, those things are loud.

Lesson #4: Repairing a hole in the roof cost $70.

In the end, nobody was hurt, no serious damage was done, and lessons learned all around.

Negligent discharge, not accidental. Accidental only as to time and place it occurred; from the way you tell it, she had her finger on the trigger and pulled it with full intent. I am guessing that there were at least two pairs of soiled or nearly-soiled skivvies as a result of this incident.

Now... Lest I come across as condemning, I am not. I am guessing that there was a very rapidly organized "refresher course" in firearm safety and specifically those rules she forgot-right after you ensured that no bodies had acquired extra openings with which they were not designed. I am also gladdened to read that the lesson of muzzle control stuck, preventing a tragedy- I choose to read this as an intentional act of correct muzzle control, for I can think of no other reason that a scared-shitless four-year-old would not immediately drop the noisy thing that just went off in her hands, other than good, solid training.

Even if it was my place to do so, I would not give you "the lecture" on this, because I do not in the slightest bit question that you have given it to yourself many times over already.

I commend you on the training you've given her, both what has stuck so far and what has yet to do so, and on having the cojones to admit what happened. Lastly, I agree: Go hug your daughter. Yes, again.

Blessings,
Bill

 

[jy951]

I had one accidental discharge while hunting. I saw a deer, took the safety off, and had my finger on the trigger before even getting the gun raised up. Stupid mistake, I almost shot my leg off. I'll never stick my finger on the trigger until I'm ready to actually fire again.

 

[Bigum1969]

That story scared the crap out of me. I've got a 5-year boy and try to be diligent and cautious with my guns and my training of him. I really appreciate you posting this, even though it could not have been easy.

Your post provided a wake up call to me. I am always very careful with my firearms, but as your situation clearly points out, you can never be too safe.

Thanks again for sharing your story. It might help save a life or prevent an injury.

 

[calcot7]

Wow..........................I shudder to think what my wife would think or even worse .....do, if that had happened to me. I hope your's was forgiving.

 

[Greg.B]

dburkhead - repped for being generous and brave enough to share a close call so everyone can learn from it. My hat's off to you!

You've encouraged me to share mine:

I was doing a fluff & buff on my (dare I say it....) Jimenez JA-22. I was working on the almost non existent feed ramp polishing, and checking round feeding in between polishing sessions. I was keeping it pointed in my safe direction (at the floor, approx. 45 degree angle to my right) and manually cycling the rounds through the action and then reloading the magazine, polishing again, and repeating. I had gotten it to the point where it was feeding reliably, and after wiping it down I was ready to put it away. I reloaded the magazine, popped it in, stood up (with it still pointed it in my safe direction) and then I simply pulled the trigger. I sent one round straight through the floor and into the ground underneath the house, and immediately felt (literally) sick to my stomach.

What caused me to do this is my own fault. You see, with this gun, I normally leave the magazine loaded and the firing pin dropped when I store it. I know; stupid thing to do, since it obviously caused a stupid error on my part. Actually, several stupid things that I was doing in the sequence were quickly realized. I felt even more sick as I realized I had forgotten many of the things that I try to drill into the heads of the kids (and adults) in my hunter education courses and boy scout activites.

I now have broken that habit, and have consciously re-implemented the safety steps I teach my students by forcing myself to go back to basics; among them:
"Every firearm is always loaded" - I literally speak those words to myself before I pick up any firearms now in order to re-burn that into my head.

-and-

When working on firearms, live ammunition is locked away and nowhere in reach.

 

[dburkhead]

Remember, when testing a firearms action, snap caps/dummy rounds are your friends. Mr. Live Round is not your friend.

 

[qwkdrwmgw]

very thankful noone was hurt. reminds me of a friend of mine he was practicing speed draws with his 45 and when he would draw he would aim at the red dot on his vcr well after about 6 or 7th draw he pulls the trigger and sends it right through his vcr . the only good thing was his aim was on. still very glad noone was hurt lessons learned just sometimes the hard way.

 

[indytechnerd]

The only ND I've ever been witness to was when I was 10 or 11. My stepdad and I went deer hunting with my uncles and he was carrying a lever action .44mag. We sat down on the log, and he puts a round in the chamber. In the process of manually decocking the rifle, the hammer slipped off of his thumb. I really remember it being loud as hell.

 

[shooter521]

I know a guy who has shot himself on two separate occasions (once in the left calf, once in the right) with a .22MAG. Evidently not everyone retains what they learn from the first time...

I also know two guys who have had truly accidental discharges - identical mechanical failures in CZ-52s that caused the guns to fire upon decocking; it cost one of them a car stereo, and the other some drywall work, IIRC.

For heaven's sake, be careful out there!

 

[34oSc]

You put a loaded pistol in reach of your 4 year old?
You're *glad* she kept the muzzle in a "safe direction" after firing it?
I can only recomend that you get rid of ALL firearms in your home.

 

[Blue Tile Spook]

You put a loaded pistol in reach of your 4 year old?
You're *glad* she kept the muzzle in a "safe direction" after firing it?
I can only recomend that you get rid of ALL firearms in your home.

Read his original post again. You are either skipping over parts or leaving parts of the post out.

 

[Clay Duster]

Can you give a VCR......CPR?
We all need to be more carefully.

 

[Ricnzak]

This stopped my heart when I read it. I have a very active three year old and will be taking more precautions just because of this event. Thanks god all are safe and thank you for sharing.

 

[jand1911s]

yep, glad you are ok! safe in the safe or on safe! ; )