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ScottDLS wrote:

Keith B wrote:Everyone is arguing semantics. Let's look at definitions of the three types of discharges mentioned:

Accidental (Accident): an undesirable or unfortunate happening that occurs unintentionally and usually results in harm, injury, damage, or loss; casualty; mishap

Unintended: not purposed; not designed; not intentional: an unintended snub.

Negligent (Neglect): to pay no attention or too little attention to; disregard or slight

...

My opinion...a "Negligent Discharge" is also properly called an "Accidental Discharge"... Unless you intended it to happen, it's an accident, even if you were negligent. So every use of the term AD doesn't necessarily require the self appointed safety police descending (rhetorically) upon the poster decreeing that an AD wasn't an AD. It may also have been a ND, but the point is more to analyze the circumstances and suggest ways to avoid a similar accident from happening in the future.

Now excuse me while I go buy a big assault clip that holds 31 bullets for my Glock 17 automatic weapon....

Like I said, semantics. The majority of accidents are caused by negligence or inattention to detail. As a pilot, we are taught about the accident error chain. That is if you post analyze an accident, that you will find multiple errors (the links) that put together form a chain (the accident.) The chain can be as short as two links or as long as it takes to lead to the accident. Break any one of those links and the accident never happens.

In this case, there were only two main links; Link one was Weg failing to find that the gun was loaded before handing it to his Dad, and link two was Dad failing to double-check it before dry firing. Because his Dad used had used another safety rule and kept the gun pointed in a safe direction, luckily there was no major damage done by the discharge.

So, call it what you want as they all fit; An unintentional or accidental firing of the gun due to negligence.

Everyone is arguing semantics. Let's look at definitions of the three types of discharges mentioned:

Accidental (Accident): an undesirable or unfortunate happening that occurs unintentionally and usually results in harm, injury, damage, or loss; casualty; mishap

Unintended: not purposed; not designed; not intentional: an unintended snub.

Negligent (Neglect): to pay no attention or too little attention to; disregard or slight

Bottom line, it all boils down to negligence in proper validation that the gun was unloaded before he pulled the trigger. Luckily, because Weg's Dad WAS following other rules and pointing the weapon in a safe direction, there was no harm, injury, damage or loss incurred by the discharge. And, because there was no bad outcome other than a possible need to do laundry afterward, Weg and his Dad get to chalk it up to a 'no harm no foul' lesson learned and that incident will stick with them going forward.

And, Weg's sharing it with us here should reinforce that it can happen to ANYONE, so make sure you always follow the rules, especially double checking a firearm for yourself before manipulating the action.

Thanks for sharing your dirty laundry (pun intended) with us Weg.