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by wharvey
Tue Nov 29, 2011 11:52 am
Forum: General Gun, Shooting & Equipment Discussion
Topic: Firearm Negligence
Replies: 35
Views: 3999

Re: Firearm Negligence

Carry-a-Kimber wrote:
longhorn_92 wrote: 3.Keep the action open and the gun unloaded until you are ready to use it.
:headscratch

So should I wait until I draw my 1911 to pop in a mag and chamber a round??
Should I wait until a quail is in flight to thow a shell in my shotgun??
I don't know how a whitetail would react if I loaded a round and closed the bolt on my Rem 700 while he was standing 150 yards away.
As another said, if you are carrying the holstered gun then you are using it. Same with a gun left in the night stand drawer for home defense - depending on who lives there.

As to bird hunting I was taught to unload the gun when crossing fences or traversing ground with dangerous footing but at other time it was OK to leave it chambered. Here is where Cooper's 4 basic rules really come into play. Specially concerning watching the muzzle and what you are doing with your finger.

Deer hunting I personally always keep the chamber empty until I am in the stand then load up when in place. If still hunting I use the same procedure I use when bird hunting. BTW, still hunting with a bow and having that razor sharp broad head exposed really drives home safety concerns. I get more nervous doing that than having a loaded gun.

Hunting is I think the most dangerous shooting sport because there are far fewer safety fall backs. It really puts a premium on following the rules. The fact that you are often miles from assistance if something goes wrong doesn't help.

I suspect that George's point was that the rules as stated were overly complex. Cooper's 4 rules say it all and there is no reason to make things more complicated. Over complication just leads to rules not being followed.

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