Some people...

[anygunanywhere]

I guess if you guys are ready to trust someone else's judgement of "loaded or not", then ok by me, but I won't be on the same firing line as you.

I believe you are not taking their stance in the proper context.

When you are cleaning your firearms, do you ever look down the bore to see if it is clean?

Are you looking down the bore of a loaded firearm?

Yes, the guy with the .44 was stupid and needs lessons on etiquette and handling a firearm.

Anygun

[atxgun]

I'll trust a gun to be unloaded as long as I've checked it myself and hasn't left my position since I checked. I had no clue how clued in this guy was or not. Even if a friend friend I have faith in handed me pistol, for example, I'm still going to check the chamber before I proceed.

Edit: Oh yeah, even if I have a gun i've checked myself I'm not going to have it pointed at someone unless I intend for them to be receiving a bullet in the chest.

[txaggie]

I guess if you guys are ready to trust someone else's judgement of "loaded or not", then ok by me, but I won't be on the same firing line as you.

I believe you are not taking their stance in the proper context.

When you are cleaning your firearms, do you ever look down the bore to see if it is clean?

Are you looking down the bore of a loaded firearm?

Yes, the guy with the .44 was stupid and needs lessons on etiquette and handling a firearm.

Anygun

I see your point, but we are not talking about a gun in my possession that I have been cleaning etc. The original post was about another person who had possession of a firearm, and whether or not you could trust that it was unloaded just by looking at the position of the cylinder/slide.

[lawrnk]

This was the number one reason I quit going to public ranges. There is always some idiot on the range.

[atxgun]

Yeah maybe they should hand out some kevlar vests to go w/ the eyes & ears

[AJSully421]

I agree that all guns should be treated as loaded unless it is not possible for them to fire... I was taught that there is such thing as an "open" gun... bolt locked back on an AR or bolt action, slide locked back on an auto pistol, cylinder open on a revolver , break action broke open on an over under... I will allow "open" guns to sweep things. I understand that a locked back bolt on a full magazine can be made loaded in a hundredth of a second... but to me, part of being "open" means no ammo in mags, tubes, clips... YMMV

[KC5AV]

I agree that all guns should be treated as loaded

That's key. I've often heard (and prefer) Rule #1 stated as "Always treat every gun as if it were loaded."

[longtooth]

I guess if you guys are ready to trust someone else's judgement of "loaded or not", then ok by me, but I won't be on the same firing line as you.

If you choose to skip the firing line that Flint is on you will miss a GREAT learning experience. I have not yet met Tx Rancher but I suspect the same statement may be in order there.
I assure you there is no safer or more firearms courteous shooter than Flintknapper.

Cooper gave that rule to apply to when you pick up the arm. Check for yourself every gun you handle. When someone offers me a weapon, clears it themselves to verify empty & hands it to me, the first thing I do is clear it. That is the established habbit. When I lay one down in training session & pick it up again I clear it as a habit.

The incident at the range is why I teach gun safety & then I emphasize the fact that I teach firearms courtesy. It may not be dangerous to drop a magazine, rack the slide, drop the hammer, & sweep someone as it is put in a rug. BUT it is not courteous.

The gentleman at the range was very discourteous & could show some unsafe behavior. I would certainly hate to see him decide to load it pointing down the firing line.
One of the things I do not like about the divided shooting lanes at indoor ranges is the fact that the unsafe loading practices of many new shooters cannot be seen. They will insert a mag w/o blading their body or consiously keeping muzzle down range. This is often especially true when loading a revolver.
We never see these incidents.
Bottom line.
Clear every gun you touch even though you have seen someone do it.
When it is clear & safe, be courteous still.
Have a great day.
LT

[phddan]

I carry in a horizontal shoulder rig. Wanna take a wild guess how many people my cocked and locked 45 points at any given day??
I also carry a 9 in an ankle rig. I cross my legs all the time, and I kneel down.
Who carries in their pocket?? When you sit down, where's it pointed??
When you go into a gun shop, how many handguns laying in the display case point at anyone walking in??
When you take your rifle hunting, or to the range, and you lay it in the trunk or back seat, how many people do you sweep while driving???

I really don't see how some people drive down the highway at 70mph with nothing but a yellow paint line seperating them from oncoming traffic.

Dan

[9mmGuy]

i was always taught that a gun should be handled as if it were loaded UNTILL the handler varified that it is clear.
at a gun store when i want to handle and look at a new pistol, the clerk verifies clear and then i verify its clear. just like the saying goes, an unloaded gun is a expensive paper wieght.

[dukalmighty]

I personally do not like the barrel of a weapon in somebody's hands sweeping me,most of the time they don't even realse what the are doing and if you take the time to point out what you observed and show them proper safe handling techniques most people will appreciate it.But on the other hand you got the 1 or 2 who think they are experts and that you are over reacting.I will notify the range guy if i notice dangerous or reckless behaviour.They actually caught a guy shooting tracers in an indoor range after he caught the backstop material on fire.The guy left just before they noticed the fire and an ex-fbi agent that was shooting said i didn't think you guys allowed tracers in here

[smokindragon]

When that happens to me, I ALWAYS tell the range worker right away...

They don't need to be out there if they can't be SAFE...