“Oops.” That’s what you say when you “accidently” slip up or doing something wrong. However, accidental discharge could be a little different. It may just cost you or someone else their lives. It makes owning a gun a little scarier, to say the least, but there are ways you can keep it from happening and handle an accidental discharge after it’s already happened.
How to Avoid Accidental Discharge Altogether
Obviously, this is key. As a gun owner, it is your responsibility to ensure the safety of yourself and others. So let’s look at the things you can do to avoid an accidental misfire.
1. Safety first
You don’t have to be a gun lover to know what the most important part of the gun is: the safety. The safety should always be on unless you are firing. As in, you set your gun down after discharging your weapon, you immediately turn the safety on. No matter what.
2. The gun is loaded (even when it isn’t)
It is very beneficially to a gun owner to act like their gun is loaded at all times. There have been countless stories of gun owners unloading their guns, taking them apart and *BAM!* They didn’t realize there was one in the chamber. This can happen to the most experienced gun owner. All it takes is one slip up, so just pretend there’s one in the chamber until you’re sure there isn’t.
3. Keep your finger off the trigger
Pull the trigger, the gun goes off. You can never be too careful, even with the safety on. So, just keep your finger off the trigger unless you’re planning on shooting whatever it is you’re pointing your gun at.
4. Pay attention to your surroundings
Just like with anything that can potentially cause harm to others, it is important in gun safety to be fully aware of what’s going on around you and who may be close by. There have been far too many tragic stories of someone accidentally hurting or killing someone because they weren’t paying attention. It is, without a doubt, the easiest rule to follow because all you have to do is PAY ATTENTION.
Accidental Discharge: What Do You do?
In the event of accidental misfire, what should you do?
1. Assess the situation
And assess it fast! That means making sure that no one was hurt. If someone was hurt, call 911 immediately! It is vital that help gets to you as quick as possible, so before you do anything else, you make the call.
If no one was hurt, move onto the gun. Take the necessary precautions in ensuring the gun won’t discharge again. Make sure the chamber is fully depleted, and once you’re done with that, put the gun away where it won’t hurt anybody.
2. Assess the damage
No matter what, make sure the gun is put away immediately before moving on to any sort of damage that may have been done to your surroundings. Depending on the firearm and where you’re at, the distance and damage will vary, but in any case, you need to make sure that nothing took a hit: belongings, homes, structures, etc.
3. Take responsibility
No matter the severity of the event, you must step forward and take action. Not every case of accidental discharge will require you to inform the police (use your best judgment), but it’s important to own the situation. This includes taking care of damages, injuries, etc.
4. Make sure it never happens again
We get it. Accidents happen. But that doesn’t mean it’s unavoidable. It’s easier to find articles online discussing how to avoid it in the first place than it is to find what you should do after it happens.
Safety at Machine Gun Experience
Safety is number one for gun owners. Here at Machine Gun Experience, we take the necessary precautions to ensure the safest environment and educate on proper gun use. Our team of professional gun users will provide a safe space for you to enjoy yourself.
See our packages for more information.