Ask A Self Defense Expert: How Do I Prevent Negligent Discharges?

[@robert420ism]

My name is Robert and I live in Guatemala City, Central America and I always watch your videos. My question or special segment on left handed people like myself that carry a pistol but the safety and other good things are for a right handed individual. Thank you USCCA" YOU GUYS ROCK!!!

[@USCCAOfficial]

Ideas forwarded, Robert. Thanks for the feedback and thanks for being the first fan in Guatemala we know of here on KZbin!

[@stevdieringer3828]

great & timely reminder, for all

[@12370ts]

@1:08 even after all of the checks the trigger should still be pulled wile the pistol is pointed in a safe direction not across the parking lot.

[@Maris-W]

excellent reminder

[@Trump145]

thanks

[@tomasm007]

Great video.

[@teamhipoint5477]

condition 4 for the home.

[@l337pwnage]

Also try to find someone familiar with the weapon when you are not. That can help. I'll share the dumbest thing I did with a firearm. I was at a relative's house and we were looking at his firearms. He had an old Sears bolt action shotgun which he handed me. Instead of me asking him to clear it, which may or may not have been better, I tried to open the bolt myself and clear it. I couldn't get it to open so I just started flipping levers and switches. In my carelessness I had cocked it, and then later pulled the trigger without holding the hammer. Luckily the firearm didn't discharge. The gun was not pointed at a person, but it was pointed at a refrigerator and we were in a basement with concrete walls. It would have not been good if it had discharged. Neither one of us ever did get the bolt open.

[@chevy6299]

This can not over emphasized !!!!

[@ambitousresolve1179]

Shot my new gun a few times unintentionally, it beat to keep your finger off of trigger unless ready to shoot.

[@mypointofview6056]

Kevin let me tell you what happened at my favorite gun store today. I was looking at some guns. I asked the sales person (a female. This not a dig on females.) but she took the gun from the case and slid the slide back hit the slide lock go letting the slide slam shut with the magazine still in the gun. When she handed me the gun I dropped the magazine and checked the gun again. It is a good habit to have. A little later the man that was working the counter. showed me a gun and he dropped the mag left it on the counter locked the slide back and slide the gun and the magazine towards me. I took the gun and still checked it slid the magazine in and racked a few times. Not saying the female clerk was dangerous, but you and I both know the first thing one does is drop the magazine. It should be so ingrained in ones mind they should do it without having to think about it. especially working in a gun store.

[@canaanwhite]

Mypointofview....not saying your point of view is wrong...but.... Here is MY POINT OF VIEW.... from the other side of the counter at a gun store. I work at a pawn shop, so we see many guns in and out of the shop daily. Both guns on our shelves that we show customers for display and guns that customers bring in (we do not know the condition for these 'customer guns' when they are brought in). Everyone at the shop FULLY CLEARS EVERY "customer gun" that is brought in ...pretty much exactly the method in this vid. Muzzle in safe direction, drop mag, lock the chamber back, check the chamber. BUT...when we hand a customer a semi-auto pistol from our CONTROLLED DISPLAY, we tend to long press-check pistols....pull the slide back just before slide locks and visually check the chamber and mag. Then drop the slide and hand firearm to the customer. Don't get me wrong....from time to time.... I have locked the slide on a pistol and handed it to "know it all" customers, just to watch him fuddle with the lock for a little bit....lol.

[@mypointofview6056]

Canaan White LOL everyone has their own point of view. You said one thing You dropped the slide. This counter person didn't. That is why when I took the gun I dropped the slide and safety checked the gun, (I do it regardless of how they hand me the gun.) I remember the video of the officer that shot his finger off when a gun store employee took a gun from the case and they did not check safety check the gun, then the officer didn't check it then he pulled the trigger and shot his finger. Not dropping the magazine first when safety checking a gun is a bad habit to get into.

[@bippie23456]

IMO - I have always felt that referring to unloading a firearm as "making it safe" inherently implies that a loaded firearm is unsafe! "Safe" is how a firearm is handled not whether it is loaded or not. If by unloading a firearm it is now deemed "safe" does that mean prior to "making it safe" it was "unsafe." As instructors, when we tell students to "load" their firearm do we then tell them that it is no longer "safe"? I teach my students the two conditions of a firearm... Loaded or unloaded.... not safe or unsafe. I believe the "safe" when unloaded mindset has the potential to perpetuate poor (unsafe) gun handling and unsafe handling of an unloaded firearm has the potential to then happen with a loaded firearm. i.e., IDPA/IPSC command, "unload and show clear."

[@journeymenarts]

IMO. I think that should be part of the big 4 rules...

[@hoss6238]

When I was a LEO explorer 17 years ago, our range master would say..."There is NO such thing as an 'accidental discharge', you're just a dipshit with a firearm, and that scares the piss out of me!" Lol.

[@soulcrusher0357]

I seriously don't understand how people can have these types of accidents. If something can seriously injure or kill me or another person, I'm making darn sure it's safe before cleaning. It's basically common sense so I guess I kinda do understand. USCCA I need to give in and finally get some insurance, I been debating it for a long time now.

[@securitytechnician]

My eyes work fine so I will not be sticking my pinkie into the chamber.

[@doyenguy]

It's safe to chamber your pinkie just make sure not to pull the trigger. The gun can fire your pinkie great distances, especially if your pinkie uses a rifle primer.

[@wsmaga]

i was thinking the something.

[@ryanduray1]

This seems like common sense to some, but there's nothing wrong with being reminded to always be safe. Great video.

[@irdwalrus761]

A big part of me wants to ask "Duh, what the F___?" but, obviously, some people need such remedial reminders. I shouldn't be shocked, but kinda am. While typing this, I was reminded that not too long ago an employee behind the gun counter at our local Cabela's shot themselves.

[@USCCAOfficial]

IRD Walrus, please remember that we have people of all experience levels visiting our KZbin channel to learn. This may be remedial to those of us who have carried a gun for a long time, but for someone new to guns this could be a great learning tool. Glad this is just a review for you.

[@coqueto45]

not once did I see you stick your hand or finger in front of the weapon.....hmmmmm also....did you install a slide release lever or are you just forcing the slide lock down....? That's not good practice....

[@jad3415]

Trigger pull takedown pistols are bad engineering. Stay away from them. I don't care how safe you are at handling and disassembling them. There's no need to have the trigger pulled in order to field strip a pistol.