Firearms Safety

Which, in your opinion, is the most important firearms safety? Why?

My vote goes to the Brain/Mindset being the most important safety, while handling a firearm. My definition for Brain/Mindset is keeping your mind clear and focused while firing, so as not to do something you will later regret. Also, having the situational awareness to notice where people are, in relation to you and your muzzle. I feel that no matter your skill-level, or the amount of safeties on your firearm, if you don't exercise good judgement/thinking, you are setting yourself up for a potentially unsafe shooting experience.

I was recently told that this opinion is very wrong and that I will soon shoot myself in the foot for thinking this way... I'm just wondering what everyone else on the forum thinks.

If I missed a better safety please let me know.

The one between the ears and behind the eyes is the most important in my opinion. :mrgreen:

as all guns are safe UNTIL they are in contact with a human, it stands to reason that the HUMAN is the unsafe element. therefore the human action or inaction causes the unsafe condition ....

a loaded gun can sit on a table for 100 years and be safe for the entire time if no one is around it. same gun sitting on a table for 10 seconds can be unsafe if touched by a human

I chose the last option. Guns are not safe. Period.

Guns are very dangerous. That's why I carry it in the first place. I know a very highly skilled man who is limping right now because another highly skilled team mate shot him in the knee unloading a pistol. The odds are in your favor though if you train with adult supervision. That's one nice thing about shooting competitively, you will be watched by everyone who is waiting to shoot and the RO and continually corrected. Accidents will happen though. probably when you are mentally and physically exhausted. My last negligent discharge happened then but thank God I was habitually pointing it in a safe direction. That was many years ago.

is anything safe? what is the definition of safe? how does a gun rate among other unsafe items?

2007 firearms deaths in the US : 31,224 (includes over 17,300 suicides)
2007 automobile deaths in the US: 41,059

so automobiles were 31% more dangerous than guns in 2007 and yet we expose our children to them daily..... we dont stop our children from playing with toy cars..... we dont nut up if our kid touches the car in the driveway....

we have a PERCEPTION about what is safe and what is not .... i fear that as a society , perception is what we use to make up our minds, not reality

no. less potential for danger than a wiffle ball bat. rank 34.

and the next post... Good point

I guess that's why people like us don't mind living in a free society with all it's risks. I know that once I was conceived in my mother's womb that I was at risk and will be until I'm dead. I think it's actually a good idea to ride my motorcycle to work on the freeway (only 4 days a week, I'm too old to enjoy working full time any longer), hunt and kill elk at high altitude ( got two this year and packed them out myself), and get into fistfights with men 1/3 my age. You are only truly free if you don't fear death. It's going to happen anyhow. In my 70's I may slow down a bit though.

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Originally Posted by rgrundy

...and get into fistfights with men 1/3 my age.

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Me too.






Eight-year-olds. :numbchuck:

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Originally Posted by Holly

Me too.

Eight-year-olds. :numbchuck:

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:anim_lol: :anim_lol: :anim_lol:
Give the lady the full 10 points!


While I agree with Ted (of course, since we seem to be the same mind in two bodies) that all guns are unsafe, I chose "Brain/Mindset" anyway.
My belief is that the proper use of the brain can overcome inherent safety issues, and can even render an unsafe object at least temporarily safe.

No safety lever will place itself "on." No safety lever will switch itself to "off." Guns don't fire themselves.
I carry, 24/7, a pistol that has absolutely no safety device on it anywhere. Nevertheless, in my pocket or in my hand, it is perfectly safe. That's because my brain is always engaged, as a matter of habit.

Brain/mindset has to be safest.... people are supposed to be able to reason. Some folks, along with guns cannot reason.

I don't think the poll and the question is very well formed.
Firearms are weapons, their function is dangerous.
And, of course, the operator is in charge of the safe operation of the weapon and thus his mindset/training/discipline is the main ingredient in safe possession and use.

No gun is safe in the hands of an idiot or a drunk or a mentally ill person or a violent criminal.

It is a good idea here to repeat the four universal rules of gun safety:
- Always treat the gun as though it is loaded;
- Never put your finger on the trigger until you are ready to fire;
- Never point the muzzle of the gun at something you are not prepared to destroy;
- Be aware of the target and what is beyond it.

However, I think where the poll-creator was going was....everything else being even....which types of handgun safeties are better?

The safest gun is one that has no magazine loaded and no bullet in the chamber;
Almost equally safe is one that has a magazine but none in the chamber;
Slightly Less safe is a gun in a holster that protects the trigger with the safety ON.
When in your hands:
Slightly Less safe is a DA/SA gun one that has a bullet in the chamber and is decocked, and a manual safety ON.
Slightly Less safe is a DA/SA or striker-fired gun that has a bullet in the chamber, and is cocked and has a manual safety ON;
Slightly Less safe is a striker-fired gun that is cocked that has a bullet in the chamber and has no manual safety, but a trigger and/or grip safety;
Slightly Less safe is a striker-fired gun that is cocked and has a bullet in the chamber and has no manual safety (or safety is OFF) but a long DA trigger pull;
Slightly Less safe is a striker-fired gun that is cocked and has a bullet in the chamber and has no manual safety(or safety is OFF) and a short, easy DA trigger;
Slightly Less safe is a DA/SA gun that has a bullet in the chamber, is cocked, and the safety is OFF.

I am acutely aware of the gun and the trigger when the gun is in my hands and my manual safety is OFF and there is a round in the chamber. I am much less concerned about the safety of the gun when it is holstered on my hip and the safety is ON.

There may be others who have different opinions about which is "slightly less safe" but this is just my humble opinion. I hope this gets to the essence of the poll-question.
CC

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Originally Posted by cclaxton

.....Firearms are weapons, their function is dangerous....

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firearms are a tool.... a machine , to be exact. their purpose is to make a lead ball fly from the end of the barrel and hit what we are aiming at.

it BECOMES a weapon IF we humans use it to harm or threaten other living things.... just the same as a steak knife BECOMES a weapon IF we try to rob a bank with it or a jack hammer BECOMES a weapon IF we try to take someones leg off with it.

there is no inherent danger in a tool or machine or a rock or a door or pine tree UNLESS we decide to use it for harm or in a unsafe manner.

we give the things we fear or do not understand some measure of supernatural power that they do not have... if we use our brains more , we fear less

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Originally Posted by TedDeBearFrmHell

firearms are a tool.... a machine , to be exact. their purpose is to make a lead ball fly from the end of the barrel and hit what we are aiming at.

it BECOMES a weapon IF we humans use it to harm or threaten other living things.... just the same as a steak knife BECOMES a weapon IF we try to rob a bank with it or a jack hammer BECOMES a weapon IF we try to take someones leg off with it.

there is no inherent danger in a tool or machine or a rock or a door or pine tree UNLESS we decide to use it for harm or in a unsafe manner.

we give the things we fear or do not understand some measure of supernatural power that they do not have... if we use our brains more , we fear less

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BINGO! We have a winner! :smt023

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Originally Posted by TedDeBearFrmHell

firearms are a tool.... a machine , to be exact. their purpose is to make a lead ball fly from the end of the barrel and hit what we are aiming at. it BECOMES a weapon IF we humans use it to harm or threaten other living things.... just the same as a steak knife BECOMES a weapon IF we try to rob a bank with it or a jack hammer BECOMES a weapon IF we try to take someones leg off with it. there is no inherent danger in a tool or machine or a rock or a door or pine tree UNLESS we decide to use it for harm or in a unsafe manner. we give the things we fear or do not understand some measure of supernatural power that they do not have... if we use our brains more , we fear less

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I never said firearms have supernatural power.
Merriam-webster defines it as a weapon:
Firearm - Definition and More from the Free Merriam-Webster Dictionary
Free dictionary defines it as a weapon.
firearm - definition of firearm by the Free Online Dictionary, Thesaurus and Encyclopedia.
firearm [ˈfaɪərˌɑːm]n (Military / Firearms, Gunnery, Ordnance & Artillery) a weapon, esp a portable gun or pistol, from which a projectile can be discharged by an explosion caused by igniting gunpowder, etc.
http://www.cde.state.co.us/cdepreven...efinitions.pdf

18 USC 921(a)(3) defines a firearm as:
Any weapon (including a starter gun) that expels a projectile by the action of an explosive
The frame or receiver of any such weapon
Firearm mufflers and silencers
Destructive devices

A FIREARM IS A WEAPON.

Ted, of all the things in my posting you could have taken issue with or responded in a way that reinforced safety, you try to redefine the english language?
CC

Quote:

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Originally Posted by cclaxton

.....A FIREARM IS A WEAPON.

Ted, of all the things in my posting you could have taken issue with or responded in a way that reinforced safety, you try to redefine the english language?
CC

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no redefining here....

WEAPON
A weapon is a tool or instrument used with the aim of causing damage or harm (either physical or mental) to living beings or artificial structures or systems.

so a weapon IS a tool, and its a weapon when used for damaging or harming, LIKE I STATED.... a firearm CAN be a weapon but is not always a weapon.

i am not redefining the english language, i am using it.

Ruel-1 Putting safety first,The way pistol & rifle safety is set up. Then there is no way anyone can get hurt or killed. Individual safety-Pledge to make safety first. Just like if your on the range,Everyone is a safety officer. If their is something you don't know,When your on the range.Just ask the range officers (R.O.),They are there to help.

:watching:

:smt023

This page from CMP,Has some Important Safety Tips...:smt1099And for you new shooters on here,Their are a lot of good people on here,That know a lot about firearms.So your on the best forum on the web. Your in good hands.:smt033

Safety

Interesting changes to gun syntax:

Toolchest=gunsafe;
Toolbox=portable handgun safe;
Toolbelt=gun holster;
Tool bag=Range Bag;
Powertool=semi-automatic gun;
handtool=single shot gun;
rotary tool=revolver;
air tools=airsoft gun;
safety goggles=shooting glasses;
safety vest=concealment;
cutting tool=combat knife;
impact tool=full automatic gun;
multitool=multi-barrel gun;

You get the idea...

Firearms are weapons.
CC

Quote:

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Originally Posted by cclaxton

Interesting changes to gun syntax:

Toolchest=gunsafe;
Toolbox=portable handgun safe;
Toolbelt=gun holster;
Tool bag=Range Bag;
Powertool=semi-automatic gun;
handtool=single shot gun;
rotary tool=revolver;
air tools=airsoft gun;
safety goggles=shooting glasses;
safety vest=concealment;
cutting tool=combat knife;
impact tool=full automatic gun;
multitool=multi-barrel gun;

You get the idea...

Firearms are weapons.
CC

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rocks are weapons too..... quarry = ammo dump

Sticks can also be used as weapons. Following Ted's unassailable logic, a forest can be seen as a weapons factory.
A kitchen, then, is an arsenal.
Assault vehicles are to be found in your garage.
Bedrooms are repositories of strangulation devices.
Shall I go on, Mr. Claxton?

Danger is not endemic to any object. Any object, no matter how innocent its purpose, can easily be converted into a weapon.
A "weapon," therefore, is not in the eye of the beholder, but rather in the hand, and mind, of the user.

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Originally Posted by Steve M1911A1

Sticks can also be used as weapons. Following Ted's unassailable logic, a forest can be seen as a weapons factory.
A kitchen, then, is an arsenal.
Assault vehicles are to be found in your garage.
Bedrooms are repositories of strangulation devices.
Shall I go on, Mr. Claxton?

Danger is not endemic to any object. Any object, no matter how innocent its purpose, can easily be converted into a weapon.
A "weapon," therefore, is not in the eye of the beholder, but rather in the hand, and mind, of the user.

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a very wise woman once wrote:

Any tool is a weapon IF you hold it right.

Ani DiFranco

she has an amazing grasp of reality , and some cant even grasp the obvious.