The Truth About Guns » Evan Easton

Do As I Say . . . And Do

Evan Easton — Mon, 01 Aug 2011 23:40:16 +0000

Millions of kids daily suffer the life’s-so-unfair injustice of a parental my-house-my-rules verdict. And it’s usually fair – when Johnny and Susie can hold down a job, pay rent, utilities, insurance, feed themselves, etc. then they can choose their own rules. Of course, it’s a lot more difficult to stomach mom and dad’s rules when they use the do-as-I-say-not-as-I-do approach. We all know that cussing, sleeps ’til noon, lush mommy’s going to have a little trouble gaining positive traction with the kids on a variety of issues . . .

Now, my idea of successful parenting – hey, I managed to keep ‘em alive another day – differs a wee bit from my wife’s. I’m no Dr. Phil. But when it comes to teaching others about firearms, I do know that there’s no room for do-as-I-say-not-as-I-do. The rules are the rules are the rules. Finito!

Which is why, while scanning my daily news intake, I stopped short on the photo above, which is captioned:

XXX … listens to instructor YYY talk about the proper way to ensure a gun is unloaded during a class … **

Okay, maybe I’m wrong, but I tried and tried and just can’t seem to replicate the wrist angles shown with a training gun without muzzling myself or nearly so, and I’m flexible. Without hyperextending one’s elbow the left wrist just has to bend back more to get the muzzle to point across well in front of one’s body instead of at it.

Correspondence with the unnamed instructor yielded this response:

The angle in the picture is somewhat deceiving, I was bladed (sideways) when I showed XXX that, During that Class, and (always) I never point a firearm at anyone, ( especially myself!!!)

I suspected this would be the response. And I’m not going to send the photo off to a biomechanics expert to deconstruct and refute the claim. As I said, maybe I’m wrong. But even if the instructor wasn’t violating Cooper’s Rule #2 (Never let the muzzle cover anything you are not willing to destroy), is holding the gun backward by its barrel really a safe thing to be doing, let alone demonstrate to students? You are just a handful degrees away from an unintentional Rule #2 violation. IMO, it’s a very questionable practice.

Sure, I understand that when you’re in front of a group of people trying to demonstrate a technique, you want to face them so they can hear you. You don’t want to pointing the gun at them, duh. But that’s an inconvenience, not an excuse for pointing the gun at yourself or holding a gun in a way that makes it very likely you’ll unintentionally point it at yourself.

If you’re teaching others about guns, whether it’s an informal one-on-one session or a formal class room environment, you need to figure out how to manage your real estate so that you, the instructor, ALWAYS follow the rules, just as you’d expect of the students. And instead of doing things that may technically be safe but which are prone to accidents, figure out a better way.

When you say, don’t do X and later proceed to do X, it has a profound impact on students, whether or not they connect the dots at the time. They see you doing something wrong but conclude there must be some acceptable reason for it, even if they can’t think of the reason. After all, you’re supposed to know what you’re doing.

The results? While a few will wisely stick to the rules regardless, some will simply be too casual with the rules and be blind to the violations. Worse, others will start rationalizing obviously bad practices by saying, “but I saw the instructor do it.”

At the very least, you won’t have a photo of you doing something questionable turn up online to your embarrassment. More importantly, you can rest well at night knowing you’ve not led your students astray.

NRA Law Enforcement Instructor Courses. How Many Fail to Graduate?

Irresponsible Gun Owner of the Day: Derreck Dahl And Friends

Evan Easton — Fri, 29 Jul 2011 11:14:11 +0000

According to co.dakota.mn.us, 26-year-old Derrick Wallace Dahl [above] picked up an unloaded .45, pointed it at his friend and pulled the trigger. Except the gun wasn’t unloaded. And his friend Ben Hanson is now dead. The DA’s charged Dahl one count each of manslaughter, reckless discharge of a firearm, intentionally pointing a gun at another and recklessly handling a gun. The Minnesotan’s defense? Ignorance. Profound ignorance. Here’s the pitch from the criminal complaint . . .

In a subsequent statement, Dahl explained that this was the first time that he had ever handled a gun, and he did not know about guns. He said that all three of them had earlier been pointing the empty guns at each other, just playing around.

Dahl explained that he saw The witness take the magazine out of the gun, later identified as the Kimber semi-automatic handgun, and remove a bullet from the chamber of the gun. Dahl saw The witness place the bullet back into the magazine and the magazine and gun had been set on the counter.

Dahl went on to say that he was looking in a cabinet and then returned to the gun identified as the Kimber handgun. He picked up the gun, cocked it, and pointed it at Ben Hanson. Dahl stated that he pulled the trigger and the gun fired, hitting Ben Hanson. Dahl stated that it was an accident, and he did not know that that gun got reloaded.

Dahl didn’t own any of the guns involved in the pass the parcel game. (If he had that would’ve damaged his defense.) It’s not reported who owns the weapons and/or made them available to the group. Their possible intoxication is also unstated.

As the victim is reported to be from nearby Welch, MN, the shooter from Apple Valley, the incident occurred at a home in Burnsville (where all the guns were stored), and the complaint describes the unnamed witness clearing the gun used in the shooting. Do the math.

The death serves as a stark warning to follow the safety basics. First, always safety check any gun you touch when you first touch it. No matter what. Second, always safety check any gun you hand to someone else before you hand it to someone else.

At the same time (equal “first”), always keep a gun pointed in a safe direction. Second, always assume that the person receiving your gun is going to pull the trigger. It’s what people do. Tell them, “point the gun over there and nowhere else, OK?” Make sure they agree. Hand the gun to them pointing in a safe direction. And then be prepared to grab it.

And don’t forget not to hand your guns to someone else. Why take that risk? I know: paranoid much? Yes. When it comes to gun safety, there’s no such thing as being too paranoid.

Self-Defense Tip: Three Ways to Make Your Gun Safe Safe

Evan Easton — Thu, 28 Jul 2011 12:53:35 +0000

When you’re not using or carrying your gun, it’s in a safe, right? That stricture aside, it’s almost a forgone conclusion [by our less firearms-aware cohorts] that a gun in a safe should be unloaded. Those who are serious about their armed self-defense recognize that adding unnecessary fine motor skill steps to the deployment of a defensive gun is an open invitation for Mr. Murphy . . .

You’re going to be stressed. It may be completely dark. You might be groggy after having just woken up. Your alarm system siren might be blaring or the dogs barking. Who knows what else might be going on. Do you really want to add finding your magazines, speed loaders, or loose shotgun rounds and loading them to your task list? I don’t.

Thus it is accepted practice to keep defensive guns loaded when in a quick access safe. Even the NRA rule, “ALWAYS keep the gun unloaded until ready to use,” comes with the postscript (quoted from the NRA Personal Protection in the Home guide book):

a firearm that is being stored in a gun safe or lock box should generally be unloaded…unless it is a personal protection firearm that may need to be accessed quickly.

But how does one reconcile this with the rule of always keeping guns pointed in a safe direction? Holstered and cased guns, even loaded ones, are usually given a pass on this rule by virtue of their proper containment. They’re not being handled; their triggers won’t be accidentally pulled.

This is why most people who carry are OK with the fact that a holstered gun occasionally points at feet, legs, kids, dog, etc. Or, in the case of shoulder holsters, the person behind you in line. Gun’s don’t just go off; you have to mess with them for then to fire.

Bottom line: a safe isn’t always safe. TTAG’s Brad Kozak recently chronicled a case where a gun in a case was almost a case of negligent homicide. Equally true: a gun could “go off” when you reach for it in a safe. Here are some suggestions how to make your gun safe safer.

Secure your safe

Many owners keep a small gun safe by the bedside (highly recommended). In the heat of the moment, you could knock the entire unit off its perch. Make sure the safe is not obscured by books, drinks, photos or other side table-friendly items. If you can, secure the safe to something solid using the lag bolts. If not, check that it won’t go slip, sliding away. Add velcro, glue, new rubber feet—whatever it takes.

Larger gun safes tend to live in closets. Make sure there’s free and clear access; no clothes or other items blocking your path from bed to vault.

Do not group guns and magazines closely. You want to be able to reach in and grab one gun without hesitation, deviation or repetition. If possible, position the gun and safe in such a way that the muzzle will be pointing in a safe direction until you have complete control of the weapon.

Use a biometric safe

Keys and combos are a recipe for disaster. They can be lost, stolen or fumbled. Most safe manufacturers now offer a biometric solution: you swipe a finger and the safe opens. Any doubts about the technology must be balanced against the difficulty of opening a key or combo safe when it counts. Biometric wins. [Click here for TTAG's review of the 9G BIOMETRIC SAFE.]

Note: Whether you use a key, combo or biometric safe, make sure your children understand the rules of gun safety. There is no such thing as an impregnable safe.

Practice

Under stress, you will revert to instinct—especially if you’re facing a BITN (Bump In The Night) scenario. So train yourself how to safely and efficiently extract your gun from your gun safe. Unload your weapon, store it properly and set the alarm for the middle of the night. Wake up and get your gun. (If you’re worried about the world’s worst coincidence, place the magazine or shells nearby).

Although TTAG recommends home carry, if you don’t carry at home, practice getting your [unloaded] gun from all rooms in the house, moving as quickly and efficiently as possible.

Above all, remember that a gun safe is merely part of a self-defense system. Which is merely part of a self-defense plan. You need all three elements in place to prevent a negligent discharge and protect the ones you love.

Irresponsible Gun Owner of the Day 2: Bruce Pond

Evan Easton — Tue, 26 Jul 2011 12:37:08 +0000

According to heraldonline.com, Bruce Pond of Ossian, Indiana was bothered by the light at the end of a nearby pier (not shown). Despite being drunk and, more importantly, unaware of the source of the light, Pond decided to shoot it. It was a flashlight being used by a neighbor and his dad during some late night fishing. The bullet struck four-year old Jacob Michuda in the head, killing him . . .

Trish Ulmer, a neighbor, described the incident as “just a freak accident.” Ms. Ulmer needs to brush up on her vocabulary; this was not an accident. Had Mr. Pond followed the safety rule know your target and what is beyond, a little boy would still be alive.

Pond was being held without bond on a preliminary charge of reckless homicide and due to appear in court Monday.

Thankfully, the local authorities see Pond’s gross negligence for what it is.