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Gun Safety Instructor Shoots Student

always treat a gun as if it's loaded. Even if you know it's not, keep the safety on, your finger off the trigger and the business-end pointed away from other people. when you are handed/pick up a firearm you always inspect it, is the safety on? are there rounds in the mag? is there a round in the chamber? I repeat ALWAYS INSPECT THE WEAPON.
 
Well I suppose if nothing else, the instructor did a good job of demonstrating why you should always treat every gun as loaded.
 
Aside from clearing the weapon, you shouldn't even have your finger on the trigger unless you intend on firing the weapon. My index finger is always extended down the side of the trigger guard unless I'm ready to shoot. Common sense goes a long way with that stuff.
 
Scarpozzi said:
Aside from clearing the weapon, you shouldn't even have your finger on the trigger unless you intend on firing the weapon. My index finger is always extended down the side of the trigger guard unless I'm ready to shoot. Common sense goes a long way with that stuff.
Click to expand...

And always act as if its loaded.
 
The victim was hit by a ricochet. That means there are too many unknowns before we pass judgment. Probably the instructors fault, but the information we have doesn't state that it was the instructor's gun that was brought to the side while loaded. For all we know, he could have been handling someone's gun in the class, and in the process of checking to see if it was loaded while keeping it pointed away from people, it accidentally discharged.

But, I'm going to go with the instructor is at fault.
 
Scarpozzi said:
Aside from clearing the weapon, you shouldn't even have your finger on the trigger unless you intend on firing the weapon. My index finger is always extended down the side of the trigger guard unless I'm ready to shoot. Common sense goes a long way with that stuff.
Click to expand...

I try to keep my index finger along the side of the frame above the trigger guard. I don't want it covering that opening if I can help it.
 
The article says it was a .38, so most likely a revolver. Revolvers are extremely hard to accidentally fire if the hammer is down. It would take either a deliberate long pull of the double action trigger or a deliberate cocking of the hammer to fire in single action mode. Firing that gun wasn't an "accident", he was dry firing it and hadn't confirmed that it was empty.

The ricochet was off of a desk and into the students arm, so the gun was pointed in the direction of the students seating area, not in a safe direction.

At 73 years of age, the instructor has probably demonstrated how a revolver works hundreds or thousands of times. He got complacent and didn't follow all the safety precautions he was trying to teach.

I feel for him a bit. This is what happens when you make a career out of handing something as potentially deadly as a firearm. Most of us only risk a chewing out if we screw up at work. The penalty for failure in this instance was a bullet to a students arm and the end of a career.

The instructor is lucky he isn't in jail, especially with our current culture of demanding someone be held criminally responsible for every "accident."
 
He should be retired. :\

finger-off.jpg
 
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