From: Norman Johnson <nfjohn@flash.net>
Newsgroups: rec.guns
Subject: Re: (Fwd) Re: Accidental Discharge
Date: 22 Apr 2000 11:24:50 -0400

## Dropping the revolver on the hammer.  Hardly an "accident".
## Dropping the revolver on the muzzle.  Hardly an "accident".
## Cocking the action and having the hammer slip.  Hardly an "accident".
##
## Seems to me there is no such thing as an "accidental" discharge,
## only negligent ones.
##
## Kingfisher
#
#Here is a man who has never dropped a thing in his life, and never had a
#finger slip when using them, wish I could be so good.
#Just as an outside possibility, could a high primer maybe combined with
#a burr or foreign object caught between said high primer and recoil
#shield be combined with a sharp blow to cause an AD?

I have had three accidental discharges.  Two were occasioned by
pulling the trigger while the gun was on safe.  When the gun did
not fire and the safety was moved to the "fire" position, the gun
discharged.  In both cases the safety mechanism had worn and the
accidental discharge condition could be repeated at will.  I
reshaped the worn parts, case hardened them, and put the guns
back into service. 

My third was when lowering the hammer on my old 1911.
It slipped off my thumb.  I was surprised and a little embarrassed
but it most certainly was not due to negligence - rather inevitable
(if one shoots for long enough) human error.

Keeping the guns always pointed in a safe direction avoided harm. 
When I am working in my shop I always point a gun at the ceiling
when cocking, decocking, or the like.  Holes in the ceiling are easy
to fix.  I have an old army armorer friend who has a hole in his
shop ceiling that he will not patch -- just to remind him that it can
happen again.

It is difficult for me to believe that a man who shoots a lot has not
experienced such equipment failures or human error.  He seems
to be pretty severe (even presumptuous) in his judgement of the
actions of others.  If he is serious about the shooting game,
sooner or later he will have his ego deflated.

One of the funniest columns that I have ever read was Skeeter
Skelton's write-up of his numerous accidental discharges. 

God Bless!

Norm