Sunday 24 December 2006

Gun safety

Yesterday, a domestic servant was injured in a hotel in Bonar Bridge, Sutherland (north of Inverness) because a gun went off accidentally in a room above the dining room in which she was at work. The owner of the shotgun had been cleaning the firearm when it discharged. The bullet penetrated the floor and ceiling, hitting the cleaner.

I have been tought firearms safety, and when you are going to work on a gun, you first of all remove all ammunition from the weapon. Then, just in case, you point the gun away from people and (if inside) point it into a corner of the room.

The man whose gun went off has vowed never to shoot again. He's strongly advised to stick with that. I will not easily forget an encounter on the Corrour Estate in central Scotland 5 years ago, when I was stopped by a group of deerstalkers in an all terrain vehicle. Their guns pointed straight in my face, not intentionally as a threat, whilst they asked me where I was going. I was on a public right of way, and I advised them accordingly. I should have told them to point their guns away from me as well.


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7 comments:

  1. Hope the lady is not too badly hurt. You cannot be too careful with guns or indeed any weapons.

    http://journals.aol.co.uk/jeanno43/JeannettesJottings/

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  2. Hope she's ok.   I've got guns here.  We've always had guns in the house.  Always very cautious also.  Have a good holiday Guido.  Stay warm!
    Pam

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  3. I hope the lady will soon recover. What a horrible thing to happen at this time of year. Guns are so dangerous. Have a very happy Christmas and a great new year Guido. Jeannette xx  

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  4. what in the world was a man cleaning his gun without making sure the chamber was empty. That guy should have his gun taken away from him or sent to gun safety classes!!! That poor woman!

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  5. "Accidents" like that are caused by either ignorance or carelessness, and I'm afraid most of the time it is carelessness.  My husband and I both shoot a number of different types of weapons and have always practiced careful handling practices and made sure to teach these to our kids.  We have all, in addition, taken gun safety classes.  One never points a gun, loaded or unloaded, at any person or other living creature unless one means to shoot; even if one has just unloaded the weapon, ALWAYS treat it as if it were loaded.  I'm glad the lady was not fatally injured, and hope the gentleman sticks by his word.
    Lori

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  6. I do hope the lady wasn`t seriously injured and will soon make a full recovery.  I know nothing about guns but I can hardly believe someone who has a gun licence would clean it without first checking it was loaded or not. The man shouldn`t be allowed to keep a gun let alone ever shoot one again.

    Sandra xx

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  7. One reason why guns do not thrill me in the least.  My son hunts and took several safety classes before the rifle came into the house.  Chris

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