safety requirements

[alextpearson]

I was with some of my friends the other day and we were talking about firearms. He has been thinking about purchasing a concealment weapon am has been wondering what to purchase. I gladly let him look at 2 of my guns just so he could get a idea of size and weight. Prior to giving him the weapon I had unloaded the magazine racked the gun several times and put the slide in locked back position prior to handing him each gun. After a few min of handling the guns and talking about what I liked about each he proceed to hand the guns back to me. In each instance he his handed them back there was no racking of the slide or locking the slide back. I know I handed him the guns unloaded and did not let him hand the clips but this lack of safe is concerning and in my state there are no required classes to revive your carry or conceal permit.

So the question I'm posing to everyone is should there be a required safety class prior to being able to be eligible for a permit to carry.

I personally feel you should be required to take a 20 hour basic training class and have a minimum of 5 hours of documented handling of the gun (range training) prior to being able to carry. To many gun relate incidents are attributed to the lack of safety knowledge.

 

[Firefighterchen]

I believe there should be no infringements on the 2nd amendment. Period. If he is a true friend of yours, you should set aside some quality time to train him up to your standards of safety. It's everyones job to keep training to make that standard higher and higher every day..

 

[chiefpropellerhead]

I concur with the response above.

 

[Phillip Gain]

I'm of two minds.

On the one hand - I would love to see no infringements on the 2nd Amendment as the Constitution states. (But realizing that rights may be taken away by due process of law for convictions of crimes.)

On the other hand, though - I really hate the idea of unsafe idiots being able to carry without training.

 

[Cotillion]

Did you voice your concern? I know if I watched someone unload the mag and physically check the pipe I wouldn't feel the need to do it again if the gun hadn't left my hand in the short amount of time you described. The gun was obviously and had been proven unloaded

 

[Rabbitcreekok]

Folks are not born knowing gun safety, even though many think they are. If we see anyone handling a gun unsafely, I think it is incumbent on us to politely show then the safe way to handle the gun. NRA certified instructors offer courses on safe gun handling in every state in the union. Encourage folks to avail themselves of those courses.

I have found that many people who have handled guns for many years do not know the first thing about safe gun handling and would benefit from training.

JMHO

 

[Warbirds]

I agree with Cotillion, if I checked the gun, handed it over with no ammunition and had eyes on the whole time I would not expect him to recheck before handing it over. On the other hand if at a gunstore the sales guy checks the gun I will check for myself as soon as it hits my hand.

 

[KCD1974]

Did you voice your concern? I know if I watched someone unload the mag and physically check the pipe I wouldn't feel the need to do it again if the gun hadn't left my hand in the short amount of time you described. The gun was obviously and had been proven unloaded

I agree...I would have done exactly what you did, however I wouldn't expect him to do the same if he hadn't been looking at full mags or handling any ammo. I would have handed you the firearm back in the exact same manner you describe.

How many times have you gone into a gun store and had the clerk rack the slide and lock it back, then after you check it out you also rack the slide and lock it back? Personally, I've never done that, nor would, at least not in the name of safety.

Now had there been ANY ammo involved, fake or real...then I would completely expect the other party to check the weapon first.

 

[Caribou]

I am a very strong proponent of training. However, when it comes to our rights I am against the government dictating the required training. I would like to see people more informed before they go to vote but each person has to decide for themselves how much research (training) they need before exercising their rights.

 

[KCD1974]

^^^^ I was waiting to see how long it would take for that one lol

 

[NavyLCDR]

So the question I'm posing to everyone is should there be a required safety class prior to being able to be eligible for a permit to carry.

I personally feel you should be required to take a 20 hour basic training class and have a minimum of 5 hours of documented handling of the gun (range training) prior to being able to carry. To many gun relate incidents are attributed to the lack of safety knowledge.

So, we must have statistics and history to prove that there is a greater danger to the public in states that have no training, or even permit requirements for the public to carry guns? The accidental shooting deaths associated with handguns carried for self defense must be noticeably higher in those states, then, right? We must surely be able to point to the blood running in the streets due to lack of training, right?

In reality, these types of problems just don't manifest themselves in states like Vermont, Alaska, Arizona, Washington, Wyoming, Montana, Indiana and the plethora of other states that have either no permit required or training required to carry a gun in public.

Requiring training to carry a gun for self defense accomplishes a number of things: it gives some people a warm and fuzzy feeling inside knowing that their government is making them feel safer, it infringes upon those people who really can't afford the training and permit fees, it raises income for the government requiring the fee to be paid and the income of the ccw instructors who have a government created market for their services. Yet history and statistics show that required training for ccw permits makes no difference in safety in reality.

 

[Warbirds]

Training should not be a restriction put in place by the government. But it is highly irresponsible to carry a gun without having been trained. Most of my training as a youth came from the adults and peers that I hunted with. I have also been through Hunter safety and my concealed class but they did not teach anything near what I learned informally as a youth.

And G50AE, maybe it was a M1 Garand cut down to a pistol, that also uses a clip.

 

[Tucker's Mom]

How many times had I made a mistake in handling a gun prior to taking classes? Be a little bit gentler with your friend. He is, as you said, inexperienced and hadn't had any training at all. Your job is to inform him, to teach him, to guide him, even if this will be the first time for you to do so. Give him some tips without being brash...did I say be gentle with him? Not everyone is as knowledgeable as you (and now me...) You wouldn't believe how stupid was stupid me for a long long time before I agree to touch a gun -- and it has to be my way, not theirs. Call me stupid still, but I hate it when someone touches my guns.

 

[Warbirds]

And G50AE, maybe it was a M1 Garand cut down to a pistol, that also uses a clip.

Unlikely, because such a weapon would fall under NFA rules.

If the receiver had never been assembled as a rifle, but was instead built strictly as a pistol it would not violate federal law. Highly unlikely but possible.

 

[WB9IIE]

Regardless of how you gave the person the firearm, it should have been returned to you with the slide locked back (In regards to a wheel gun, the cylinder open). Upon receiving the firearm, check it out whether it is in a safe condition even if the weapon never left your sight. A little time with someone who does not customarily handle firearms would be some friendly training, offering to train him/her further, if they desired, without insulting their intellegence.

 

[NavyLCDR]

Prior to giving him the weapon I had unloaded the magazine racked the gun several times and put the slide in locked back position prior to handing him each gun.

I'm trying to figure out this "racked the gun several times" thing. I don't know, maybe both the Army and the Navy taught me wrong, but they both teach the proper way to clear a gun is to remove the magazine from the gun, lock open the slide/bolt watching for a round to be ejected, lock the slide/bolt open, visually verify there is no magazine in the magazine well and no round in the chamber. Works exactly the same for pistols and rifles. I don't get the "racked the gun several times"....

 

[Deserteagle]

If we require training to exercise one basic right, where is the limit to requiring training for other basic rights? Should we require 20 hours of 1st amendment training about how to safely use words and protest before allowing people to speak or gather together?
Training isnt going to fix stupid, but at least natural selection has a way of doing that.

 

[NavyLCDR]

Training isnt going to fix stupid, but at least natural selection has a way of doing that.

Unfortunately, the government has regulated away most natural selection, and stupid is multiplying at an alarming rate because of it!

 

[localgirl]

If we require training to exercise one basic right, where is the limit to requiring training for other basic rights? Should we require 20 hours of 1st amendment training about how to safely use words and protest before allowing people to speak or gather together?
Training isnt going to fix stupid, but at least natural selection has a way of doing that.

Well, sometimes I wish people had to take training to properly use words. Heh.

It sounds like your friend didn't know a lot about guns. I would just be glad he didn't point it at you while handing it back. And I wouldn't have locked the slide, either, unless you made it clear to me that's how you wanted me to handle the weapon.

 

[Warbirds]

If we require training to exercise one basic right, where is the limit to requiring training for other basic rights? Should we require 20 hours of 1st amendment training about how to safely use words and protest before allowing people to speak or gather together?
Training isnt going to fix stupid, but at least natural selection has a way of doing that.

I vote for parental training before people are allowed to have kids.