Guns don’t kill, People do!

As a police officer and owner of a crime scene cleanup company, far too often I find myself dealing with the aftermath of a shooting.  Although I won’t argue the merits of gun control, as I firmly believe in an individual’s right to keep and bear arms, I will preach the art of gun safety.

The news media is “johnny on the spot” when it comes to reporting acts of violence that involve a gun.  It’s easy for many of us to believe that guns only kill when a thief robs a store or a person wants to commit suicide or a gang member retaliates against a rival gang member.  We don’t hear about all of the accidental shootings that take place in our neighborhoods each and every day.  I know for a fact that many of the shootings I’ve investigated have not made the news, because they simply weren’t news worthy.  Why weren’t they news worthy? Because the shooting was an accident.  A simple mistake in judgment.  Sure someone lost their life, but it wasn’t intentional and most watching the evening news aren’t too interested in a story about an accident.

As a police officer and former Marine, I have been taught to treat every firearm (pistol, rifle, shotgun, assault rifle, bb gun and pellet gun) as if it were loaded.  Never touch a gun with the mindset that it is unloaded and harmless.  ALL GUNS ARE ALWAYS LOADED!   We’ve all heard the saying “if a tree falls in the woods and no one is around, does it make a sound”.  How about “if a loaded gun is laying on a table and no one is around, will it kill someone”.  Of course not.  Guns don’t kill, people kill!

My crime scene cleanup company was recently called upon to clean a scene where a woman was fatally shot while sleeping on her couch.  As more facts were gathered, we learned that she was accidentally shot by her husband while he cleaned his gun in an adjoining room.  Now some of you are thinking “likely story” or “how convenient”.  Inside information tells me that this was in fact an accident and it destroyed a once very loving family.  The husband cleaned his gun religiously, assumed it was unloaded, a round was discharged and his wife was shot in the back as she slept.  I for one could not continue living if I were to accidentally shoot my wife.

If you or any of your family members own a gun, take a course on gun safety.  At the risk of sounding redundant, “GUNS DON”T KILL, PEOPLE DO”!  If you must clean your gun inside your home, make absolutely sure the gun is unloaded.  Here is how to properly check the condition of your gun:

1. Take the magazine or clip out of the gun.  To often people will check the chamber to make sure it is empty, yet the magazine’s still firmly seated in the gun. As soon as the bolt or slide is allowed to ride forward, it chambers a round from the magazine. The person will then remove the magazine and assume the gun is unloaded, because he or she already checked the chamber and no round was present.  The magazine must be removed before anything else is done.
   
2. Once the magazine has been removed from the gun, lock the bolt or slide to the rear.  Look into the chamber to see if a round is present.  Turn the gun upside down to make absolutely sure a round isn’t in the chamber. No round in the chamber? Stick your finger into the chamber and allow it to enter the back end of the barrel through the chamber. If your finger can enter the barrel it is safe to assume that there is no round in the chamber.  Conduct each of these two steps with the gun pointed in a safe direction.  A safe direction is a direction in which, if a round were to be fired, no one within a mile would be struck by the round. A safe direction typically means into the ground, up in the air or into a clearing barrel.
   
3. Now that you have cleared the weapon of any rounds, continue to treat it as if it were loaded.

Number three above is very important.  While cleaning your gun, keep it pointed in a safe direction.  If you have a basement, clean your gun in the basement and always keep it pointed at the floor.  If you have a single level home, keep your gun pointed up towards the ceiling.  Remember, just because you may be sure that the gun is not loaded, it should be treated as if it were.  And, if a round were to discharge from the gun you’re cleaning, it will penetrate walls and furniture and can travel a great distance before striking an innocent person.

Gun safety should not be overlooked and can not be taken lightly.  Since this post does not even remotely discuss all of the aspects of gun safety, I strongly encourage everyone who owns a gun to participate in a gun safety class or program.  Please don’t become both a suspect and a victim because someone you love died as a result of your carelessness.